Islamic Studies

Arabic manuscripts in the British Library cover a broad subject scope including the Holy Qur'an, Qur'anic sciences & commentaries, Hadith, Kalam, Islamic jurisprudence, mysticism & philosophy, Arabic grammar & philology, dictionaries, poetry & other literary genres, history, topography & biography, music & other arts, sciences & medicine, as well as texts relating to the Druze & Bahais, & miscellania including magic, archery, falconry & the interpretation of dreams.

Beautifully illustrated articles from Saudi Aramco World Magazine on Arabic manuscripts around the world

"Digitzed to date: 745 codices, containing 1200 works in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Bosnian in Arabic script, & dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries... in cooperation with the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Dubai."
For more information about the project, write to biblioteka@bosnjackiinstitut.ba

features 32 manuscripts from the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library & the Library of Cheick Zayni Baye of Boujbeha, both in Timbuktu, Mali. The manuscripts presented online are displayed in their entirety & are an exemplary grouping that showcase the wide variety of subjects covered by the written traditions of Timbuktu, Mali, & West Africa.
The manuscripts are written in various styles of Arabic script.

from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's impressive collection of manuscripts on Islamic medicine & science.

"The databank contains images of approx. 2.500 Arabic manuscripts (in full text, 134.000 images) from Mauritania together with the corresponding bibliographical metadata. The scans were taken from microfilms, stored at the University of Freiburg, whose originals are preserved at the IMRS (Institut Mauritanien de Recherche Scientifique) in Nouakchott (Mauritania)."

A large part of the Oriental Manuscript Collection consists of Arabic and Persian manuscripts. Arabic manuscripts include commentaries on the Koran; traditions of the Prophet & Imam; prayers; law, general history & biography; medicine, mathematics, philosophy and ethics; as well as grammar, rhetoric, poetry, prose, tales, dictionary, & controversy. Persian manuscripts include theology, history, biography, & travel; mathematics & astronomy; ethics, poetry, music, composition and proverbs, tales & romances; grammars & dictionaries; & agriculture & war. The Arabic & Persian manuscripts include the World history of Rashid Al-Din, & the Chronology of ancient nations of Al-Biruni, from the 14th century A.D. Hindustani manuscripts include history; poetry and tales; & astrology. Turkish manuscripts consist of material acquired in Astrakhan & includes several early Ottoman texts, divans of Neva'i & items of dialectical interest.

The Islamic Manuscript Association is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting Islamic manuscript collections and supporting those who work with them. It was formed in response to the urgent need to address the poor preservation and inaccessibility of many Islamic manuscript collections around the world.

Open Access directory to dozens of Islamic manuscript collections online. Frequently updated.