IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

(230503) -- BAGHDAD, May 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Ayad al-Qamousi (R), owner of al-Assriyah bookstore, works at his bookstore in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 19, 2023. On the eastern side of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad, many bookstores open every morning, some of which have survived for decades despite wars, conflicts, insecurity and sectarian strife, especially after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. TO GO WITH "Feature: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, conflicts" (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

(230503) -- BAGHDAD, May 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Ayad al-Qamousi, owner of al-Assriyah bookstore, displays old books from his bookstore in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 19, 2023. On the eastern side of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad, many bookstores open every morning, some of which have survived for decades despite wars, conflicts, insecurity and sectarian strife, especially after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. TO GO WITH "Feature: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, conflicts" (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

(230503) -- BAGHDAD, May 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A customer looks at books at al-Assriyah bookstore in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 19, 2023. On the eastern side of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad, many bookstores open every morning, some of which have survived for decades despite wars, conflicts, insecurity and sectarian strife, especially after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. TO GO WITH "Feature: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, conflicts" (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

(230503) -- BAGHDAD, May 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A customer looks at books at al-Assriyah bookstore in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 19, 2023. On the eastern side of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad, many bookstores open every morning, some of which have survived for decades despite wars, conflicts, insecurity and sectarian strife, especially after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. TO GO WITH "Feature: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, conflicts" (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

(230503) -- BAGHDAD, May 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Ayad al-Qamousi (R), owner of al-Assriyah bookstore, works at his bookstore in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 19, 2023. On the eastern side of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad, many bookstores open every morning, some of which have survived for decades despite wars, conflicts, insecurity and sectarian strife, especially after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. TO GO WITH "Feature: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, conflicts" (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

IRAQ-BAGHDAD-CULTURE-CENTURY-OLD BOOKSTORES

(230503) -- BAGHDAD, May 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Ayad al-Qamousi, owner of al-Assriyah bookstore, displays old books from his bookstore in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 19, 2023. On the eastern side of the Tigris River in downtown Baghdad, many bookstores open every morning, some of which have survived for decades despite wars, conflicts, insecurity and sectarian strife, especially after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. TO GO WITH "Feature: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, conflicts" (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, sanctions

STORY: Baghdad's century-old bookstores survive wars, sanctions DATELINE: April 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:58 LOCATION: Baghdad CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of al-Mutanabi Street and the adjacent al-Saray market 2. various shots of Ayad al-Qamousi displaying his old books and his bookstore 3. various shots of al-Falluji displaying the old photo of his father and the bookstore 4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): AYAD AL-QAMOUSI, Owner of the al-Assriyah Bookstore on al-Mutanabi Street 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ABBOUD MOHAMMED HASSAN AL-FALLUJI, Former owner of Al-Assri Bookbindery on al-Mutanabi Street 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): AKRAM HUSSEIN AL-FILFILY, Owner of al-Filfily Bookstore 7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): JAMAL AL-BAZZAZ, Retired professor of history of Arab and Islamic civilization at Baghdad University STORYLINE: On al-Mutanabi Street in downtown Baghdad, capital of Iraq, locate some century-old bookstores that have survived wars, conflicts, and sanctions. One of them is the al-Assriyah bookstore. It was est