The Khalidi Library (al-Khalidiyya)

Notes

The Khalidis are a Jerusalem family that traces its ancestry to the great early Muslim conqueror Khalid ibn al-Walid (d. 642 AD). Their various members’ contributions to the city of Jerusalem down through the ages have been inestimable. A brief summary of their family history can be found on the library website.

The Khalidi Library (al-Khalidiyya), established in 1900 by the Khalidi family to serve the Old City and the community, holds the largest private collection of Arabic manuscripts in Palestine and one of the largest family-owned collections of Islamic manuscripts in the world.

The total number of manuscripts in the library, and in various languages, is 1,263. There are 1,209 manuscripts in Arabic containing many collections (majami‘) which exceed some 2,000 titles, in addition to 18 Persian manuscripts and 36 Ottoman Turkish manuscripts. The oldest of these dates back to the 12th century.

The collection covers most Arabic and Islamic fields of knowledge as well as other sciences. Hanafi jurisprudence accounts for about a quarter of the collection, due to the large number of Khalidi judges and jurists and their belonging to the Hanafi school (madhhab).

The library also houses a massive collection of Khalidi family papers that date back to the early 18th century.

Situated in the Old City of Jerusalem in Tariq Bab al-Silsila (Chain Street), the library is housed in a complex of three buildings, including a 13th-century Mamluk structure. The library is open to the public.

The library’s Online Digital Library gives visitors easy access to some of these works, with their original facsimiles as well as an English translation. Its services include research assistance, study spaces, and manuscript digitization and conservation.

Over time, the Khalidiyya became a Jerusalem magnet for visitors from around the world. The library carefully saved these visitors’ books, and they, too, are available for viewing by the visiting public.

Since 1967, the local community has helped preserve the library and protect it from confiscation by the Israeli authorities. In 1988, the Friends of the Khalidi Library was established to preserve the library.