Heritage Library hosts rare and valuable texts

The Heritage Library, located in the centre of the Qatar National Library (QNL) building, includes rare and valuable texts and manuscripts related to Arabic and Islamic civilisation.

“The Heritage Library has about 26,000 printed Arabic and foreign materials as well as 4,000 manuscripts. It has more than 1,300 maps and a large number of photographs,” Aysha Hassan al-Ansari, head of the heritage collection at QNL, told Gulf Times. “In addition to Arabic manuscripts, historical maps and globes, scientific instruments and early photography, the Heritage Library contains writings by travellers who explored the Arabian Gulf region over the centuries,” she added.

Aysha Hassan al-Ansari at the Heritage Library. PICTURE: Noushad ThekkayilAccording to the official, there is also a conservation and preservation unit at QNL, which looks after the manuscripts and make sure that they are protected from any damages.The Heritage Library exhibition area features space to display approximately 300 items, giving visitors the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the Islamic world and Qatar.The library contains medical, pharmacological and astronomical texts, along with famous works produced by Ibn Sin? and al-R?z?. One of the oldest manuscripts in the collection is a set of four parts of al-Bukhari’s al-Sahih, on parchment that dates back to the 6th Century H /12th Century AD, written in Spain.The Heritage Library’s early Arab printing section contains important collections such as a large part of Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah al-Thani’s private library, the former library of Khayr al-Din al-Zerekly, some of the first Arabic books printed on presses in Shweir in Lebanon, Aleppo, Mosul, Cairo such as Bulaq’s books and in the Hijaz.It also contains the Ptolemy map entitled 'Sexta Asiae Tabula', printed in Rome in 1478. This is the first map to mention Qatar, printed in Latin as Catara. The collection has leaves from the famous Blue Mushaf (Qur'an) attributed to the 9th century.