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Syrians in the rebel-held town of Darayya have faced sniper fire, napalm bombing and indiscriminate killing at the hands of the Assad regime.

But among the destruction, one group of young men managed to create a place of sanctuary - a library.

After residents of the besieged town fled, the students rescued books from their abandoned private libraries. In some cases, the buildings were still burning.

So far they’ve collected more than 11,000 books.

One of the volunteers, Abu Al-Ezz, 23, told Humans of Syria: “One day we came up with the idea to collect all the books scattered throughout the city under the rubble of demolished homes.

“It’s been a daunting and dangerous task.

“We’ve spent long days cataloguing the books, so if the owners return after the war they can have them back.”

After speaking to Humans of Syria, Abu Al-Ezz suffered a head injury in a recent bombardment. Because of the lack of medical equipment, the extent of his injury remains unclear.

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The volunteers take turns to work as librarians and have created a check out system to keep track of borrowed books. They also wrote the original owner’s name inside each book, in the hope of restoring them to them after the war.

The library contains 11,000 books including Arabic and foreign novels, religious and academic books.

Abu Malek Alshamy said: “We created an atmosphere inside the library of silence and light, with tables for the readers.

“In such a place, the most beautiful thing is getting away from the war and battles.”

Darayya, on the outskirts of Damascus, was a rallying point for protestors calling for an end to the Assad regime in 2011.

When the conflict turned violent, Syrian rebels made the town a stronghold. But in 2012, the Syrian army entered the town and massacred hundreds of residents.

After rebels regained the town, the Assad regime responded by besieging the residents using weapons banned by the UN.

In the first three months of 2014, the Syrian army dropped 350 barrel bombs on Darayya, according to an Amnesty International report.

And it was reported this month that the Assad government was hurling napalm - a fire bomb notoriously used in Vietnam - at the town.

The war in Syria explained

Just five years ago, Syria was a Middle Eastern backwater where archaeologists scraped away at Roman ruins and students learnt Arabic.

Western tourists could stay out late partying, visit churches and mosques or spend their days wandering through the ancient city centres of Aleppo and Damascus.

And many middle class Syrians enjoyed holidays, eating out and shopping.

But if you got on the wrong side of the Syrian regime, it was a different story.

A president that bombed his own people

Syrians have lived under the iron fist of the Assad family since 1971. The first President Assad, Hafez al-Assad, responded to an Islamist uprising in the eighties by bombing the town of Hama. Between 10,000 and 40,000 Syrians died.

Time Line The Assad family 1971 Hafez al-Assad takes power 1982 Hafez bombs the city of Hama 2000 Bashar al-Assad inherits the dictatorship 2011 Peaceful anti-Assad protests begin

When his son, the current president Bashar al-Assad, took power in 2000, many Syrians hoped for change. But on the eve of the conflict in 2011, Amnesty International still found “extensive” torture taking place.

A movement inspired by the Arab Spring

(Image: Getty)

When the Arab Spring swept across the Middle East in 2011, many Syrians hoped for change. But when they took to the streets, the government fired on them. By April, the Syrian army was attacking towns with tanks. Two months later, the first armed protest began.

Time Line The conflict begins March 2011 Soldiers fire on peaceful protests April 2011 Assad promises reforms, but thousands of protesters are attacked and jailed June 2011 Armed uprising begins

In the last four years, the Syrian regime has ditched any respect for human rights. According to Amnesty International, this includes:

Dropping oil barrels packed with metal on schools and hospitals, killing more than 11,000 Syrians.

Torturing political prisoners with broken bottles, electric shocks, rape and crucifixion-style beatings

There’s also strong evidence Assad used chemical weapons against Syrians in 2013.

The revolution turns sour

(Image: Getty)

At first, the Syrian armed rebels worked together. But as the revolution turned into a civil war, the opposition to Assad became more divided.

Some groups turned to political Islam - some more extreme than others. The al-Nusra Front in northern Syria is linked to al-Qaeda.

But while millions of ordinary Syrians have fled the war, it’s also provided the perfect opportunity for another extremist group - ISIS.

ISIS adds to the crisis

(Image: REUTERS)

ISIS was set up by a Jordanian and grew its strength in Iraq. But fighters from the self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate have taken over parts of eastern Syria.

According to Amnesty International, many rebel groups have attacked ordinary Syrian neighbourhoods seen to be friendly to the Assad regime. But it singles out ISIS for particularly horrific abuse.

While ISIS may be best known for beheading British and American captives, it also terrorises the locals. Amnesty reports fighters beating children for ‘crimes against Islam’, and publicly executing Syrians without trial.

What next?

(Image: Reuters)

No one knows. But the conflict is sending waves through neighbouring countries like Turkey, while European governments worry ISIS is spreading terrorism.

As for ordinary Syrians, many have simply given up. The UN reckons nearly 4million Syrians have fled their homes - that’s nearly one in five of the population. Some countries are helping them to build new lives. Others, like the UK, have mostly pulled the drawbridge up.