Aleppo bookseller preserves cultural memory with 1 million books

In the Tilel neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, 91-year-old bookseller Rızkullah Abd is preserving the city's cultural memory through a massive collection of approximately one million books.

Operating from a small shop on a narrow sidewalk, Abd has spent roughly 40 years collecting rare and ancient works. His archive includes Arabic, French, English, and German texts, featuring manuscripts and lithographed works that are often unavailable in modern libraries. Some items in his collection are over a century old.

Abd views his work as a responsibility rather than a mere commercial activity, stating that he collects abandoned and neglected books to ensure they are available to researchers, students, and book lovers. Despite the worn condition of some volumes, he continues to protect them for their historical value.