History of libraries in Mesopotamia(Shamshara Library as an example)

Abstract

Libraries are not exclusive to our modern world, but have existed since ancient times, as civilizations boasted about their libraries that collected scrolls of science in that era, some of them were destroyed due to a brutal attack from another country, and some neglected and their contents were stolen, but this is all evidence of the importance of libraries and knowledge.

A library is defined as a place designated for keeping books and literature of all kinds. Libraries are divided into two types: private libraries, which mean a collection of books owned by a person, such as the Timurid Treasury that was transferred to the Dar al-Kutub in Cairo, for example, and public libraries, which refer to places owned by the state for the purpose of collecting a number of books. A large number of books are designated for the benefit of readers and researchers in rooms equipped and designated for reading and research, while the books and literature in libraries are varied to deal with various types of science and knowledge written in several languages. The arts and other sciences meet the different desires and tastes of individuals.

The limitation of the role of the library in providing knowledge and science resources to its researchers is limited to it in a narrow sense. It provides the individual with an opportunity for self-learning that creates from him a creative individual who is familiar with the issues of his society and his surroundings, which results in a refined and special culture that distinguishes each society from other societies, in addition to the role of libraries in preserving the cultural heritage of each society. The culture that can only exist with it, culture has been defined as that complex whole that includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs and any capabilities that a person acquires as a result of his presence in a society, and these are the matters that libraries seek to preserve and reduce through the ages, which saves us To conclude that the development of libraries is a real indicator by which to measure the development of countries.

Shamshara Library is one of the most important cultural signs of the ancient civilization of Iraq, as we present this sign as a lamp that sheds light on the great civilization of Mesopotamia.