Egyptian National Library and Archives (Dar al-Kutub wa-l-Watha'iq al-Qawmiyya)

Overview

The Egyptian National Library and Archives (Dar al-Kutub wa-l-Watha'iq al-Qawmiyya, commonly Dar el-Kotob) is Egypt's largest library, located on the Nile Corniche in Ramlet Boulaq, Cairo, followed in size by Al-Azhar University's library and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It operates as a non-profit government organization and was the first national library established in the Middle East.

History

The library was proposed to Khedive Ismail in 1870 by Ali Pasha Mubarak, minister of public works, on the suggestion of scholar Refa'a al-Tahtawi. Known initially as al-Kutubkhana al-Khedeweya (the Khedivial Library), it opened to the public on September 24, 1870, in the ground floor of Prince Mustafa Fadel's palace in Darb al-Gamamiz, with an initial collection including manuscripts of the Qur'an and Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscripts gathered from mosques, government offices, and religious endowments. A royal decree of April 30, 1889 under Khedive Tawfiq transformed the library into a corporate body with its own endowment. In 1904, a new dedicated building opened in Bab al-Khalq, also housing the Museum of Islamic Art. Law No. 183 of April 26, 1956 established the library as a legal entity with an independent budget, and under Law No. 61 of 1963 it was formally relocated within Bab al-Khalq Square. The library moved most of its holdings, including manuscripts, to its current modern Nile Corniche building in 1971, and in July 1994 the National Library and Archives were decreed an autonomous government agency responsible for cultural heritage preservation and library modernization.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The library holds several million volumes, including one of the world's largest collections of Arabic-language manuscripts alongside Persian and Turkish manuscripts, with notable acquisitions including the Al-Khazana Al-Zakeya treasury (from Ahmad Zaki Pasha) and the Al-Taymureya library (from Ahmad Taymur Pasha). Its adjacent Egyptian National Archives holds approximately 175,000 archival units across more than five million pages, mainly in Arabic and Turkish, along with French, English, Italian, and German documents significant to Egyptian social and political history; the archives are not open to the public.

Access and Usage

Researchers wishing to consult manuscripts, primarily via microfilm at the Bab al-Khalq location, generally do not require a state research permit for microfilm access, though viewing physical codices requires special permission from the library's director. Visitors must present identification, typically a passport, to gain admittance.