IRAQ - Father Najeeb Michael rescue as many people as he could.Right before Islamic State stride angrily his village, he loads as many people as possible into his car and fled to Irbil in the dead of night.
"It is not easy to describe this criminal day, this black day which Daesh occupied Mosul and around Mosul," Father Najeeb told VOA, using a local term for the extremist group."It was the night of August 6, 2014, a very dangerous and sad day and night when many thousands of people left Mosul and also Qaraqosh," he recalled.
Qaraqosh is an ancient Assyrian Christian town southeast of Mosul.
"This night I left Qaraqosh just two hours before Daesh came and occupied Qaraqosh, and I bring with me thousands of manuscripts in my cars," he said.
"Criminals are everywhere," Father Najeeb told VOA. "It was the night of August 6, 2014, when awful things leading people to left Mosul and Qaraqosh," he recalled. Qaraqosh is an ancient Assyrian Christian town southeast of Mosul.
A 1000 years old manuscript and parchment summed up with the study of astrology, theology, and philosophy.
Mike Albin, a U.S.-based Arab world specialist formerly with the Library of Congress, told VOA the manuscripts are unique and priceless.
"The manuscripts recovered by Father Najeeb are as important for the history of Iraq's culture as any museum object or archeological site," "His bravery in retrieving the manuscripts and preserving them are a priceless contribution to the preservation of mankind's cultural heritage, " Albin added.
Father Najeeb wants to preserve Iraq's Christian History by digitizing each manuscript that he was recovered.
