Khalidi Library, Historic library in Old City, East Jerusalem.
Khalidi Library is a library in the Old City of East Jerusalem housed in a restored Mamluk building. The collection holds over a thousand handwritten texts in Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish that span from the 12th century onward.
The library was founded in 1900 by Haj Raghib al Khalidi and became the first Arab public library in Palestine created through private effort. The building itself dates to the 14th century and was later transformed into a space for preserving knowledge.
The collection reflects how scholars across centuries preserved and transmitted knowledge about Islamic jurisprudence and the sciences. Visitors can observe how these texts shaped intellectual life in the region and remain central to understanding local heritage.
The site is located near the Temple Mount and is best reached on foot through the narrow lanes of the Old City. Visitors should arrange a visit in advance, and plan for limited hours and a small number of people at any given time.
The collection includes rare presentation copies called makrumahs that were passed along as gifts between scholars. These special books show how knowledge was once shared through personal connections and networks of trust.
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