Founding day of Saudi Arabia

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22nd February: Founding day of Saudi Arabia

A brief about The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Islamic written heritage

King Fahd National Library is the legal deposit and copyright library of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia


Among the 106 countries included in the “World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts” (the flagship project undertaken by Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation between the years 1989 – 1994) was The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Islamic written heritage was surveyed in 1992, by ʿAbd Allāh ʿUsaylān.

This survey brought to light a wealth of information about the Country’s collections of Islamic manuscripts, by indicating: the cities and libraries that hold these manuscripts, the approximate number of manuscripts within each collection, the subjects and languages in which they are written, the conditions in which they are and whether they have been catalogued and studied, the particular significant manuscripts which they contain, etc.

According to this Survey, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has just over 91,000 manuscripts, held in 54 libraries (private and institutional). These libraries have mostly been established between 1800 – 1980, and their collections vary between 3 and 23,000 manuscripts.

Al Muftaha Art Village, located outside the heart of Abha city center, is a dreamy encounter with the old and the new. The colorful art district features murals and creative work by local art students, all within the cozy confines of a traditional village dating back to the mid-18th century.
Al-Tayebat international city Saudi Arabia landmarks
Yellow Lake: Located on the northern side of Al-Ahsa National Park, the Yellow Lake is the result of run-off that feeds more than 22,000 farms in the area
Source note:
This information was published in the following book:
“World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts” (English version), 1997-2002, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London, UK, Vol. 3, pp. 1-50.

Please note that some of the images used in this online version might not be part of the published version of this article within the respective book.

Disclaimer:
The data figures, the names, and other details are overall reflecting those of the time when the Survey was conducted.

Important note:
The Foundation is striving to update these details in progress; and, Your help in this regard would be much appreciated.

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