Manuscripts Collection

About Manuscripts Collection

The University Libraries own approximately 1,800 manuscripts in several languages, the majority of which are in Arabic. The core clusters were acquired as early as the late 19th century from the prestigious private libraries of the Syrian Society for the Arts and Sciences (1847- 1852); Nawfal Nawfal's (1811-1887) and later the distinguished Lebanese historian 'Īsá Iskandar al-Ma'luf (1869-1956); and lately, in 2015, obtained around 400 manuscripts that comprise the rest of the Ma'luf's collection. The manuscripts cover a wide range of subjects, e.g., theology, fiqh, astronomy, Arabic language and literature, history, geography, and the various sciences. These manuscripts are of interest to researchers from around the Globe. In 2021, through a grant from the British Library, EAP 1423, the AUB Libraries digitized 101 manuscripts from Ma’luf’s library latest accession.
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