Ancient Arabic Calligraphy Available Online on Library of Congress

A collection of Arabic script calligraphy sheets dating from the 8th to 19th centuries is now available on the Library of Congress' Global Gateway Web site at http://international.loc.gov/intldl/apochtml/.

During the late 1920s, early 1930s and 1990s the Library of Congress acquired a large collection of Arabic script calligraphy sheets. Almost all of the sheets were acquired from Kirkor Minassian of New York and Paris. The remaining sheets were acquired by the Library's field office in Islamabad, Pakistan, with permission from the Pakistani government to acquire and export calligraphic materials belonging to a Pakistani citizen. The 355 sheets placed online are the vast majority of the Islamic calligraphic items in the Library's collections, housed in the African and Middle Eastern Division. In a forthcoming final update of the Web site another 36 images of material from the 8th through 10th centuries will be added.

Calligraphy was a skill to be mastered, and it was heavily used to express religious sentiment and many other aspects of personal and cultural life. Calligraphic art developed gradually over the centuries and has been the subject of numerous studies analyzing its role in the faith, culture and art of Arabic-, Persian- and Turkish-speaking lands.

A majority of the calligraphy sheets in the collection are written on paper; however, a group of Quranic fragments from the 8th through 10th centuries are inscribed on parchment.
This collection showcases stunning examples of calligraphic art, including illuminated panels, albums and poems. In addition to the individual calligraphy sheets, this presentation contains essays on Ottoman and Persian calligraphic styles, an in-depth look at Quranic calligraphic fragments and an essay discussing some of the Library's notable Arabic script calligraphy sheets and illuminations.

Among the most noteworthy items included in the collection are a page from an 8th century C.E. (first or early second century Islamic era) Koran, and pages from a 17th century Persian dictionary titled "Farhang-i Jahangiri." The former item is written in the Hijazi form of the Arabic script, which is an ancestor of all the modern forms of the Arabic script. This Koran page is also important as an artifact of the earliest Islamic community. Scholars who have viewed pages from the dictionary speculate—based on the great beauty of the calligraphy and illumination—that these may be pages from the royal manuscript that was prepared for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who reigned from 1605 to 1627.

These beautiful items have been housed in the Near East Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division since they entered the Library's possession. Art historians, historians of the Islamic book and other researchers learned of their existence when they came to Washington to consult with specialists in the Near East Section. The collection of Arabic script calligraphy was truly one of the Library's hidden treasures.

This digitization project began 2002 when Library of Congress management requested proposals for projects focusing on the digital conversion of underutilized collections whose use by researchers would increase by their existence in digital form on Internet. At that time Chris Murphy, the Library's Turkish area specialist, and one of the individuals responsible for the manuscripts held by the Near East Section, proposed that the Arabic script calligraphy collection be given scholarly descriptions, digitized and mounted on the Library's Web site.

This proposal was accepted and in a process lasting almost three years the Web site was created. The Library's Office of Strategic Initiatives engaged Christiane Gruber (currently assistant professor of Islamic art history at Indiana University) to create descriptions of each piece of calligraphy. Murphy worked with the Global Gateway digital team, which handled the technical side of creating the Web site.

Digitization of these materials accomplishes several goals. Hitherto unknown holdings of the Library are presented to the scholarly world. Each item is preserved digitally and the digital surrogate is there to be used by researchers. The actual item will be available only to those individuals whose research requires that they examine the original object. Furthermore, the introductory essays on the Web site give the general public a clear and concise explanation of Islamic calligraphy with an extensive bibliography about the subject.

Many of these pieces of calligraphy come from manuscripts that were disassembled in order to sell pages individually. As a consequence, manuscripts pages were often dispersed among several institutions. The creation of this Library of Congress Web site will, it is hoped, encourage these other institutions to digitize and make available their Islamic treasures. This, in turn, will enable scholars and institutions to use the virtual space of the World Wide Web to reconstruct important and valuable manuscripts that now exist in bits and pieces all around the world.
This online presentation of "Selections of Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Calligraphy" joins other world history collections available on the Library of Congress' Global Gateway Web site at http://international.loc.gov/. This Web site features the extraordinary international collections of the Library of Congress as well as those of its partners from libraries in Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, France and Russia. The presentations for these five nations are bilingual—in both English and the language of the country represented.

