Contents of the national library

The contents of the library includes a wide collection of Qur’an manuscripts, written on parchments and on paper, with some in the early undotted kufic script, other written by the calligraphers. There is an outstanding collection of Qur’an manuscripts along the Egyptian Islamic materials in the Mamluk - text hand and in Rauhani and Trilinear hands. There is a huge collection of Arabic papyri from various Egyptian sites, some from the 7th century AD or ever before that. The library is filled with early Egypt Islamic social and cultural life. The library is also housed with Ottoman and ancient Persian collections.

The library is a great mine for document and manuscripts which includes more than 57,000 of the world’s most valuable manuscripts. The collection includes a vast number of subjects, fully filled, dated and arranged. The library also has a rare number of Arabic Papyri. These are related to rent, marriage, contract, taxes and much more. The oldest papyrus among is from the AH 87 (AD 705); from which only forty four were published.

The library also includes medical Arabic coins from early AD 696 and at the end of 19th century, the collection of Ahamed Zaki Pasha, Ahmed Taymour Pasha, Mustafa Fadel, Ahmed Tal’aat Bey came to the National library.