Recovery of hidden libraries in post-Assad Syria

Following the fall of the Assad government in late 2024, individuals in Syria have begun recovering private collections previously concealed to avoid censorship and seizure by the former regime.

In Damascus and Homs, Amr bin Mustafa Alwan (also known as Abu Bilal) recovered a collection of books, magazines, and personal documents, including religious texts on hadith, jurisprudence, and tafsir, which he had hidden behind a brick wall in 2011.

In Homs, 72-year-old Abdullah Mustafa Halid Ulvan recovered a library of over one thousand books hidden behind a false wall. Ulvan, who had faced displacement to Idlib, returned to find his home partially destroyed but his collection intact. To protect the collection from moisture, Ulvan had previously worked with local youths to build a secondary wall in an upper-floor room of his son’s apartment, covering the books in cardboard. The collection includes Quranic interpretations, Hadith, historical texts, and cultural works. After renovating the apartment, Ulvan demolished the wall to reveal the preserved collection, which he now uses as a scholarly resource for his family.

Further details regarding Ulvan’s recovery indicate that the collection was hidden specifically due to fears that his political and religious leanings would lead to the confiscation or destruction of his library. The retrieved volumes include works by figures such as Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb.

These recoveries highlight efforts toward cultural preservation, as previously banned intellectual and religious works begin to reappear in Syrian bookstores and literary events.