The Global Gateway Web site also makes available such rare items as "The Kraus Collection of Sir Francis Drake," "The Lewis Carroll Scrapbook" and "Selections from the Naxi Manuscript Collection," which documents ceremonial writings of the Naxi people of China, who write using the only living pictographic language in the world.

Photography/ Text © Chris Murphy, Turkish area specialist in the Library's African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress. Published in Library of Congress Information Bulletin, September 2006.

JOC provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemption. JOC has made every reasonable effort to locate and acknowledge copyright owners and wishes to be informed by any copyright owners who are not properly identified and acknowledged on this website so that we may make any necessary corrections.

Princeton University Library's Department of Rare Books and Special Collections

Princeton has the largest collection of Islamic manuscripts in North America and one of the finest such collections in the Western world. The Princeton University Library holds some 11,000 volumes of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish manuscripts. While the world of Islamic learning is the chief emphasis, there are also illuminated Qur’ans, Persian illustrated manuscripts and miniatures, and other examples of Islamic book arts. Among the most famous examples of Persian painting are the 16th-century Peck Shahnamah and Muin Musavvir's 1673 portrait of the Safavid-era painter Riza ‘Abbasi.For published descriptions of manuscripts, see (1) Philip K. Hitti, Nabih Amin Faris, and Butrus ‘Abd al-Malik, Descriptive Catalog of the Garrett Collection of Arabic Manuscripts in the Princeton University Library, Princeton Oriental Texts, vol. 5 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1938); (2) Mohammed E. Moghadam and Yahya Armajani, under the supervision of Philip K. Hitti, Descriptive Catalog of the Garrett Collection of Persian, Turkish and Indic Manuscripts Including Some Miniatures, Princeton Oriental Texts, vol. 6 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1939); (3) Rudolf Mach, Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts (Yahuda Section) in the Garrett Collection , Princeton University Library, Princeton Studies on the Near East (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1977); and (4) Rudolf Mach and Eric L. Ormsby, Handlist of Arabic Manuscripts (New Series) in the Princeton University Library, Princeton Studies on the Near East (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987). These four printed catalogs and the unpublished checklist supersede earlier printed catalogues or descriptions by Enno Littmann (1904), Nicholas N. Martinovich (1926), and Ernest Cushing Richardson and Nabih Amin Faris (1934). Thousands of additional Islamic manuscripts (including most of Princeton’s approximately 2,000 Persian and 900 Ottoman Turkish manuscripts) are described in the Preliminary Checklist of Uncataloged Islamic Manuscripts in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library (2004). For a checklist of a recently acquired collection on Arabic calligraphy, go to William J. Trezise Collection of Arabic Calligraphy. For descriptions and selected digital images of Arabic papyri at Princeton, go to the Princeton University Library Papyrus Home Page. Early printed Islamica in the Rare Books Division may be searched online in the Princeton University Library Main Catalogue. For digital images of 277 Persian miniatures in five illustrated Shahnamah manuscripts, dating from 1544 to 1674, in the Manuscripts Division, go to “The Princeton Shahnama Project” at< http://www.princeton.edu/~shahnama/>The manuscripts include Garrett Islamic MSS. 56G, 57G, 58G, and 59G, which were the gift of Robert Garrett, Class of 1897; and the “Peck Shahnamah” (Islamic Manuscripts, Third Series, no. 310), which was bequeathed to Princeton in 1983 by Clara S. Peck, the sister of Fremont C. Peck, Class of 1920.

Contact

Princeton University Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08544 USA
Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
Email: rbsc@princeton.edu
Tel: (609) 258-3184
Fax: (609) 258-2324

Photography/ Text © http://library.princeton.edu/

JOC provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemption. JOC has made every reasonable effort to locate and acknowledge copyright owners and wishes to be informed by any copyright owners who are not properly identified and acknowledged on this website so that we may make any necessary corrections.

Ottoman and Arabic Manuscripts of the National Library of the Czech Republic: Hafiz Mustafa

Mushaf sheets is dated 1211 A. H. (1796 C. E.) Size: 17 x 12.4 cm. The copy was made by Hafiz Mustafa. The book was bought in Damascus in 1896. Location: National Library of the Czech Republic.


