After news emerged about an underground reading room in Damascus, Fiona Macdonald discovers the places where writing has been hidden for centuries.

I am proud to have my name on a book rescued from destruction by religious fanatics in Timbuktu. I have no idea what the book is about and I am certain I will never see it in person, but here it is:

Here’s a great BBC article about some other secret libraries around the world, several of which were discovered by accident.

French sinologist Paul Pelliot in the Library Cave at Dunhuang in 1908 reading the manuscripts (Credit: The Musée Guimet)

The Vatican Secret Archives includes Pope Leo X’s 1521 decree excommunicating Martin Luther (Credit: Capitoline Museums, Rome)

Historian Erik Kwakkel discovered “hidden libraries” within Medieval book bindings (Credit: Erik Kwakkel)

For lovers of the written word in all its variations this is a delightful story.

Source: BBC “The Secret Libraries of History

And here’s a gallery of amusing signages, word play, and other abuses of language: