12. Digitisation of Islamic manuscripts and periodicals in Jerusalem and Acre1

Qasem Abu Harb

This chapter provides an overview of three digitisation projects supported by the Endangered Archives Programme (EAP). The first, EAP119, digitised the collection of historical periodicals in al-Aqṣá Mosque Library in Jerusalem (Al-Quds) in 2007.2 Two subsequent projects recorded manuscripts in al-Jazzār Mosque Library in Acre (ʿAkkā) (EAP399 in 2010) and al-Aqṣá Mosque Library in Jerusalem (EAP521 in 2012).3 After tracing a short history of the two libraries and outlining the development of the early Arabic press in Palestine, this contribution makes the case for the urgency of digitisation and provides a brief account of the digitisation process along with the challenges that the projects had to overcome.

The Mosque Libraries of al-Aqṣá in Jerusalem and al-Jazzār in Acre

In Islam, books and book collections have always been seen as a mark of faith, learning and wisdom that lent prestige to their owners. Islamic rulers sought to outdo their predecessors by founding libraries with vast collections of magnificent quality, whilst mosques and madrasahs created impressive book collections in order to enhance their reputation as centres of learning, and scholars achieved fame for their private libraries.4 The late Ottoman Palestine was no different: the mosques and Muslim courthouses contained collections of religious literature and many large private collections were held in the city homes of distinguished families.5

The older of the two libraries where the digitisation projects supported by the EAP took place is located in the northern city of Acre. Al-Jazzār Mosque Library (al-Aḥmadīyah) is a part of a waqf, a pious foundation of Ahmad al-Jazzār, the eighteenth-century Ottoman governor (pasha) of the provinces of Acre. Al-Jazzār’s waqf was the largest such endowment in the history of Acre. It was the only waqf in this city which was publicly administered under the Ottoman Ministry of Waqf and later, during the British Mandate rule, under the Supreme Muslim Council.

The waqf was created in May 1786 and the endowment included: a mosque, Jami al-Anwar, “the Mosque of Lights”, an Islamic college with fifty rooms for the lodgings for students from the four schools of Islamic law, a large library, a public fountain, an underground water reservoir, a ritual bath, a sundial, a garden and 29 stores surrounding the mosque courtyard.6 The mosque and adjacent buildings, which were heavily damaged by Napoleon’s bombardment in 1799, underwent renovations in the early nineteenth century.7 Throughout the rest of the century the library attracted many visitors, not only from the Muslim community since — unlike in the case of other mosques — Christians were allowed to enter al-Jazzār Mosque and adjacent buildings.8

Al-Jazzār Mosque was one of the many buildings damaged by the Egyptian bombardment of Acre in 1831-1832. The mosque’s library was looted and the Egyptian army used the yard as a camp.9 After the defeat of the Egyptians and the liberation of the city, the library was re-opened and remains open to this day.

The newer of the libraries, al-Aqṣá, is located at the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, in the southwestern corner of the al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) complex. Founded in 1922 by the Supreme Muslim Council in Palestine under the leadership of the mufti of Palestine, Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the library brought together the books that had been kept in al-Aqṣá and the Dome of the Rock buildings, and gradually also acquired books from private libraries in Jerusalem, in Palestine and even from abroad.10 In 1923, Adel Jabre became the first director of al-Aqṣá Library and, at the same time, the director of the Islamic Museum. The al-Aqṣá archive preserves his correspondence with the intellectuals in the Middle East and Europe he approached for book donations.11 The uniquely revered status of al-Aqṣá had brought it endowments of private book collections and book gifts, including publications on modern science and literature and donations of local journals.12

Al-Aqṣá Library was first housed in Qubbat al-Nahwiyyah, a building that lies in the southwestern corner of the Haram al-Sharif compound and was once home to a thirteen-century school of literature. The library was subsequently moved to the sacred compound, and the manuscripts were stored in a building nearby.13 The development of the library was also stifled by the events of 1948 and their aftermath, when Palestinian libraries were closed, suspended or had their holdings divided among other institutions. Between May 1948 and the end of February 1949, the staff of the National Library of Israel and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Library collected some 30,000 books and manuscripts that had been left behind by the Palestinian residents of western Jerusalem.14 Of these, about 24,000 were disposed of because they were considered irrelevant or hostile material.15 The remaining 6000 books have not been returned, despite a clear statement by the 1954 Hague Convention for the Preservation of Cultural Property, and despite the fact that the National Library of Israel — an internationally leading cultural institution and the recipient of many books stolen in the Holocaust — is well-placed to recognise the importance of acts of restorative justice.16

After a long period of inactivity from 1948 to 1976, the Waqf Administration decided to revive the library in early 1977. The library’s collection was moved from the Islamic Museum to the ground floor of the monumental fifteenth-century Ashrafiyya madrasa.17 In 2000, the library was relocated again to its current position, the building of “Jami‘ al-Nisa”, or “Women’s Mosque”, between al-Aqṣá Mosque on the east side and the Islamic Museum on the west.18 The most valuable part of the library’s collection consists of approximately 2,000 manuscripts and 74 historical Arabic newspapers and magazines titles from the region.19

The urgency of digitisation

The digitisation of the holdings of al-Aqṣá Mosque Library and al-Jazzār Mosque Library was urgently needed in order to document the collection and preserve its content. The manuscripts and the newspapers have been deteriorating rapidly due to the poor environmental conditions in libraries which lack proper humidity and temperature control. The lack of a preservation programme, and the shortage of staff trained in conservation and preservation methods were also a serious threats.20 This issue has now been addressed by the joint project of UNESCO and the Waqf, Jordan’s Islamic authority, initiated in 2014 to restore al-Aqṣá Library’s manuscripts, old maps, Ottoman population and trade registers and hand-written documents from the Mamluk period.21

The fragile condition of the documents has been aggravated by scholars and students handling the materials.22 Moreover, because of the unstable political situation in Jerusalem, the location of al-Aqṣá Library in the Old City presents not only a significant threat to the collection, but also makes access difficult. Palestinians from the West Bank or the Gaza Strip have to obtain permits from Israel to enter Jerusalem. Students and scholars are frequently unable to access the library because of the curfews imposed due to political unrest in the Old City.

Consequently, all three digitisation projects supported by the EAP had a dual aim: to help the preservation of the materials by creating digital surrogates, and to facilitate access to the materials and make them available to scholars and students in Palestine and worldwide. Each of the three projects created digital photographs in TIFF format. One set remains in al-Aqṣá Library and al-Jazzār Mosque Library, while another has been transferred to the British Library and made accessible via the Internet to scholars worldwide.23

Digitising the collection of historical periodicals in al-Aqṣá Mosque Library

Al-Aqṣá Library contains more than seventy Arabic language newspaper and journal titles, published in Palestine and other Arab countries as well as a selection of periodicals published by the Arab communities in Europe and North and South America. Copies of the historical Palestinian periodicals and newspapers are extremely rare and for many of the titles, the library holds the only copy available in the region.24

The region’s first privately published journals appeared in Beirut in the third quarter of the nineteenth century. By 1880 new presses opened in Cairo, Alexandria and other Egyptian towns, reaching a total of 627 different newspapers with a circulation of perhaps 100,000 copies by 1908.25 In Palestine, printing was first undertaken by Christian religious institutions, starting with a Franciscan press established in Jerusalem in 1846. The Armenian and Greek churches followed suit, but in all these cases printing was limited to evangelising materials.26 The Arabic periodicals first appeared in Palestine only after the Young Turks rebellion in 1908, when political changes in the Ottoman Empire brought about the abolition of censorship.27 As many as fifteen periodicals appeared in 1908, another twenty were published before the outbreak of World War I, and nearly 180 more before the end of the British Mandate.28

Launching a newspaper was easier than sustaining its publication for long, and the majority of papers started in Palestine and elsewhere in the region turned out to be ephemeral.29 Moreover, the presence of Egyptian and Lebanese publications throughout the region resulted in a weakening of local presses, which found it hard to compete with the quality of the products flowing from Cairo and Beirut.30 In 1936 Zionists attempting to set up an Arabic newspaper to counter anti-Zionist propaganda, acknowledged that it was difficult to compete with the quality of imported Egyptian publications like al-Ahrām [The Pyramids] and al-Jihād [The Struggle].31

The Zionist settlement represented an additional incentive for the emergence of Arabic publications, many of them opposed to the new Jewish presence in Palestine.32 The three leading papers of the pre-war period voiced Palestinian Arab emotions and they all were published by the Palestinian Christians. Jurji Habib Hananya’s al-Quds [The Holy, epithet for Jerusalem] was first published in that city from 1908, was moderate.33 Najib Nassar’s al-Karmil [Carmel, after Mount Carmel] which appeared in Haifa in the same year, and the Jaffa paper Filasṭīn [Palestine], established by the cousins Yūsuf al-ʿĪsá and ʿĪsá al-ʿĪsá in 1911, were outspokenly anti-Zionist.34

With the outbreak of World War I publishing activities in Palestine were suppressed, but re-emerged in 1919 with the establishment of British control over Palestine, and two of the leading pre-war papers, al-Karmil and Filasṭīn, re-opened. Overall, the publication landscape in Palestine during the British Mandate (1917-1948) was more diverse than in the pre-war period. The press increasingly reflected rising national consciousness and different political factions.35 By the mid 1930s, according to one survey, over 250 papers in Arabic and 65 in other languages were in circulation throughout the country.36

Most of the newspapers appeared weekly and their print run increased gradually. Rather than the few hundred copies of the pre-war era, individual papers in Palestine of the 1920s typically circulated at 1,000-1,500 copies. Filasṭīn, the most popular publication, reportedly sold circa 3,000 copies per issue towards the end of the decade.37 In the 1920s, some twenty papers were established in Jerusalem, most importantly Mirʾat al-Sharq [Mirror of the East] which Būlus Shihādah, a Christian, founded in September 1919, and al-Jāmiʿ al-ʿArabīyah [Arab Union], the voice of the Supreme Muslim Council, which appeared in December 1927, and was edited by Munif al-Husayni. Around five or six papers were founded in Jaffa in the 1920s in addition to Filasṭīn, and approximately twelve in Haifa, with some in Gaza, Tulkarm and Bethlehem.38

Although the British adopted the Ottoman Press Law, which required licensing and submitting translations of press extracts to the government authorities, they rarely interfered until 1929.39 The Buraq Uprising of that year, which was followed by violent confrontations between Arabs and Zionists, brought a radicalisation of the Arabic language press. The most outspoken papers established in the 1930s in Jaffa, were al-Difāʿ [Defense], a voice of the Istiqlal Party, and al-Jāmiʿah al-Islāmīyah [Islamic Union] (Fig. 12.1) which appeared from 1932 to 1937. Al-Liwāʾ [The Flag] (Fig. 12.2), representing the dominant Arab Party, was established in Jerusalem in 1933.40

Fig. 12.1 Front page of al-Jāmiʿah al-Islāmīyah [Islamic Union] newspaper, 27 July 1937 (EAP119/1/12/480, image 1), CC BY.

Fig. 12.2 Front page of al-Liwāʾ [The Flag] newspaper, 16 December 1935 (EAP119/1/17/2, image 1), CC BY.

The attitude of the British authorities to the vociferous Palestinian press was initially benign, as they assessed the public impact of newspapers to be minimal. Nevertheless, as the press’s radicalisation and impact grew, the British authorities responded with increasingly harsh measures. The new Publication Law, issued in January 1933, gave the authorities powers to deny or withdraw publication permits, suspend or close down papers, and punish journalists, was amended and new regulations were introduced which restricted the freedom of the press even further.41 Many major newspapers, Filasṭīn, al-Difāʿ, al-Liwāʾ and al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm among others, were suspended from circulation for extended periods of time in 1937 and 1938.42 With the outbreak of World War II and the introduction of new emergency laws, the British ordered the closure of almost all newspapers. Only Filasṭīn and al-Difāʿ were able to survive by adopting a moderate nationalist tone and publishing closely censored news.43

The periodical collection at al-Aqṣá Mosque Library consists of historical newspapers, journals and magazines in multiple formats. We selected 24 of these (thirteen magazines and eleven journals) for digitisation, on the grounds of their rarity and importance of the events they covered.44 In addition to Filasṭīn, we have digitised such papers as al-Jāmiʿah al-Islāmīyah, published by Shaykh Sulayman al-Taji al-Faruqi in Jaffa.45 The newspaper was deemed to be in opposition to the Supreme Islamic Council led by Muhammad Amin al-Husayni. The first issue of the newspaper was published on 16 July 1932, and by the begining of its second year, the newspaper, which had started on 5 July 1933, had reached issue number 297. Al-Jāmiʿah al-Islāmīyah continued to publish its eight-pages for a period of two years. At the end of the same year the newspaper closed with the issue 588, at the order of the British Mandate authorities. We have also digitised al-Jāmiʿah al-ʿArabīyah published in Jerusalem from 20 January 1927.46 The publisher and chief editor was Munif al-Husayni, who worked as a spokesman for the Supreme Islamic Council, which indicates that the Islamic Council was the funder for the newspaper. The slogan of the newspaper, which was written below the title, was a prophetic saying: “If the Arabs are humiliated, then Islam is humiliated (اذا ذلت العرب ذل الاسلام)”. Amil al-Ghuri joined the editorial staff of the newspaper responsible for the foreign affairs section, and Muhammad Tahir al-Fityani for domestic news. The last issue of the newspaper appeared on 22 July 1934.

The collection of historical newspapers in al-Aqṣá is an important source of information about Palestine, its history, and its people in the first half of the twentieth century. The newspapers constitute important sources on the Arab nationalist movement, Palestinian reactions to Jewish immigration and the establishment of a Jewish national homeland in Palestine. They cover many important historical events, such as the Balfour Declaration of 1917 (Fig. 12.3), the 1929 Buraq Uprising (Fig. 12.4), the al-Qassam unrest of 1931 (Fig. 12.5). They discuss Palestinians political parties (Fig. 12.6), the Palestinians armed forces, the 1936 strike, the 1936-1939 revolution (Fig. 12.7), British policy against Arab leaders, The British Mandate policy toward Palestinians journalism (Fig. 12.8) and the region’s social, economic and cultural development.

Fig. 12.3 Front page of Miraʾat al-Sharq [The Mirror of the East] newspaper, on the Balfour Declaration, 2 November 1917 (EAP119/1/24/1, image 1), CC BY.

Fig. 12.4 Front page of al-Jāmiʿah al-ʿArabīyah [The Arab League] newspaper, on the Buraq uprising, 16 October 1929 (EAP119/1/13/260, image 1), CC BY.

Fig. 12.5 Page three of al-Jāmiʿah al-ʿArabīyah [The Arab League] newspaper, on al-Qassam unrest, 22 November 1935 (EAP119/1/13/1504, image 3), CC BY.

Fig. 12.6 Front page of al-Iqdām [The Courage] newspaper, on political parties,
30 March 1935 (EAP119/1/23/34, image 1), CC BY.

Fig. 12.7 Front page of al-Difāʿ [The Defence] newspaper, on the great strike of 1936, 17 June 1936 (EAP119/1/21/169, image 1), CC BY.

Fig. 12.8 Page three of al-Jāmiʿah al-ʿArabīyah [The Arab League] newspaper,
on the Palestinian press under the Mandate, 3 April 1930
(EAP119/1/13/338, image 3), CC BY.

Table 12.1 Selected titles and their publication dates

NO	Transliterated Title	Title in Arabic	Periodical Type	Coverage
1	Majallat Rawḍat al-Maʿārif	مجلة روضة المعارف	Magazine	1922-1923; 1932; 1934
2	al-Kullīya al-ʿArabīyah	الكلية العربية	Magazine	1927-1938
3	al-Ḥuqūq	الحقوق	Magazine	1923-1928
4	al-Muqtabas	المقتبس	Magazine	1907-1912
5	al-ʿArab	العرب	Magazine	1933-1934
6	al-Jinān	الجنان	Magazine	1874
7	al-Maḥabbah	المحبة	Magazine	1901
8	al-Ḥasnāʾ	الحسناء	Magazine	1909-1912
9	al-Zahrah	الزهرة	Magazine	1922-1926
10	Rawḍat al-Maʿārif	روضة المعارف	Magazine	1326-1327 AH
11	al-Fajr	الفجر	Magazine	1935
12	al-Jāmiʿah al-Islāmīyah	الجامعة الاسلامية	Newspaper	1932-1938
13	al-Jāmiʿah al-ʿArabīyah	الجامعة العربية	Newspaper	1932-1938
14	al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm	الصراط المستقيم	Newspaper	1928-1936
15	Ṣawt al-shaʿb	صوت الشعب	Newspaper	1928-1930; 1934
16	al-Awqāt al-ʿArabīyah	الاوقات العربية	Newspaper	1935
17	al-Liwāʾ	اللواء	Newspaper	1935-1937
18	Taṣwīr Afkār	تصوير افكار	Newspaper	1909
19	al-Muqtabas	المقتبس	Newspaper	1908-1912; 1915-1916
20	al-Qabas	القبس	Newspaper	1913-1914
21	al-Difāʿ	الدفاع	Newspaper	1934-1951
22	Filasṭīn	فلسطين	Newspaper	1923-1937; 1947-1951
23	al-Iqdām	الاقدام	Newspaper	1935-1936
24	Mirʾat al-Sharq	مرأة الشرق	Newspaper	1922-1936

Fig. 12.9 Damaged page of Filasṭīn [Palestine] newspaper, 30 December 1947 (EAP119/1/22/1802, image 1), CC BY.

Digitisation of newspapers is especially challenging because of the large format, complex page layout, and poor quality of print (Fig. 12.9). This often causes the libraries to outsource the scanning process.47

The historical nature of the collection and the location of al-Aqṣá Mosque Library meant outsourcing was not an option and the digitisation had to be performed in-house. It is worth noting that due to this location the project had to overcome problems with environmental conditions as well as restrictions from the police at the al-Aqṣá gates. For the scanning process we have followed the guidelines of the National Digital Newspaper Program.48

Digitisation of manuscripts

In 2010, with the support of the EAP, we initiated the project to digitise the historical manuscript collection in the holdings of al-Jazzār Mosque Library (al-Aḥmadīyah), in Acre. The materials selected for digitisation included a collection of 53 Arabic language manuscripts dating from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. The manuscripts cover aspects of the Islamic religion, but also Arabic literature, the Arabic language, logic, mathematics and Sufism (Figs. 12.10-14). They provide a unique insight into centuries of Arabic culture in Palestine. A catalogue of the manuscripts, published in 1983, documents circa ninety manuscripts in the library.49 The manuscripts are tightly bound and have been damaged through constant use. Due to preservation challenges — and because of their uniqueness and high value — digitisation had to be conducted on the premises of al-Jazzār Mosque Library. The project resulted in the creation of high-quality digital archival copies of 53 rare manuscripts, consisting of 17,965 pages.

Fig. 12.10 Damaged paper of Bāb sharḥ al-shamsīyah, work on logic, 1389 CE
(EAP399/1/23, image 4), CC BY.

Fig. 12.11 Ashraf al-Wasāʾil, biography of the Prophet, 1566 CE
(EAP399/1/12, image 4), CC BY.

Fig. 12.12 Khāliṣ al-talkhīṣ, on the Arabic language, seventeenth century CE (EAP399/1/42, image 5), CC BY.

Fig. 12.13 al-Wasīlah fī al-Ḥisāb, on mathematics, 1412 CE
(EAP399/1/14, image 18), CC BY.

Fig. 12.14 Taṣrīf al-Šāfiyah, on the Arabic language, 1345 CE
(EAP399/1/34, image 85), CC BY.

Table 12.2 List of selected titles (EAP399)

NO	Transliterated Title	Title in Arabic	Dates of original material	Scope and Content	Physical condition
1	Sharḥ al-Muḥallī Matn Jamʿ al-Jawāmiʿ	شرح المحلي على متن جمع الجوامع	1369	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
2	Muʿrib fī al-Naḥw	معرب في النحو	1706	Grammar	Bad
3	al-Jazāʾīyāt	الجزائيات	1429	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
4	Mughannīy al-Labīb ʿan Kutub al-Aʿārīb	مغني اللبيب عن كتب الاعاريب	1359	Grammar	Fair
5	Sharḥ al-Quṭr li-Ibn Hishām	شرح القطر لابن هشام	1359	Grammar	Acceptable
6	Ḥāshiyat al-Bājūrī ʿalá al-Samarqandī	حاشية الباجوري على السمرقندي	1836	Grammar	Good
7	al-Taṣrīḥ fī Sharḥ al-Tawḍīḥ	التصريح في شرح التوضيح –جزء ثاني	1419	Grammar	Good
8	Sharḥ ʿAwāmil al-Jirjānī	شرح عوامل الجرجاني	1081	Grammar	Good
9	Sharḥ al-Alfīyah li-Ibn Mālik lil-ʿUlāmah Ibn ʿAqīl	شرح الالفية لابن مالك للعلامة بن عقيل	1367	Grammar	Acceptable
10	Kitāb al-Taḥrīr	كتاب التحرير	unknown	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
11	Ḥāshiyat al-Bājūrī ʿalá Mawlid al-ʿUlāmah Ibn Ḥajar	حاشية الباجوري على مولد العلامة بن حجر	1860	Grammar	Good
12	Ashraf al-Wasāʾil ilá Fahm al-Shamāʾil	اشرف الوسائل الى فهم شمائل	1566	Prophet’s biography	Fair
13	Naẓm al-Khalāfīyāt	نظم الخلافيات	1142	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
14	al-Wasīlah fī al-Ḥisāb	الوسيلة في الحساب	1412	Mathematics	Bad
15	Anwār al-ʿĀšiqīn	انوار العاشقين	1451	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Good
16	Ḥāshiyat al-Malawī wa-al-Bājūrī ʿalá al-Samarqandīyah	حاشية الملوي والباجوري على السمرقندية	1768	Arabic language	Fair
17	Sharḥ al-Waraqāt: Fuṣūl min Uṣūl al-Fiqh	شرح الورقات –فصول من اصول الفقه	1085	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
18	Ḥāshiyat al-Ṣabbān ʿalá al-Sharḥ al-Ashmūnī	حاشية الصبان على شرح الاشموني-جزء ثاني	1791	Arabic language	Fair
19	Tuḥfat al-Murīd ʿalá Jawharat al-Tawḥīd	تحفة المريد على جوهرة التوحيد	1860	Arabic language	Acceptable
20	al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr	الجامع الصغير	n.d.	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable
21	Qurʾān Karīm: Muṣḥaf Sharīf ʿUthmānī	قران كريم- مصحف شريف عثماني	1245	Holy Quran	Fair
22	al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah	الفتوحات المكية –جزء ثاني	1240	Sufism	Fair
23	Bāb sharḥ al-shamsīyah	باب شرح الشمسية	1389	Mantiq (Logic)	Bad
24	al-Fawāʾid al-Musʿidīyah fī Ḥall al-Muqaddimah al-Jazarīyah	الفوائد المسعدية في حل المقدمة الجزرية	n.d.	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Acceptable
25	al-Durrah al-Sanīyah ʿalá Sharḥ al-Alfīyah	الدرة السنية على شرح الالفية	n.d.	Arabic language	Fair
26	Ḥāshiyat al-Amīr ʿalá al-Shudhūr	حاشية الامير على الشذور	1761	Arabic language	Fair
27	al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr	الجامع الكبير ج2	n.d.	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
28	Fatḥ al-Bārī bi-Sharḥ al-Bukhārī	فتح الباري بشرح البخاري- الجزء الثاني	n.d.	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Fair
29	Ḥāshiyat al-Amīr ʿalá Matn al-Shudhūr	حاشية الامير على متن الشذور	1359	Arabic language	Good
30	Ḥāshiyat ʿalá Sharḥ al-Alfīyah	حاشية على شرح الالفية	17th century	Arabic language	Acceptable
31	Kitāb Adhkār	كتاب اذكار	1278	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Bad
32	Ḥāshiyat Fatḥ al-Mujīb wa-al-Qawl al-Mukhtār	حاشية فتح المجيب والقول المختار	n.d.	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable
33	al-Fawāʾid al-Shanshūrīyah fī Sharḥ al-Manẓūmah al-Raḥbīyah	الفوائد الشنشورية في شرح المنظومة الرحبية	1591	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable
34	Taṣrīf al-Šāfiyah	تصريف الشافية	1345	Arabic language	Good
35	Ḥāshiyat Muḥammad al-Amīr ʿalá al-Samarqandīyah	حاشية محمد الامير على السمرقندية	n.d.	Arabic language	Good
36	Risālah fī al-Mughārasah	رسالة في المغارسة	n.d.	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
37	Ḥāshiyat al-Baqrī ʿalá al-Sabṭ	حاشية البقري على السبط	1733	Arabic literature	Acceptable
38	Matn al-Manāsik fī al-Ḥajj al-Nawawī	متن المناسك في الحج –مناسك النووي	1278	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
39	Ḥāshiyat al-Baqrī ʿalá al-Sabṭ al-Mārdīnī: Sharḥ al-Manẓūmah al-Raḥbīyah	حاشية البقري على سبط المارديني -شرح المنظومة الرحبية	n.d.	Arabic literature	Fair
40	Ḥāshiyat al-Zayyāt ʿalá al-Shanshūrīyah	حاشية الزيات على الشنشوري	n.d.	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
41	Ḥāshiyat al-Sharqāwī ʿalá al-Hudhudī am al-Barahīn	حاشية الشرقاوي على الهدهدي ام البراهين	1194	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
42	Khāliṣ al-Talkhīš	خالص التلخيص	17th century	Arabic language	Good
43	Thamarat al-Ifhām: Manẓūmat Kifāyat al-Ghulām	ثمرات الافهام - منظومة كفاية الغلام	n.d.	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
44	Fatḥ al-Mubīn: Sharḥ Manẓūmat Ibn al-ʿImād fī al-Najāsāt	فتح المبين –شرح منظومة بن العماد في النجاسات	1623	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
45	Tanbīh al-Anām: Shifāʾ al-Asqām wa-Maḥw al-Āthām	تنبيه الانام –شفا الاسقام ومحو الاثام	1553	Prophet’s biography	Good
46	Iʿrāb al-Qurʾān al-Karīm	اعراب القران الكريم - جزء ثاني	949	Arabic language	Acceptable
47	Ḥāshiyat al-Ṣabbān ʿalá Sharḥ al-Ashmūnī ʿalá al-Alfīyah l-Ibn Mālik	حاشية الصبان على شرح الاشموني على الالفية لابن مالك –جزء 1	1791	Arabic literature	Acceptable
48	al-Mulakhkhaṣ min al-Wāfī bi-Kanz al-Daqāʾiq	الملخص من الوافي بكنز الدقايق	818	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
49	Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar al-Wiqāyah	شرح مختصر الوقاية	949	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
50	Kitāb al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān	كتاب الاتقان في علوم القران	1505	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Acceptable
51	Qiṣṣat al-Miʿrāj	قصة المعراج	1576	Prophet’s biography	Acceptable
52	Jamʿ al-Jawāmiʿ	جمع الجوامع	1370	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Bad
53	al-Tuḥaf al-Kayrīyah ʿalá al-Fawāʾid al-Shanshūrīyah	التحف الخيرية على الفوايد الشنشورية	1236	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable

In 2012 the 2012 EAP project digitised a collection of 119 manuscripts in al-Aqṣá Mosque Library, dating from the twelfth to the nineteenth century. The selection includes manuscripts from the collections of well-known Palestinian scholars, such as Fayd Allah al-‘Alami, the Shaykh Khalil al-Khalidi and from the private collection of Shaykh Muhammad al-Khalili. The digitisation of manuscripts was carried out using the ATIZ BOOK Drive system, with two digital cameras to capture images of manuscripts. The initial output of the ATIZ BookDrive system is in RAW format, which required conversion to TIFF format for archiving purposes.50 The digitisation guidelines for the project assumed a use-neutral approach and are based on digital library standards, best practices, and general principles for building digital collections. The goal of the project was to build a repository of digital master files in TIFF format for archiving purposes and to provide derivative files in PDF format for current use. Digital, high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) master files were created as a direct result of the scanning process. A consistent file naming convention was established in order to manage the project effectively.51 Derivative files in PDF format were created for access and are available for browsing and reading.

The project resulted in the creation of high-quality digital archival copies of 119 rare manuscripts ranging in date from the thirteenth to the twentieth century consisting of 33,000 pages (Figs. 12.15-18).

Fig. 12.15 al-Rawḍah, on jurisprudence and matters of doctrine, 1329 CE (EAP521/1/90, image 4), CC BY.

Fig. 12.16 Maʿālim al-Tanzīl, exegesis, 1437 CE (EAP521/1/6, image 3), CC BY.

Fig. 12.17 Ṭabaqāt al-Shāfiʿīyah, on history, 1542 CE
(EAP521/1/26, image 33), CC BY.

Fig. 12.18 al-Nawādir al-Sulṭānīyah, on the history and biography of Salaḥ al-Dīn al-Ayyūbī, 1228 CE (EAP521/1/24, image 29), CC BY.

The physical condition of the manuscripts varies from volume to volume, but a significant number of selected titles are in poor condition.

Both projects faced a number of challenges due to external factors, such as political upheavals, as well as those related to digitisation. Among the latter were issues such as quality of the original paper, irregular fonts, text density, torn or smudged pages, and a variation in layout. Although they posed many challenges to the digitisation process, we have been successful in overcoming them. We are proud that this important heritage has been preserved and made accessible to scholars.

