In Marawi, mosques and Islamic schools — which housed archives and libraries — were left in ruins after occupation by militants and airstrikes by the military (Hannah Reyes Morales for The Washington Post)
By Regine Cabato/washingtonpost.com – Long ago, a princess was abducted and taken to a faraway island. A dashing prince rescued her and brought her to his home kingdom.
It sounds like a familiarfairy tale. For some in the Philippines, however, it’s one of the many plots in a centuries-old epic song called the “Darangen,” which recounts the myths and feats of the Maranao culture from the southern island of Mindanao.
Now, a modern-day tale has been added to the lore: how a battle against Islamist militants destroyed some of the foundational texts of the Maranao people and how preservationists stepped in to digitize the pages that survived.
The effort is also another chapter in the wider reckoning over the cultural and historical destruction by the Islamic State and affiliated militias around the world — including damage inflicted on ancient sites and collections in Iraq and Syria.
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