Photograph © National Library of the Czech Republic.

JOC provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes.The written permission of the copyright owners and/or holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemption.

Calligraphic Art in The Library of Congress: Ottoman Calligraphers and Their Works

This collection presents 355 Arabic calligraphy sheets, ranging from the 9th to the 19th centuries, including examples of calligraphic art - illuminated panels, albums, and poems. In addition to individual calligraphy sheets, the presentation has essays on Ottoman and Persian calligraphic styles, an in-depth look at Qur’anic calligraphic fragments, and an essay discussing some of the Library’s notable Arabic script calligraphy sheets and illuminations.

During the late 1920s, early 1930s, and 1990s the Library of Congress acquired a large collection of Arabic script calligraphy sheets. This presentation exhibits 355 Arabic calligraphy sheets, ranging from the 9th to the 19th centuries. A majority of the calligraphy sheets were written on paper, however, a group of Qur’anic fragments from the 9th and 10th centuries were executed on parchment.

Text © The Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/intldl/intldlhome.html, http://memory.loc.gov/intldl/apochtml/apochome.html

ATATÜRK MUNICIPAL LIBRARY

This library was originally known as the Revolutionary Museum and Library (Inkilap Müzesi and Kütüphanesi) and established in the medrese of the Bayezid Mosque Complex in 1931. In 1945 it was called the İstanbul Municipal Library (İstanbul Belediye Kütüphanesi). In 1981 the entire library was moved to its present location in Taksim and renamed the Atatürk Library.

This library contains nearly 200,000 volumes: 24,803 in modern Turkish, 11,903 in Ottoman Turkish, 3,614 manuscripts in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, and Persian. 14,547 periodicals, 552 annuals (salnames), 320 calendars, 272 maps, and 13 Qurans. There is also a collection of maps, folios of prints, calendars, and postcards in Ottoman Turkish. Exhibitions and conferences are regularly held in the library.

THE ARCHIVE OF ŞERİYE SİCİLLERİ (JUDICAL RECORDS)

These records consist of decrees and pronouncements made by kadıs, or Muslim judges. These records of 27 İstanbul courts are housed in the archives of the office of the Müfti of Süleymaniye. There are a total of 9,883 records spanning the years from 1483 to 1924.

Süleymaniye Library Istanbul

The building which houses the library of the Süleymaniye Complex was built in 1751 by Köse Mustafa Bahir Paşa. The Süleymaniye Library was founded as a modern librray in 1916. Not only is it the most comprehensive library of manuscripts, it also contains the largest collection of Islamic manuscripts in the world. The library houses 130,325 works, including 67,152 manuscripts in Ottoman Turkish,

Arabic and Persian, 48,924 printed materials in Ottoman Turkish, 11,914 volumes in modern Turkish, 997 in English, 609 in French, 438 in German and 316 in other languages. It is the first librray in Turkey to provide microfilm and photocopying services, which were begun in 1950, and also provides computer search services.

Postal adress:
Süleymaniye Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi Müdürlüğü
Ayşe Kadın Hamamı Sokak No. 35
34116 –Eminönü-İstanbul/Turkey
Tel: + 90 (0) 212 520 64 60
Fax: + 90 (0) 212 511 22 10
e-mail : suleymaniye@kultur.gov.tr
http://www.suleymaniye.gov.tr/index.html

Location Map

NURUOSMANİYE LIBRARY

Part of the complex of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque in Cağaloğlu, this manuscript library constructed in the Baroque style was opened in 1755. It contains collections belonging to Sultan Mahmud I (1730-54) and Sultan Osman III (1754-57). Of its 7600 volumes, 5052 are manuscripts (919 Ottoman Turkish, 3667 Arabic, 466 Persian). It is subordinate to the Süleymaniye Library.

LIBRARY OF TOPKAPI PALACE MUSEUM in Istanbul

Founded in 1928, the manuscript library houses a rich collection of 13,450 manuscripts in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Persian. There is also a significant collection of miniatures and calligraphic works held in this library. The library provides photocoying and microfilm services. Special permission is needed for Turkish and foreign researchers.

İSTANBUL ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUMS LIBRARY

The turn-of-the-century library was established as part of the Archaeology Museum in 1903 as an archaeological librray containing works on museums, archaeology, history and fine arts. Housed on the top floor of the Arcaeology Museum, the library's overall collection contains a total of 80,000 volumes, 2,000 of which are manuscripts.

KÖPRÜLÜ LIBRARY in Istanbul

The Köprülü Library was the first independent library to be established in the Ottoman period. This librray was built in 1662 by Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Paşa as an addition to the mosque comples originally built by Köprülü Mehmed Paşa in Çemberlitaş. The original collection which consists of works donated by the Köprülü family has remained relatively stable with around 2775 manuscripts and 1508 printed books. This primarily manuscript librray is subordinated to the Süleymaniye Library. A published three-volume catalogue describing this collection is available.

İSTANBUL UNIVERSITY CENTRAL LIBRARY

Established in 1924 as "İstanbul Darülfunun Merkez Kütüphanesi", this library was the first university library in Turkey. The Yıldız Palace Library collection was added to this librray in 1925. It has since been further enriched with donations ans purchases, and has become a major academic research center. Pursuant to the Depository Law on Printed Materials (1934), on of each of the five copies of all written and printed works published in Turkey and collected by the government is submitted to the librray.
The library holds over 400,000 volumes of printed books, as well as 30,000 theses and 15,421 perodicals, and sits 800 people. The library has been in its present building near the Beyazıt Square since 1981; its former building now houses the Museum and Rare Books section of this library which contains a total of 18,606 manuscripts (9,943 in Turkish, 6,967 in Arabic, and 1,615 in Persian, 81 in other languages).

İSTANBUL PUBLIC LIBRARY

This library was established in the district of Fatih in the Feyzullah Efendi Medrese in 1911 by Ali Emiri Efendi. Its original collection consists of over 16,000 volumes from Ali Emiri's private colection of rare works. It presently holds 70,000 volumes, 9,000 which are manuscripts in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and Persian. Among the important items contained in the library, are the calligraphic panels made by Sultan Mahmud III (1808-39) which hang on the walls of the museum section, as well as early periodicals and Arabic newspapers. In 1993 the library became classified as a research library and adopted the Dewey Decimal Classification System.

IRCICA LIBRARY in Istanbul

Foundde in 1980, the library is affiliated with the Organization ıf Islamic Conference. The library functions as a reference library for IRCICA, the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture, an organisation which undertakes various activities concerned with the heritage of the Islamic world, including resarch, publishing, and informational services. Located in the historical building of the Seyir Köşk (Pavilion)in the Yıldız Palace, the library holds a collection of works primarily concerned with Islamic history culture, and society. Its collection consists of 400,000 printed books, as well as manuscripts, unpublished doctoral theses, atlases, maps, and periodicals.

BAŞBAKANLIK OTTOMAN ARCHIVES in Istanbul

As an imperial centralised state, the bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire produced a vast amount of state documents, most of which are now located in the Ottoman Archives. The first state documents was moved to the Imperial Treasury and the Inner Court of the Topkapı Palace. It was not until 1845 that any attempt was made to establish what we consider in the modern sense s state archive, when he cataloguing of these documents was begun;

The Hazine-i Evrak, "treasury of papers" was set up to organise and catalogue these state documents, and a separate building was built to house them. During the Republican period, the Hazine-i Evrak, the Ottoman Archives, was put under the administration of the Prime Minister's office under the direct supervision of the director of the General State Archives. The process of cataloguing this immense collection of state documents continues today by a large number of professionally trained staff of experts. The catalogued documents are accessible to modern scholars, foreign and domestic.

ATIF EFENDİ LIBRARY in Istanbul

The Atıf Efendi was the second independent library, after the Köprülü Library, to have been in the Ottoman period. Built by Atıf Mustafa Efendi in 1741 in the district of Vefa, this manuscript library is one of the best examples of 18th century Turkish Baroque architecture. Its collection consists of over 29,900 volumes, including 358 printed books in Ottoman Turkish and 3228 manuscripts (336 in Ottoman Turkish, 2,406 in Arabic and 84 in Persian). The library is subordinate to the Süleymaniye Library.

Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Art Museum , Istanbul/Turkey

Turkish Foundation Calligraphy Art Museum which is presently active in Beyazıt Medresse in Beyazıt Square was originally opened under the name of Turkish Calligraphic Arts Museum in Sultan Selim Medresse in 1968.The museum which was relocated in 1984 to where it is now, calligraphy works of many famous calligraphers and calligrapher sultans, sheets, sultan monograms and Korans arranged according to type are on display.

Address: Beyazıt Square 34490, Beyazıt – Istanbul
Phone: +90 212 527 58 51
Open daily except Mondays and Sundays , 09:00-12:00 / 13:00-16:00


Get direction: Location Map

The Turkish National Library, Ankara/ Turkey

The Turkish National Library is one of the youngest national library in the world. The works of foundation was laid in a small office in the Ministry of National Education,Directorate of Publications on April 15,1946 and a collection of 8000 works were accumulated in a short time. On April 1,1947 the library was temporarily moved to another building and during this period the collection reached 60,000. The building in the above picture was allocated in order to put the collection into service and the TNL was opened to users on August 16,1948. With the enactment of the Establishment Law on March 29,1950, the TNL assumed a legal identity. Foundation of a Bibliographical Institute working under the TNL was ensured the “Supplementary Law to the Establishment Law of the Turkish National Library “dated May 18,1955. Considering that the first building would not meet the future needs, planning of a new building was started in 1965. The construction work began after a long period of planning during 1965-73, and the building was completed in 1982. The TNL started serving its users in the new building on August 5,1983 The Library is built on a space of 39.000 square meters, and is large enough to enable the addition of new modules. The TNL building consisting of three modular blocks, shelters the administrative offices, general and special purpose reading rooms, group study rooms, staff rooms, study rooms for fine arts, and ventilated stores equipped with fire alarm systems. Here are also an exhibition hall and two multi-purpose meeting and concert halls. New activities have been initiated in the new building including Data
Processing Center, Talking Books Department, Atatürk Documentation Center and Biography Archive, Map Room, Microfilm Archive, fully equipped Printing House using off-set printing techniques Microfilm and Photography Laboratory.

Collected catalogue of Printed Works of Turkey, Arabic Lettered Turkish Works (1729-1928)

Up till now five volumes have been published by the presidency of National library and preparations continue for volume VI.

Türkiye Basmaları Toplu Kataloğu Arap Harfli Türkçe Eserler (Collected catalogue of Printed Works of Turkey Arabic lettered Turkish Works) 1729-1928 Vol. I, Part I (A-Ali el Karî ) Ankara 1990

Türkiye Basmaları Toplu Kataloğu Arap Harfli Türkçe Eserler (Collected catalogue of Printed Works of Turkey Arabic Lettered Turkish Works) 1729-1928 Vol. I, Part 2 (Ali Kâzım Aznavur) Ankara 1990

Catalogue of Manuscripts of National Library

Publishing has started in 1987 under the name of Milli Kütüphane Yazmalar Kataloğu (Catalogue of Manuscripts in National Library). Initial corrections of volume VI named Milli Kütüphane Divanlar Kataloğu (Catalogue of the manuscripts of collected Poems in National Library) has been completed and preparations are going on.

Volume I: (General topics, Metaphysics, Secret Sciences) Ankara 1987

Volume II: (Secret Sciences, Psychology, Logic, Philosophy) Ankara 1988

Volume III: (The Religion of Islam, Sciences related with Koran, Commentary (for Koran)) Ankara 1992

Volume IV: (The sayings of Prophet Muhammad) Ankara 1994

Volume V: ( Religious precepts and study of Koran,Akaid ve Kelam) Ankara 1997

Collected Catalogue of Manuscripts of Turkey

National Library is responsible for specifying the bibliographical identities and publishing catalogues; of the manuscripts existing in libraries and museums connected to Ministry of Culture firstly and later on, those existing in the libraries of some state institutions and some persons.

The following activities have been completed within the scope of the project being implemented since 1978:

1- TÜYATOK 1- The first catalogue covers the manuscripts in the libraries of; Atatürks Mausoleum (16 works, Presidency of the Republic (34 works),Turkish Grand National Assembly of Turkey (104 works) and Public Library of Adıyaman Province (132 works). In
this volume there are bibliographical introduction of totally 286 manuscripts /pamphlets. (Ankara 1979).