Table 12.3 Description of the physical conditions of the manuscripts in EAP521

NO	Transliterated Title	Title in Arabic	Dates of original material	Subject	Physical condition
1	Badāʾiʿ al-Burhān	بدائع البرهان	18th century	Qirāʾah (Reciting the Quran)	Good
2	Tartīb Zībā	ترتيب زيبا	1713	Quranic Sciences	Acceptable
3	Jāmiʿ al-Kalām fī Rasm Muṣḥaf al-Imām	جامع الكلام في رسم مصحف الامام	1650	Quranic Sciences	Bad
4	Aqd al-Durrah al-Muḍīʾah	عقد الدرة المضيئة	1682	Quranic Sciences	Good
5	al-Asrār al-Marfūʿah fī al-Aḥādīth	الاسرار المرفوعة في الاحاديث	1665	Hadith (Prophetic tradititions)	Good
6	Maʿālim al-Tanzīl	معالم التنزيل	1437	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Good
7	Silsilat al-Khājkān	سلسلة الخاجكان	1769	Sufism	Acceptable
8	al-Tuḥfah al-Marḍīyah bi-al-Arāḍī al-Miṣrīyah	التحفة المرضية بالاراضي المصرية	18th century	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
9	Ghayth al-Mawāhib	غيث المواهب	1617	Sufism	Acceptable
10	Jāmiʿ al-Fuṣūlīn fī al-Furūʿ	جامع الفصولين في الفروع	1456	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
11	Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar al-Muntahá	شرح مختصر المنتهى	16th century	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
12	Īdāḥ Kashf al-Dasāʾis	ايضاح كشف الدسائس	1466	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
13	Kashf al-Dasāʾis fī Tarmīm al-Kanāʾis	كشف الدسائس في ترميم الكنائس	1466	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
14	Raḥmat al-Ummah fī Ikhtilāf al-Aʾimmah	رحمة الامة في اختلاف الائمة	1697	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
15	Ghunyat al-Mutamallī	غنية المتملي	18th century	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Acceptable
16	al-Shifāʾ	الشفا	1788	Prophet’s Biography	Good
17	Sharḥ Miftāḥ al-ʿUlūm	شرح مفتاح العلوم	1454	Arabic Language	Acceptable
18	Ḍawʾ al-Misbāḥ	الضوء على المصباح	17th century	Arabic Language	Fair
19	Ḥāshiyat al-Qalyūbī	حاشية القليوبي	1712	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
20	Adab al-Kitāb	ادب الكاتب	1693	Arabic Literature	Acceptable
21	al-Iftitāḥ fī Sharḥ al-Miṣbāḥ	الافتتاح في شرح المصباح	1443	Arabic Language	Bad
22	al-Shaqāʾiq al-Nuʿmānīyah	الشقائق النعمانية	17th century	History & Biography	Acceptable
23	Nashq al-Azhār	نشق الازهار	17th century	History & Biography	Fair
24	al-Nawādir al-Sulṭānīyah	النوادر السلطانية	1228	History & Biography	Acceptable
25	al-Muṭṭalaʿ	المطلع	1874	Mantiq (Logic)	Fair
26	Ṭabaqāt al-Shāfiʿīyah	طبقات الشافعية	1542	History & Biography	good
27	ʿInāyat Ūlī al-Majd	عناية اولي المجد	1902	History & Biography	good
28	Taḥbīr al-Taysīr	تحبير التيسير	16th century	Quranic Sciences	Fair
29	Ddah Jonki	دده جونكي	1769	Arabic Language	Good
30	Jamīlat Arbāb al-Marāṣid	جميلة ارباب المراصد	1566	Quranic Sciences	Fair
31	Sharḥ al-Maṣābīḥ	شرح المصابيح	1350	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable
32	al-Adab al-Mufrad	الادب المفرد	19th century	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Good
33	Tafrīd al-Iʿtimād fī Sharḥ al-Tajrīd	تفريد الاعتماد في شرح التجريد	15th century	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Good
34	Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-ʿAḍdīyah	شرح العقائد العضدية	15th century	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Acceptable
35	Sharḥ Qawāʿid al-ʿAqāʾid	شرح قواعد العقائد	1608	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Bad condition
36	al-Musāmarah fī Sharḥ al-Musāyarah	المسامرة في شرح المسايرة	1501	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Good
37	Taḥqīq al-Zawrāʾ	تحقيق الزوراء	1716	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Acceptable
38	al-Madad al-Fāʾid wa-al-Kashf al-ʿĀriḍ	المدد الفائض والكشف العارض	1704	Sufism	Good
39	Qūt al-Qulūb	قوت القلوب	1655	Sufism	Good
40	Ḥāshiyah ʿalá al-Talwīḥ	حاشية على التلويح	1672	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
41	al-Nubdhah al-Alfīyah fī al-Uṣūl	النبذة الالفية في الاصول ج1	1463	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Good
42	al-Nubdhah al-Alfīyah	النبذة الالفية ج2	1463	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Good
43	Sirāj al-Uqūl fī Minhāj al-Uṣūl	سراج العقول في منهاج الاصول	1397	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Fair
44	Mukhtaṣar Ghunyat al-Mutamallī	مختصر غنية المتملي	1705	Jurisprudence (Fiqh)	Fair
45	Khulāṣat al-Mukhtaṣar	خلاصة المختصر	14th century	Jurisprudence (Fiqh)	Good
46	al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr ʿalá al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr	الشرح الكبير على الجامع الصغير	1746	Jurisprudence (Fiqh)	Fair
47	al-Mubtaghá fī Furūʿ al-Fiqh	المبتغى في فروع الفقه	1464	Jurisprudence (Fiqh)	Fair
48	al-Furūq fī al-Furūʿ	الفروق في الفروع	1447	Jurisprudence (Fiqh)	Acceptable
49	Fatāwá al-Sabkī	فتاوى السبكي	1347	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
50	Irshād al-Ghāwī ilá Masālik al-Ḥāwī	ارشاد الغاوي الى مسالك الحاوي	1758	Jurisprudence (Fiqh)	Good
51	Taʾsīs ʿalá al-Bināʾ	تأسيس على البناء	18th century	Arabic Language	Good
52	Sharḥ al-Tuḥfah al-Ḥamawīyah	شرح التحفة الحموية	1640	Arabic Language	Acceptable
53	Taj al-lugha wa sihah al-Arabi’a	تاج اللغة وصحاح العربية	1407	Arabic language	Good
54	Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb	شرح مختصر ابن الحطاب	18th century	Falak (Astronomy)	Good
55	ʿUjālat al-Bayān fī Sharḥ al-Mīzān	عجالة البيان في شرح الميزان	1653	Arabic Language	Acceptable
56	al-Ṣāfiyah fī Sharḥ al-Shāfiyah	الصافية في شرح الشافية	18th century	Arabic Language	Good
57	Sharḥ al-Shāfiyah	شرح الشافية	1580	Arabic Language	Acceptable
58	Risālah fī al-Khayl	رسالة في الخيل	1902	Arabic Literature	Good
59	Ḥāshiyat Mīrzā Khān	حاشية ميرزا خان	1715	Mantiq (Logic)	Fair
60	Miftāḥ al-ʿUlūm	مفتاح العلوم	1347	Arabic Language	Fair
61	al-Dībāj al-Mudhahhab	الديباج المذهب	16th century	History	Acceptable
62	al-Ghunyah li-Ṭālibī Ṭarīq al-Ḥaqq	الغنية لطالبي طريق الحق	1500	Sufism	Good
63	Ḍiyāʾ al-Anwār	ضياء الانوار	1888	History & Biography	Good
64	al-ʿUshāriyāt	العشاريات	1461	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Fair
65	Tārīkh Nāẓir	تاريخ ناظر	1738	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Good
66	Risālah fī Khalq al-Qurʾān	رسالة في خلق القران	1617	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Fair
67	Sharḥ Qaṣīdat Badʾ al-Amalī	شرح قصيدة بدء الامالي	19th century	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Good
68	Maljāʾ al-Quḍḍāh	ملجأ القضاة	1864	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
69	al-Mawlid al-Sharīf	المولد الشريف	1847	History & Biography	Good
70	al-Fawāʾid al-Jalīlah	الفوائد الجليلة	1731	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable
71	Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb	مفاتيح الغيب	16th century	Sufism	Good
72	al-Fukūk	الفكوك	16th century	Sufism	Good
73	Ijāzāt li-ʿUlāmāʾ min ʿĀʾilat al-ʿIlmī	اجازات لعلماء من عائلة العلمي	1600	Ijāzāt (certificates of learning)	Fair
74	al-Arīb fī Maʿná al-Gharīb	الاريب في معنى الغريب	1174	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Fair
75	Fatḥ al-Raḥmān bi-Kashf mā Yaltabisu fī al-Qurʾān	فتح الرحمن بكشف ما يلتبس في القران	1612	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Acceptable
76	al-Intiṣār li-Samāʿ al-Ḥajjār	الانتصار لسماع الحجار	14th century	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Fair
77	al-Thulāthīyāt al-Wāqiʿah fī Musnad Ibn Ḥanbal	الثلاثيات الواقعة في مسند ابن حنبل	1728	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Good
78	Fatḥ al-ʿAllām bi-Sharḥ al-Iʿlām	فتح العلام بشرح الاعلام	1893	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Fair
79	al-Tanqīḥ li-Alfāẓ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ	التنقيح لالفاظ الجامع الصحيح	1411	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Fair
80	al-Majālis al-Yamānīyah	المجالس اليمانية	1350	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Fair
81	al-Musnad al-Ṣaḥīḥ	المسند الصحيح	1239	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Fair
82	Lisān al-Ḥukkām fī Maʿrifat al-Aḥkām	لسان الحكام في معرفة الاحكام	1681	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Acceptable
83	al-Yawāqīt wa-al-Jawāhir	اليواقيت والجواهر	1548	Tawhid (On Monotheism)	Fair
84	al-Muwaṭṭaʾ	الموطأ	1721	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable
85	Ḥādī al-Asrār ilá Dār al-Qarār	حادي الاسرار الى دار القرار	1465	Sufism	Acceptable
86	Dhakhāʾir al-Aʿlāq	ذخائر الاعلاق	1644	Sufism	Acceptable
87	Qamʿ al-Nufūs wa-al-Raqiyat al-Maʾyūs	قمع النفوس ورقية المأيوس	1465	Sufism	Fair
88	Ikhtilāf al-Aʾimmah	اختلاف الائمة	1650	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
89	al-Tamhīd fī Tanzīl al-Furūʿ	التمهيد في تنزيل الفروع	1450	Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine (Fiqh & Tawḥīd)	Fair
90	al-Rawḍah	الروضة	1329	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Acceptable
91	Sharḥ al-Mughnī	شرح المغني	1437	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Bad
92	Fatāwá al-Khalīlī	فتاوى الخليلي	1740	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Acceptable
93	Fatāwá al-Shaykh al-Khalīlī	فتاوى الشيخ الخليلي	1740	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Acceptable
94	Fatāwá al-Khalīlī (part two)	فتاوى الخليلي	1740	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Fair
95	Maṭāliʿ al-Madhāhib wa-Jawāmiʿ al-Mawāhib	مطالع المذاهب وجوامع المواهب	1346	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Acceptable
96	Muʿīn al-Muftī	معين المفتي	1678	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Acceptable
97	Nukat al-Nabīh ʿalá Aḥkām al-Tanbīh	نكت النبيه على احكام التنبيه	1388	Fiqh & Tawḥīd (Jurisprudence & Matters of Doctrine)	Acceptable
98	Sharḥ Maqāmāt al-Ḥarīrī	شرح مقامات الحريري	1558	Arabic literature	Fair
99	Asmāʾ Ruwāt al-Kutub al-Sittah	اسماء رواة الكتب الستة	1738	History & Biography	Acceptable
100	Nuzūl al-Ghayth	نزول الغيث	1607	Arabic literature	Good
101	Ḥāshiyah ʿalá al-Mawāhib al-Ladunīyah	حاشية على المواهب اللدنية	18th century	History & Biography	Good
102	Qiṣṣat Ibn Sīnā	قصة ابن سينا	1870	History & Biography	Good
103	al-Kawākib al-Durrīyah fī Tarājim al-Ṣūfīyah	الكواكب الدرية في تراجم الصوفية	18th century	History & Biography	Bad
104	Murshid al-Zuwwār ilá Qubūr al-Abrār	مرشد الزوار الى قبور الابرار	1605	History & Biography	Fair
105	Manāqib al-Imām ʿAlī wa-Baqīyat al-ʿAsharah	مناقب الامام علي وبقية العشرة	1578	History & Biography	Acceptable
106	Nahj al-Taqdīs ʿan Maʿānī Ibn Idrīs	نهج التقديس عن معاني ابن ادريس	1552	History & Biography	Fair
107	al-Asbāb wa-al-ʿAlāmāt	الاسباب والعلامات	17th century	Medicine	Acceptable
108	Kitāb al-Aghdhiyah wa-al-Ashribah	كتاب الاغذية والاشربة	1346	Medicine	Acceptable
109	al-Wajīz lil-Ghazālī	الوجيز للغزالي	15th century	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
110	al-Ṣafwah al-Ṭibbīyah wa-al-Siyāsah al-Ṣiḥḥīyah	الصفوة الطبية والسياسة الصحية	1679	Medicine	Fair
111	Fī ʿIlāj al-Amrāḍ	في علاج الامراض	17th century	Medicine	Acceptable
112	al-Wajīz lil-Ghazālī (part two)	الوجيز للغزالي ج2	15th century	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Fair
113	Tuḥfat al-Aḥbāb fī ʿIlm al-Ḥisāb	تحفة الاحباب في علم الحساب	1686	Arithmetic	Fair
114	al-Tadhhīb fī Sharḥ al-Tahdhīb	التذهيب في شرح التهذيب	17th century	Mantiq (Logic)	Fair
115	Sharḥ ʿalá Matn al-Silm	شرح على متن السلم	1866	Mantiq (Logic)	Good
116	al-Ilbās fī Funūn al-Libās	الالباس في فنون اللباس	16th century	Clothes	Good
117	Aḥkām al-Awānī	احكام الاواني	18th century	Fiqh (Jurisprudence)	Good
118	al-Jāmiʿ fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān	الجامع في علوم القران	15th century	Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)	Acceptable
119	Mabāriq al-Azhār	مبارق الازهار	1718	Hadith (Prophetic traditions)	Acceptable

