Guides: Arab & Middle Eastern Studies: Primary Sources at Georgetown

Special Collections at Georgetown University Library

The Booth Family Center for Special Collections (located on the 5th floor of Lauinger) has the papers of many diplomats and statesmen, as well as William E. Mulligan's Papers on Saudi ARAMCO, which provide a glimpse into the making of modern Saudi Arabia through selected archives from Saudi Aramco (includes many photographs as well as correspondence). BFCSC librarians are very helpful & knowledgeable about the collections & welcome inquiries.

Diplomacy, International Affairs, & Intelligence Collection in Georgetown Univ. Library's Special Collections
This is a catalog of the archival materials in Georgetown's Booth Center for Special Collections pertaining to Diplomacy, International Affairs & Intelligence. While there is a separate section for the Middle East, many other sections contain the papers of individuals and organizations that concern the Middle East, so be sure to look at all parts of the catalog.
Index to the BFCSC Catalog
While many of the collections pertaining to the Arab world & the Middle East will be found in that section, it's worth looking up the names of specific individuals, organizations, and/or places to find other materials in other collections which are relevant to the Arab world & the Middle East. Example: Arabic Script Manuscript Collection which includes several copies of the Qurʾān, the Masnavi of Rumi, Nizami’s Khamsa, Jami’ al-tavarikh of historian Rashid al-Din Tabib, etc.
Georgetown University Art Collection
The Georgetown University Art Collection contains a number of posters from the Palestine Poster Project Archive donated by alumnus Dan Walsh. They may be found by searching the catalog.
Woodstock Theological Library
Woodstock Rare Book & Manuscript Collections contains several important theological works relating to the Middle East, most notably 19th-century works on Eastern Christianity printed in Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia Collections

The Booth Family Center for Special Collections in the Georgetown University Library contains a number of manuscripts collections concerning the history of Saudi Arabia. Manuscripts collections are generally collections of an individual's personal papers or an organization's records. One of the primary collecting areas of the Booth Family Center is international affairs. The Saudi Arabian collections fall under that category.

Most of the collections related to Saudi Arabia in Special Collections document the history of ARAMCO, the Arabian American Oil Company. This list of Saudi Arabia related collections below provides links to the finding aid for each collection. Finding aids give details about the contents of each specific collection. Some of these collections are stored off-site, and it usually takes a few business days to recall boxes from off-site storage.

Diplomatic and International Affairs Collections

The Booth Family Center for Special Collections in the Georgetown University Library preserves many manuscripts collections concerning American diplomacy and international affairs. Manuscripts collections are essentially personal papers generated by an individual or records created by an organization. Manuscripts collections may include letters, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, printed items, meeting minutes, born-digital documents, and other typed of materials.

It is fitting that the Booth Family Center collects in these areas as the School of Foreign Service is a prominent entity at Georgetown University. The diplomats whose papers we curate served in a wide array of countries all over the world. Many of these manuscripts collections are stored in off-site storage. It usually takes a few business days to recall boxes from storage. Please contact Special Collections well ahead of your visit.