Welcome to Al-Furqan’s E-Database
The largest gateway of Islamic written heritage
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‘World Collections’ databank / collection
The ‘World Collections’ databank / collection holds the digitised outcome of the survey on the collections of Islamic manuscripts in the world, completed and published by the Al-Furqan Foundation in 1994, under the title “The World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts”.. This Survey is available in both the English and Arabic language.
This flagship project (the only one of this type to date) started in 1989, focusing on identifying and recording undocumented Islamic manuscript collections in the world, with the aim to support and instigate research into the field of Islamic manuscripts. A number of known scholars and experts contributed to this encyclopaedic work.
The Survey identified collections in 106 countries. It is a compilation of detailed independent studies, highlighting just over a million and a half Islamic manuscripts from just over 2,500 collections. These collections, in more than 40 languages, belong to public and private libraries in almost 1,300 cities. It gathered extensive information about these libraries, including details about their establishment and the status of their collections, unveiling in the process rare manuscripts. For example, the collection of manuscripts at the Institute of Oriental Culture (University of Tokyo) - that was acquired in 1987 - included several new and unique Islamic manuscripts. The noteworthy discoveries were two copies of Risala fi anwaʿ al-mashruʿat, a comprehensive work on the terminology of jurisprudence, by Luṭf Allah al-Kaydani (died 1349 AD /750 AH). These were significant findings, as they had not even been mentioned in the most renowned classical period references, such as Brockelmann's famous work Geschichte der Arabischen Litteratur (GAL), Sezgin's Geschichte Des Arabischens Schriftums (GAS), and Kaḥḥala's Muʿjam al-muʾallifin.
A large number of the identified libraries have listed and included detailed descriptions about the manuscripts held in their collection, in a form of a document or publication. This publication is known as a ‘catalogue’; with most of them published and available for purchase. Another form of a published catalogue is one that was compiled by a group of libraries, known as ‘library consortium’. These libraries partnered to combine their collections into one unified published catalogue, known as a ‘union catalogue’.
Some libraries held collections that were not catalogued or documented. Others made an attempt to describe their collections in simplified lists and general documentations. These were usually not published and are known as ‘unpublished catalogues’.
A unique outcome of the Survey was the identification of all the various catalogues. Just over 5,500 catalogues of Islamic manuscripts were surveyed, including the listing of almost 700 union catalogues, and almost 1,000 unpublished catalogues.
All this information and much more is ready to be explored on theAl-Furqan Digital Library, under the ‘World Collections’ databank.
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| Contact: | Dar Bash AϹyan al-ϹAbbasi, Suq al-Khuḍar, al-Baṣra |
| Telephone: | 312065 |
| Date of establishment: | Unknown |
| Status: | Institutional |
| Status Details: | Waqf library, under the administration of the Bash AϹyan family. |
| Condition of access: | Open to readers; provides microfilms to scholars through the University of Basra. |
| Total number of Islamic MSS: | 1,500 (1,487 Arabic; 3 Persian; 10 Turkish). |
| Description of Collection: | This library is one of the oldest in Iraq, and has been a cultural landmark of Basra for centuries. It has been handed down through the family of Bash Aʿyan, and early in this century MSS from some madrasas of Basra were added to the library collection. The MSS are for the most part specially selected and there are few duplicates. They include a good number of rare, unique and illuminated MSS. The collection covers all aspects of scholarship, but the majority deal with religious and legal studies and literature. They date from the 6th century AH onwards: the oldest was copied in 540 AH [1145 CE]. Important manuscripts include: 1) Al-Hawatif fi suluk al-ʿawarif, by Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH / 894 CE). A unique and precious copy, written in naskhi script in 885 AH [1480 CE]. 2) Al-ʿUyun wa-'l-nukat, by Abu al-Ḥasan ʿAli ibn Ḥabib al-Mawardi (d. 450 AH / 1058 CE). A fine copy, possibly in the hand of Yaqut al-Mustaʿṣimi (d. 697 AH / 1297 CE), with a waqf dated 652 AH [1254 CE]. 3) Al-Iktisab fi talkhiṣ kutub al-ansab, by Quṭb al-Din Muḥammad al-Khayḍari (d. 894 AH / 1488 CE). A unique autograph copy, which he wrote in al-Madrasa al-Minkudawiya in Cairo in 844 AH [1440 CE], It contains the first part of the book, with marginalia in the handwriting of Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalani and Aḥmad al-Maqrizi. 4) Al-ʿAli al-rutba fi aḥkam al-ḥisba, by Aḥmad ibn Musá ibn Naṣr al-Dimashqi, al-Khawwi al-Shafiʿi, 14th century, an autograph copy. 5) An exceptionally fine illuminated copy, in 2 vols., of the Shahnamah of Firdawsi, with 13 miniatures. |
| Notes: | See published World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts. 1992 - 1994, Vol. 2, p 26. |
| Published Catalogues: | 4 |
| Unpublished Catalogues: | 0 |
| Published Catalogues Total: 4 | 1937 |
1947 | |
1961 – 1962 | |
1986 |
| Union Catalogues & Surveys Total: 13 | 1919 |
1945 | |
1947 – 1951 | |
1948 | |
1956 | |
1958 | |
1966 – 1968 | |
1967 | |
1969 – 1974 | |
1973 | |
1976 | |
1984 | |
1985 | |
| Bibliographical appendix Total: 15 | 1947 |
1949 | |
1958 | |
1958 | |
1967 | |
1972 | |
1973 | |
1975 | |
1978 | |
1982 | |
1983 | |
1984 | |
1986 | |
1986 | |
1991 |
Cities surveyed
Libraries surveyed
Catalogues surveyed