2- TÜYATOK 2: The Second catalogue includes the manuscripts belonging to the Public Libraries of Giresun, Ordu and Rize provinces. In this volume there is bibliographical introduction of totally 619 manuscripts/pamphlets.

3- TÜYATOK 3 (34/I): In this catalogue that covers the books belonging to Istanbul Süleymaniye Library - Ali Nihat Tarlan Kolleksiyonu (Collection of Ali Nihat Tarlan) there are bibliographical introduction of 425 manuscripts in total (Ankara 1981).

4- TÜYATOK 4-8 (07/l-V) : This catalogue consists of volumes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and five separate fascicles and covers manuscripts from the districts and province of Antalya (namely Antalya Province Museum, Alanya District Museum, Akseki Yeğen Mehmet Paşa Library Elmalı and Tekeli District Public Libraries. Totally 4.042 manuscripts / pamphlets are introduced in this catalogue (Istanbul 1982 -1984).

5- TÜYATOK 9 (34/II): İn this catalogue covering the collection Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa Kolleksiyonu in Istanbul Bayezid State Library totally 467 manuscripts are introduced. (Ankara 1984).

6- TÜYATOK 10-12 (01/I-III): In this catalogue, consisting of 3 values, totally 2592 manuscripts belonging to Public Library and Museum of Adana Province are introduced. (Ankara 1985 - 1986)

7- TÜYATOK 13 (34/III): İn this catalogue (volume 13) that covers the manuscripts in the collection, Amca Zade Hüzeyin Paşa ve Hekimbaşı Musa Nazif Efendi Kolleksiyonu in İstanbul Süleymaniye Library totally 630 manuscripts are introduced (Ankara 1987).

8- TÜYATOK 14-18 (05/I-V): It was foreseen to publish this catalogue in five volumes, in the published first four volumes (14-05/I, 15-05/II, 16-05/III and 17-05/IV) namely, Amasya İl Halk Kütüphanesi Yazmaları Kataloğu(Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Public Library of Amasya Province), totally 2994 works / pamphlets are introduced. (Istanbul 1990 -1995). By the last fifth volume (TÜYATOK 18-05 / V) which is being published at the printing house of Faculty of Literature Istanbul University 1190 more books / pamphlets will be introduced.

9- TÜYATOK 19 (34/IV): This catalogue, in which 1155 works / pamphlets are introduced, covers the manuscripts in the collection Mustafa Aşir Efendi Koleksiyonu in İstanbul Süleymaniye Library (Ankara -Printing house of National Library, 1994).

10- TÜYATOK 20 (03): In this volume published under the name of Afyon ili Yazmaları (Manuscripts of Afyon Province) totally 1952 works / pamphlets, (1938 works from Afyon Gedik Ahmet Paşa Public Library 12 works from Afyon Province Museum, 2 works from Dinar District Public Library) are introduced under 1185 principal titles (with catalogue serial numbers) (Ankara, Printing house of National Library 1996).

11- TÜYATOK 21 (10): In this catalogue, published under the name of Balıkesir İli Yazmaları Kataloğu (catalogue of the Manuscripts of Balıkesir Province) totally 2715 works / pamphlets i.e 2439 works in Balıkesir Province Public Library, 185 works in Dursun Bey District Public Library, 91 works in Edremit. District Public Library, are in traduced under 1246 principal titles. (With catalogue serious numbers) (Ankara, Printing-house of National Library, 1997).

12- TÜYATOK 22 (18) : In this catalogue published under the name of “Çankırı İl Halk Kütüphanesi Yazmaları kataloğu” (Catalogue of the Manuscripts in Çankırı Province Public Library), totally 1076 works / pamphlets are introduced under 683 principal titles. (Ankara, Printing-house of National Library, 1998).

13- TÜYATOK 23 (32) (Ankara, Printing House of National Library, 2000).

14- TÜYATOK 24 (15) (Ankara, Printing House of National Library, 2000).

