Az-Zahiriyah library

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Az-Zahiriyah library in Damascus, Syria dates back to 1277, taking its name from its founder Sultan Baibars (1223 - 1277). Building this library was his father’s idea but he died before he could achieve it. Initially Az-Zahiriah was a public school in charge of teaching Quranic sciences. The decorations, carvings, and writing on the building walls, in addition to the gate which bears geometric designs and patterns, make the library one of the most important buildings in Damascus. The manuscript department includes over 13,000 classical Islamic manuscripts, the oldest being Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Kitab al-zuhd and Kitab al-fada'il. Other notable manuscripits include Ta'rikh Dimashq by Ibn 'Asakir (1105-1175), al-Jam bayn al-gharibayn by Abu `Ubaydah Ahmad ibn Muhammad Al-Harawi (d. 1010), and Gharib al-hadith by Ibn Qutaybah al-Dinawari (d. 889).^[1]

The library was nationally recognized by the Syrian state in 1880, and in 1949 a legal deposit law decreed that two copies of every work published in Syria be deposited in al-Zahiriyah National Library. The law was not enforced until July 1983, when a presidential decree required the deposit of 5 copies of each work published by a Syrian author in the Al-Assad Library. The Al-Assad Library became the National Library of Syria, replacing al-Zahiriyah Library.

Sultan Al-Zahir Baibars, also known as Rukn Uddin Baybrus (full name, al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdari) was buried in Damascus in 1277 under the dome of the Az-Zahiriyah library, established by him.