References

Abu-Ghazaleh, Adnan, “Arab Cultural Nationalism in Palestine during the British Mandate” Journal of Palestinian Studies, 1/3 (1972), 37-63.

Abu-Lughod, Ibrahim, “The Pitfalls of Palestinology”, Arab Studies Quarterly, 3/4 (1981), 404-05.

Aderet, Ofer, “Preserving or Looting Palestinian Books in Jerusalem”, Haaretz, 7 December 2012, http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/preserving-or-looting-palestinian-books-in-jerusalem.premium-1.483352

Al-Abassi, Ali Bey [Domingo Badia Y Leblich], Travels of Ali Bey in Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Turkey, Between the Years 1803 and 1807 (London: Longman, 1816).

Al-Najjar, Aida, The Arabic Press and Nationalism in Palestine, 1920-1948 (Ph.D. thesis, Syracuse University, 1975).

Attalah, Mahmoud, Fihris Makhṭūṭāt Maktabat al-Aḥmadīyah fi ʿAkkā (Amman: Mujmaʿat al-Lughah al-ʿArabīyah al-Urdunnī, 1983).

Ayalon, Ami, The Press in the Arab Middle East: A History (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 66.

“Modern Texts and Their Readers in Late Ottoman Palestine”, Middle Eastern Studies, 38/4 (2002), 17-40.

—, Reading Palestine: Printing and Literacy, 1900-1948 (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2004).

