Gazi Husrev-Bey Library
The Gazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo is an associated member institution of the University of Sarajevo. It was founded in 1537, by the then Bosnian governor. The Library currently holds about one hundred thousand library units (manuscripts, printed books, periodicals and various documents) in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Bosnian and several other European languages.
Manuscript Fund
The manuscript fund includes a total of 10,585 codices of manuscripts. The fund contains works of a general and encyclopedic character, manuscripts of the Qur’an, Islamic scientific works, hadith, akhaid, fikh, as well as linguistics and literature, history, geography, medicine, veterinary science, mathematics, astronomy, astrology and other sciences. A significant number of these manuscripts are unique or rare copies, such as autographs, copies written in the 12th, 13th or 14th century, manuscripts unique with their calligraphy, illuminations, manuscripts with specially made leather binding decorated with ornaments and manuscripts that stand out with some other characteristics.
Archive Collections
Archive collections include:
- Ottoman Archive – documents in Ottoman Turkish language issued by various local, provincial, and central authorities of the Ottoman rule.
- Archive of the Islamic Community in BiH – significant and rich data source for historical and scientific study of the Islamic Community in BiH in the period from 1882 to 2016.
- The collection of periodicals (newspapers, journals, annuals, magazines…), published from 1835 to 2022, has significant place in the overall fund of the Library. The Library also has a valuable museum collection and collection of photographs.
Today, the total Library collection includes approximately 100,000 units classified into the following sections:
- Arabic manuscripts with over 10,000 codices in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Bosnian languages that include approximately 20,000 works in Islamic sciences, oriental languages, fine literature, philosophy, logic, history, medicine, veterinary science, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences; Manuscript fund – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Printed books in oriental languages; Orientalistic fund – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Printed books in European languages; European fund – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Periodicals containing the oldest magazines and newspapers from the Balkans and the Middle East; Periodicals fund – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Archival material (protocols of sharia courts, endowment charters, and other documents from the Ottoman and more recent periods); Ottoman archives fund – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- The Archive of Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Archive of the Islamic Community – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Museum collection; Museum – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Geographic maps collection;
- Postcards and photographs collection; Photographic collection – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
- Philately collection with the motives of Islamic culture and tradition. [also Photographic collection – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)]
- The Library possesses a modern laboratory for preservation and restoration of paper, as well as technical equipment for microfilming, scanning, and digital data processing. Department of Conservation and Restoration – Gazi Husrev-bey Library (ghb.ba)
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