King Abdulaziz Al Saud Private Library
King Abdulaziz Al Saud Private Library is one of the libraries that house rare manuscripts and books in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The library previously occupied an important location in Al-Murabba Palace, where books, periodicals, and manuscripts were kept on its first floor. It was later moved to King Saud University (known then as Riyadh University) and eventually settled at the King Abdulaziz Foundation (Darah) in the city of Riyadh.
The importance of knowledge for King Abdulaziz
The Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud was keen on reading, learning, and acquiring knowledge, which led him to take the initiative to establish his library and personally sponsor the printing of books at his own expense. In its early stages, the library was integrated with a section of books intended for distribution, in addition to books he inherited from his fathers and grandfathers, as well as those gifted to him by Arab and Muslim writers.
During the process of the unification of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz would ask the people of the country about rare books in religious sciences, history, and literature in their possession, and he would assign individuals to negotiate with their owners to purchase or copy them. King Abdulaziz Private Library played a historical and scholarly role, from which scholars and writers drew knowledge and borrowed what they needed.
Contents of King Abdulaziz Private Library
King Abdulaziz Al Saud Private Library includes books and journals across various branches of literary knowledge, with Islam receiving a substantial share. Works on the Quran, Hadith, jurisprudence, principles of religion, and the Prophet biography account for one third of the library. In the field of history, the library contains five collections covering Arab and Islamic history across different eras, as well as the history of Asian, African, and European countries.
Arabic literature also holds a prominent place in King Abdulaziz Library, with collections of pre-Islamic and modern poetry comprising nearly one fifth of the library. The library further includes major reference works, rare books, and manuscripts, such as a copy of "Sahih al-Bukhari fi Ahadith Rasul Allah al-Bari", printed in Delhi in 1855, and the manuscript "Nihayat al-Raghib fi Sharh ‘Arud Ibn al-Hajib", known as "Al-Maqsad al-Jalil fi ‘Ilm al-Khalil". The library is rich in books printed in the early days of printing, as well as works on politics, international law, biographies, medicine, education, economics, military sciences, and equestrian sports.
Sources
Libraries during King Abdulaziz reign, Salem Mohammed Al-Salem, Riyadh, 1999.