Bergan, Erling, “Libraries in the West Bank and Gaza: Obstacles and Possibilities”, paper presented at the 66th IFLA Council and General Conference, Jerusalem, 13-18 August 2000.

Dagher, Joseph Asad, Repertoire des bibliothèques du proche et du Moyen Orient (Paris: UNESCO, 1951).

Dichter, Bernhard, Akko: Sites from the Turkish Period (Haifa: University of Haifa, 2000).

Eche, Youssef, Les bibliothèques arabes publiques et semi-publiques en Mesopotamie, en Syrie et en Egypte au Moyen-Age (Damascus: Institute Francais de Damas, 1967).

Foster, Zachary F., “Arabness, Turkey and the Palestinian National Imagination in the Eyes of Mirʾat al Sarq 1919-1926”, Jerusalem Quarterly, 42 (2011), 61-79.

Goldenberg, Tia, and Areej Hazboun, “Old Manuscripts Get Face-Lift at Jerusalem Mosque”, The Big Story, 31 January 2014, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/old-manuscripts-get-face-lift-jerusalem-mosque

Gish, Amit, “Ownerless Objects? The Story of the Books Palestinians Left Behind in 1948”, Palestine Studies, 33 (2008), 7-20, http://www.palestine-studies.org/ar/jq/fulltext/77868

—,“Salvage or Plunder?: Israel’s ‘Collection’ of Private Palestinian Libraries in West Jerusalem”, Journal of Palestine Studies, 40/4 (2011), 6-23.

Halaby, Mona Hajjar, “Out of the Public Eye: Adel Jabre’s Long Journey from Ottomanism to Binationalism”, Jerusalem Quarterly, 52 (2013), 6-24.

Hanania, Mary, “Jurji Habib Hanania History of the Earliest Press in Palestine, 1908-1914”, Jerusalem Quarterly, 32 (2007), 51-69.

Hogg, Edward, Visit to Alexandria, Damascus, and Jerusalem, During the Successful Campaign of Ibrahim Pasha, 2 vols (London: Saunders and Otley, 1835).

Ibn Dohaish, Abdul Latif, “Growth And Development of Islamic Libraries”, Islamic Quarterly, 31 (1987), 217-29.

Irving, Sarah, “‘Endangered Archives’ Program Opens up Priceless Palestinian Heritage”, The Electronic Intifada, 13 May 2014, http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/sarah-irving/endangered-archives-program-opens-priceless-palestinian-heritage

Khader, Majed, “Challenges and Obstacles in Palestinian Libraries”, in Libraries in the Early 21st Century: An Interntional Perspective, ed. by Ravindra N. Sharma, 2 (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012), pp. 425-44.

Khalidi, Rashid, Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (New York: Columbia University Press, 1997).

—, The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (Boston: Beacon Press, 2007).

Lefebvre-Danset, Françoise, “Libraries in Palestine”, IFLA Journal, 35/4 (2009), 322-34.

Lesch, Ann Mosely, Arab Politics in Palestine: The Frustration of a Nationalist Movement (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1979).

Matthews, Weldon, Confronting an Empire, Constructing a Nation: Arab Nationalists and Popular Politics in Mandate Palestine (New York: I. B. Tauris, 2007).

Matusiak, Krystyna K., and Qasem Abu Harb, “Digitizing the Historical Periodical Collection at the al-Aqṣa Mosque Library in East Jerusalem”, in Newspapers: Legal Deposit and Research in the Digital Era, ed. by Hartmut Walravens (The Hague: DeGruyter, 2011), pp. 271-91.

Mermelstein, Hannah, “Overdue Books: Returning Palestine’s ‘Abandoned Property’ of 1948”, Jerusalem Quarterly (Autumn 2011), http://thegreatbookrobbery.org/overdue-books-returning-palestine’s-“abandoned-property”-1948-hannah-mermelstein

Musallam, Adnan A., “Arab Press, Society and Politics at the End of the Ottoman Era”, http://www.bethlehem-holyland.net/Adnan/publications/EndofTheOttomanEra.htm

—, “Turbulent Times in the Life of the Palestinian Arab Press: The British Era, 1917-1948”, http://www.bethlehem-holyland.net/Adnan/publications/Turbulent_Times.htm

Natsheh, Yusof, “Al-Aqṣa Mosque Library of al-Haram as-Sharif”, Jerusalem Quarterly, 13 (2001), 44-45, http://www.jerusalemquarterly.org/images/Articlespdf/13_Review.pdf

PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, Nakba: The Untold Story of a Cultural Catastrophe, http://www.nad-plo.org/userfiles/file/New%20Publications/NAKBA%20BOOK%202013.pdf

Reiter, Yitzhak, “The Waqf in Israel Since 1965: The Case of Acre Reconsidered”, in Holy Places in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Confrontation and Co-existence, ed. by Marshall J. Breger, Yitzhak Reiter and Leonard Hammer (London: Routledge, 2009), pp. 104-27.

Roper, Geoffrey, World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts (London: Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, 1991).

Salameh, Khader, Fihris makhṭūṭāt Maktabat al-Masjid al-Aqṣá, 1 (Al-Quds: Idārat al-Awqāf al-ʿĀmmah, 1980).

—, Fihris makhṭūṭāt Maktabat al-Masjid al-Aqṣá, 2 (Ammān: al-Majma ʿal-Malakī li-Buḥūth al-Ḥaḍārah al-Islāmīyah, 1983).

—, Fihris makhṭūṭāt Maktabat al-Masjid al-Aqṣá, 3 (London: Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, 1996).

Schidorsky, Dov, “Libraries in Late Ottoman Palestine between the Orient and Occident”, Libraries and Culture, 33/3 (1998), 261-76, https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~lcr/archive/fulltext/LandC_33_3_Schidorsky.pdf

Seetzen, Ulrich Jasper, Reisen durch Syrien, Palästina, Phönicien, die Transjordan-länder, Arabia Petraea und Unter-Aegypten (Berlin: Reimer, 1854).

Shomali, Qustandi, The Arabic Press in Palestine: Bibliography of Literary and Cultural Texts, “Filastin” Newspaper (1911-1967), 2 (Jerusalem: Arab Studies Society, 1990).

—, Mirʾat al-Sharq: A Critical Study and Chronological Bibliography (Jerusalem: Arab Studies Society, 1992).

Skinner, Thomas, Adventures During a Journey Overland to India, 1 (London: Richard Bentley, 1837).

Stillman, Larry, “Books: A Palestinian Tale”, Arena, 120 (2012), 35-39.

Touati, Houari, L’armoire à sagesse: bibliothèques et collections en Islam (Paris: Aubier, 2013).

---