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Middle Eastern Collection

This collection at Widener Library supports diverse research interests, ranging from the ancient Near East, Islamic religion, Arab literature, and modern architecture, to contemporary political movements.
A poster that says "the truth" in Arabic and English three times, with a black background
al-Ḥaqīqah: al-Ḥaqīqah: al-Ḥaqīqah

The collection specializes in materials in Arabic, Armenian, Kurdish, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, Turkish, Urdu, and Uzbek.

Materials in Widener Library's Middle Eastern Collection include items from:

ʻAwdat Sīnāʼ, part of the Arabic Political Poster Collection
  • the Near East and Middle East  (Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen)
  • Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritanian, Morocco, and Tunisia)
  • the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia)
  • Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan)
  • South Asia (materials in the Perso-Arabic script from Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan)
  • Russia (materials in Turkic and Altaic-Uralic languages)
  • Xinyang Autonomous Region (Uighur and Kazakh)
  • and diasporic communities from across these regions

Accessing These Materials

There are many ways to access the diversity of materials related to the Middle East. Please refer to our Library Guide for details about how to search for materials in HOLLIS, how to request materials from Special Collections, information about remote research, databases, and transliteration practices.

The related collections linked below are also a great place to start.

Contact

Middle East, Asia, and Africa Division (MEAAD)

Related Collections

Digital Collection

Islamic Heritage Project

Collection

Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran

Collection

Middle East and Islamic Photographs

Digital Collection

Iranian Oral History Project

Website

Arabic 78 Recordings

Collection

Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture

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