Libraries in Saudi Arabia

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Libraries in Saudi Arabia have always been a critical component of Saudi culture and society. They have been prevalent in various forms in palaces, mosques, and schools for over a century and a half. Although older libraries differ from their modern counterparts, they played a pivotal role in facilitating cultural and intellectual movements and benefitting scholarships and scholars more broadly.^[1]

Endowed libraries, especially those in the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Al-Madinah, are among the oldest and the most important in the Kingdom. The provenance of the Great Mosque of Makkah library for example, dates back to 161 AH. It acquired the name "Library of Al Masjid Al Haram" during the reign of King Abdulaziz.^[2]

Libraries spread throughout the Najd region due in part to the sizable number of Islamic and other books imported from Iraq, the Levant, Morocco and Yemen. As many historians have noted, many of those books were moved to Riyadh after the death of King Abdulaziz. This transfer not only benefitted the large number of students there, but also directly contributed to the growth of private libraries in Riyadh. These included the Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Latif Al Sheikh Library, which housed an impressive collection of manuscripts, and the Sheikh Hamad bin Faris Library,^[3] among others.^[4]