Islam and Middle East Collection
כתב יד פרסי, 1484, הספרייה הלאומית

Islam and Middle East Collection

The Islam and Middle East Collection, one of the Library’s core collections since the early twentieth century, enjoys international recognition. It contains primary and secondary sources on all aspects of the Islamic religion, from its inception to the present day. Among these are Islamic law, theology, philosophy, mysticism and legal codes; the history and study of Islamic cultures (in geographical regions with Muslim majorities or substantial minorities); and Muslim languages and literature – particularly Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu.

About the Collection

The Library’s Islam and Middle East Collection focuses on three geographical regions: The Middle East and North Africa; Central, West and South Asia; and Muslim minorities in Western Europe and the USA. The Library will meet additional research needs through limited acquisitions and through collaboration with other research institutions, particularly the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The collection contains thousands of books, a wide selection of early-20th-century newspapers, and some 200 contemporary periodicals and newspapers in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. The collection also houses a rich repository of approximately 2,000 Arabic and Persian manuscripts.