al-Budairi Family Library (MAB)

Identity area

Identifier

JM-MAB

Authorized form of name

al-Budairi Family Library (MAB)

Parallel form(s) of name

    Other form(s) of name

      Type

      • Private

      Contact area

      Ragheb Al-Budairi

      Type

      Address

      Street address

      Bab al-Majlis (Bab al-Nazer) outside the Haram al-Sharif

      Locality

      Region

      Country name

      Postal code

      Telephone

      + 972 (0) 2 628 1694

      Fax

      + 972 (0) 2 628 1694

      Email

      URL

      Note

      Entrance is opposite the door of the Islamic Council.

      Description area

      History

      The Budairi Library was established by the Sufi scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Budair, known as Ibn al-Hubaysh (died 1220/1805). He was of North African origin and studied in al-Azhar, where he remained for several decades before coming to Jerusalem. He was buried in the current building of the library that was his house, located next to the west wall of al-Haram al-Sharif. During his life, he wrote a number of literary works. Perhaps the most famous one is his poem celebrating the defeat of Napoleon before the walls of 'Akka 1799.

      Geographical and cultural context

      Mandates/Sources of authority

      Administrative structure

      Records management and collecting policies

      Buildings

      Holdings

      The library contains manuscripts, in addition to documents specific to the history of the family and their properties in the Ottoman period. The majority of the manuscripts are related to the different branches of the Islamic religion, followed by the topics of Arabic language and literature, astronomy, logic and history. The 636 manuscripts listed in the catalog have been copied on 35 mm microfilm, but not those that were added later to the collection.

      The manuscripts cover the sciences of the Qur'an, tafsir, usul al-din, fiqh, its principles, and Sufism. The number of titles varies from topic to topic. For example, the books on Sufism are more numerous (approximately 500) than other subjects because the owner was himself a Sufi and he concentrated on acquiring books from Sufism. There are approximately 250 Arabic language and literature titles, 60 titles covering Islamic history and the life of the Prophet, and approximately 100 titles on a range of subjects; including logic, astronomy, arithmetic and medicine.

      Finding aids, guides and publications

      Access area

      Opening times

      Saturday – Thursday, 09:00 - 13:00

      Access conditions and requirements

      The archive or library is open to the public, by appointment.

      Accessibility

      Services area

      Research services

      Reproduction services

      Documents can be photocopied, using the photocopier or scanner available.

      Public areas

      Control area

      Description identifier

      Institution identifier

      Rules and/or conventions used

      Status

      Level of detail

      Dates of creation, revision and deletion

      Language(s)

        Script(s)

          Sources

          http://parc-us-pal.org/resources/jerusalemArchives.htm#thirteen
          Jerusalem historical libraries and archives revisited, Revised report prepared for Open Jerusalem, October 2014, Merav Mack

          Maintenance notes

          Author : Open Jerusalem http://www.openjerusalem.org/

          Access points

          Access Points