Valuable manuscripts, previously in the province and district Libraries of Isparta and Burdur and later handed over to Konya Bölge Yazmaları Kütüphanesi (Library of Regional Manuscripts in Konya) in 1994 are catalogued within the scope of TÜYATOK and published under the names of Türkiye Yazmaları Toplu Kataloğu Burdur I, II and Türkiye Yazmaları Toplu Kataloğu Isparta (Collected catalogue of Manuscrupts of Turkey, Burdur I, II and Collected catalogue of Manuscripts of Turkey, Isparta). These catalogues were published within the scope of activities related with Osmanlı Bilim ve Kültür Mirasının 700. Yıldönümü Anma Etkinlikleri i.e Activities for Commemoration of the 700th Anniversary of Ottoman Empire´s Cultural Inheritance). The content of the catalogues covers the following works.

1687 volumes of manuscripts and 3100 books / pamphlets in Burdur Province Public Library,
795 volumes of manuscripts and 1263 books / pamphlets in Isparta Halil Hamit Paşa Public Library,
474 volumes of manuscripts and 1080 books / pamphlets in Uluborlu District Alaaddin Keykubat Public Library.
247 volumes of manuscripts and 516 books / pamphlets in Yalvaç District Ali Rıza Efendi Public Library,
109 volumes of manuscripts and 260 books / pamphlets in Şarkikaraağaç District Public Library,
3 volumes of manuscripts and 11 books / pamphlets in Senirkent District Public Library.
1 volume of manuscript and one book / pamphlet in Aydoğmuş District Public Library.

All these catalogues cover totally 3316 volumes of manuscripts, 6231 books / pamphlets and 3594 principal titles.

Contact

Milli Kütüphane Baskanligi
Bahcelievler son durak 06490
Ankara/Turkey
Tel : + 90 312 222 41 48 / + 90 312 222 38 12
PBX : + 90 312 212 62 00
Fax : + 90 312 223 04 51

Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya (Egyptian National Library), Cairo/Egypt

The manuscript collection in Dar al-Kutub is regarded as one of the largest and most important in the world. The total number of manuscripts in this library are 50,755 out of which 47,065 are in Arabic, 996 in Persian and 2,150 in Turkish. It contains priceless and rare manuscripts from the Islamic heritage, especially from the first four centuries of hijra, as well as extremely rare illustrated manuscripts unmatched anywhere else in the world. There is a high proportion of manuscripts copied in the early centuries of Islam. It holds two of the earliest dated Qur’anic manuscripts dating from dating 102 AH / 720 CE and 107 AH / 725 CE.

Dar al-Kutub has 50,755 manuscripts from which 47,065 are in Arabic, 996 in Persian and 2150 in Turkish. The manuscripts cover nearly all subjects. A complete reference of catalogue of the manuscripts can be seen in:

[1] G. Roper (ed.), World Survey Of Islamic Manuscripts, 1992, Volume I, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London, p.p. 212-218.

[2] B. Moritz, Arabic Palaeography: A Collection Of Arabic Texts From The First Century Of The Hidjra Till The Year 1000, 1905, Cairo, See Pl. 31-34 and Pl. 1-12 for 102 AH / 720 CE and 107 AH / 725 CE, respectively.

[3] T. W. Arnold & A. Grohmann, The Islamic Book: A Contribution To Its Art And History From The VII-XVIII Century, 1929, The Pegasus Press, p. 22.

Âstan-i Quds-i Razavi Library, Mashhad, Iran

This library has one of the oldest (established in 861 AH/1457 CE) collection of Islamic manuscripts in the Muslim world and the most important in Iran.It has about 29,000 manuscripts in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Of the 29,000 manuscripts it possess, 11,000 are manuscripts of the Qur’an, thus making it the largest Qur’anic manuscript collection in the world. It is also important in that it contains a large number of magnificent, old and illuminated Qur’anic manuscripts, including several old Kufic Qur’anic manuscripts written on deer skin, other with marvellous illuminations from 3rd century hijra (9th century CE) onwards, and some written by famous calligraphers. The manuscripts are catalogued in various publication as can be seen in the reference below.

[1] G. Roper (ed.), World Survey Of Islamic Manuscripts, 1992, Volume I, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London, pp. 481-486.