Alleyways of Knowledge

The National - 10 Oct 2018

From Moqtada Al Sadr's uncle to Gertrude Bell, Najaf's old city has welcomed many famous guests

In the covered alleyways of old Najaf in Iraq, poetry and philosophy books compete on laden shelves with economic treatises, the Quran and other theological tomes for students' attention.Since leaving his native Bangladesh for the Shiite holy city three years ago, religious student Mohammed Ali Reda has regularly frequented secondhand bookstores. There are many like him in Najaf. Some wear turbans - black for descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, and white for religious scholars.