In 2015 the Syrian town of Darayya was under siege. Its residents were being subjected to almost constant shelling, no-one could enter or leave, food was running out and there wasn’t enough medicine to treat the sick and injured. But deep in the bowels of a high-rise building, in a basement room, Darayya’s residents were slipping into a very different world. One filled with adventure, romance, comedy, tragedy, and the odd 'who dunnit'... this is the story of Syria's secret library and one of its founders.

Translation by Youssef Taha.

The readings you heard came from:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

They Tricked Her Is Saying Belle and Stand For The Teacher, both by Ahmad Shawqi

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Music:

D'un crépuscule, l'autre by Abderraouf Ouertani

Shata by Dhafer Youssef

Get in touch: [email protected]

Presenter: Emily Webb

Producer: Fiona Woods

Picture: Damaged books

Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images