Director of Information and Culture in Herat Ahmadullah Muttaqi said that TIKA, a major institution of the Republic of Turkey, not only restored the library but also donated some 2,000 books in Turkish lanaguage.

It is expected that Turkey will also donate another thousand books to the library in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the director added.

Mohammad Noori Parmaqsiz, TIKA representative in Afghanistan, said the donated books include titles on religion, philosophy, literature, psychology, children’s literature and other areas.

Our friendly country, Turkey, has given us books that will be very beneficial to enrich the language section of the library, and we already have visitors in this area. Equipping this library with new and updated books is considered important to promote a reading culture among young people and book enthusiasts in Herat, said Mustafa Haqqani, director of the center.

In addition to being one of the largest, the Herat Public Library is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the country; according to the Herat Department of Information and Culture, the institution houses more than 35,000 books.

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