Located on Bab al-Silsilah Road near al-Haram al-Sharif, the Khalidi Library is housed in one of the oldest Mameluke structures in the Old City. The Khalidi Library is the largest and one of the most important private Islamic manuscript libraries in the world today. This study by Professor Walid Khalidi, first published in Arabic in 2000, traces the history of the Library from the first endowed collection in 1720, to its establishment in 1900, and its survival and renewal through 1948 and after Israeli occupation until 2000. This is the first (abridged) version of that original study to appear in English.
The publication of the book was made possible thanks to a grant by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development managed by Welfare Association - Taawon.