Al-Aqsa Library

The Al-Aqsa Library is an Islamic research facility housed in the Old City of Jerusalem, containing thousands of volumes and rare manuscripts focused on Islamic religion, theology, and Arab regional studies. The collection includes books in multiple languages and historical newspapers that document intellectual traditions across the Islamic world.

The library was founded in 1923 as a repository for Islamic knowledge and has operated continuously within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound since its establishment. Its building dates to the 12th century and originally served a different religious purpose before being adapted for its current use.

The collection reflects the intellectual life of the Islamic world, with books and manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish that show how knowledge was shared across different regions and centuries.

Visitors should plan to arrive during the available hours and expect to pass through security procedures at the compound gates before entering the facility. The location is in the Old City, so it is best reached on foot, and visitors should dress respectfully given the religious context of the surrounding area.

The facility actually operates as two separate locations: one section remains at the main site while another specialized division focuses exclusively on jurisprudence texts and historical legal documents. This division of collections reflects how Islamic scholarship was traditionally organized by subject matter and expertise.