简介：Awonderfuldocumentary,byturnsheartbreakingandheartwarming,abouthowduringtheBosnianwaramostunlikelygroupofheroescomprisingacademics,librarians,andotherstaff,includingthenightwatchmanandacleanerriskedtheirlivestorescuethousandsofirreplaceableIslamicmanuscripts–andpreserveanation'shistory.Amidbulletsandbombs,thishandfulofpassionatebook-loverssafeguardedmorethan10,000unique,hand-writtenantiquebooksanddocuments–themostimportanttextsheldbySarajevo'sGaziHusravBegLibrary,foundedin1537. WhenSarajevofellundersiegein1992,MustafaJahic,directoroftheGaziHusravBegLibrary,decidedthatthe10,000manuscriptsitheldmustbesaved.'Savingthedocumentsofcivilisationisinmyopinion,equaltosavinghumanlives,'Jahicsays.'Booksareourpast,ourroots.Withoutthepast,wedon'thaveapresentorafuture'.Over2millionbooksweredestroyedduringthesiege.AswiththeRussiansinChechnyaortheSalifistsinMali,theBosnianSerbsknewtheimportanceofdestroyinganation’sculture,eventhoughtheysharedsomuchofthatculture. TheytransportedthemanuscriptsacrossthecityofSarajevofromhidingplacetohidingplace,undersniperfireandshelling.Therewasnomeansofcarryingthebooks,sooldbananacrateswereused.TheonlywayMustafaJahiccouldgetfromhometoseethebookswasthroughhere,atthemercyofenemysnipers.'Muslimgravesarenotmuchusetohidebehindwhenthesnipersareshooting,theyaretoothinandwhite,'hesays.'SoIwouldruntowardstheOrthodoxandCatholicpartsofthecemetery,thosegravessavedmylife' Attheheightofthesiege,staffoftheGaziHusravBegbeganaprojecttomakemicrofilmcopiesofall10,000uniquemanuscripts.Notaneasytaskwhenthereisnohotrunningwaterandonlyintermittentelectricity.ThemicrofichemachinehadtobesmuggledinthroughtheSarajevoAirporttunnelandthensomeonewhoknewhowtouseitfound.IbettheywouldhavebeenverygladoftheGoogleBooksDigitisationproject. Thereisasub-plothererelatingtothetranslationofTheHistoryofBosniabySallihMuvekkit,auniquemanuscript,theearliesthistoryofthenationdatingfromthelate19thcentury,andprovidesthedocumentarywithawonderfulending. Ilovedthenightwatchman,arefugeefromtheCongowho,whenaffordedtheopportunitytoleave,talksofhowthepeopleofSarajevogavehimahomeandhefeltitwashisdutytostayandprotectthebooks.(OnefortheDailyMailreaders…)…