Damascus, Sept. 17 -- After spending 15 years in Kuwait, a Syrian man has returned to his home in Damascus to recover a private library he sealed behind a wall before leaving the country in 2011.

Video footage shows Abu Bilal using a hammer to break through the concrete barrier, revealing shelves containing hundreds of books and magazines.

He built the wall in late October 2011 before travelling to Kuwait, amid strict security measures and censorship under Bashar al-Assad's government. The collection included political, religious and intellectual works that he feared could put him at risk if discovered.

In the video, Abu Bilal recalls that the family did not know whether they would survive or return home when the library was sealed. Af...