Al-Rawdha Al-Haidriya Library: A Rich Source for People of Religion and Knowledge
Libraries are of particular importance in preserving heritage, increasing public awareness, familiarizing people with their past, and helping to raise generations equipped with knowledge and learning, and are an essential resource for scholars and researchers.
Al-Rawdha Al-Haidriya Library in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, is one of these important libraries that is rich in content and stands out among other prominent libraries famous for its diversity of resources, according to Ali Kadhim Muhammad, the head of the manuscripts department.
Referring to the history of this library, he said it dates back to the fourth century AH, when it was founded by Abdul Daulah Buyih.
The library’s official inauguration ion modern times took place under the guidance and supervision of the office of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on June 20, 2005, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (SA), he noted.
Ali Kadhim Muhammad added, “The goal is for this library to serve as a scientific resource for all visitors and students. This library supports religious studies students, university students and postgraduate students.”
Talking about the books available in this library, he said that when it was founded, this library had about 8,000 volumes, but now, under the guidance and supervision of the General Secretariat of the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali (AS), the number of books in this library has exceeded 250,000 volumes, distributed in about 50 subjects.
Referring to the manuscripts of Al-Rawdha Al-Haydriya, he said manuscripts are the heritage of the library, and the General Secretariat issued a special directive to enrich the library with manuscripts, especially after many of them were lost or destroyed during the former regime (of Saddam Hussein).
Al-Rawdha Al-Haydriya Library is a comprehensive public library that is not limited to specific books or titles, but rather encompasses all sciences, schools of thought, and religions, he further noted.
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“The diversity of titles and subjects has helped a diverse range of researchers. Many students of religious sciences, seminaries, and postgraduate studies visit the library, which provides them with important services, including access to modern resources.”
He also clarified about the assistance from other countries to this library, saying that many prominent figures have donated their libraries to Al-Rawdha Al-Haydriya Library, and the number of donated libraries has currently exceeded 180.
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