Madrasa al-Zahiriyya is one of the oldest schools and libraries in Damascus

Familiarity hangs everywhere in the library world

The architecture in Damascus, like many other Arab countries, recounts the history of cities and their stories. Perhaps one of the most prominent architectural monuments in Damascus is the Zahiriya School, which is of great importance not only as an architecture, but also because of the treasures of knowledge, manuscripts and books it contained.

When you reach Madrasah Al-Zahiriyyah and after being dazzled by the place that surrounds it, but rather embraces it with old friendliness and familiarity, you will not only be amazed by its wide gates, nor its courtyard decorated with various types of Damascene roses, nor the eucalyptus and orange trees, or even the ancient columns that face you as you cross it to a fragrant that carries all The colors of beauty, and their different meanings.

The fragrance that you feel hangs over the souls coming from history, mixed with the sophistication of the place, seasoned and mixed with the breezes of an ancient civilization, which takes you to an ethereal world, combining its sides with the ancient originality and the ancient identity of Damascus. Damascus, which pours love and perfume from all its aspects, and shines with its architecture, culture, arts, literature and customs of its inhabitants, and even its houses built in a way that has remained to this time indicating them and the spaciousness of their chests and hearts, and the greenery that they adore, and embodies the beauty that they seek to be their most prominent characteristics.

As soon as you step through the gate, those well-established columns meet you, welcoming you with arches similar to those in mosques, and in the courtyard there are many doors. Each door has an entrance to a world of magic, full of ancient stories, some of which open to stairs that end in corners that share the place in its individuality and privacy, and each What hides treasures of knowledge and pearls, which amaze the human mind in all fields.

On the other hand, you see the place includes the most beautiful architectural artifacts, according to the recognition of the archaeologists who visited it and told it. As for the dome that contains the tomb of al-Zahir Baybars, it is thirty meters high, and its walls are made of stones carved in an amazing way, covered with alabaster decorations that are decorated with glass mosaics, and it is designed with amazing artistic mechanisms. The windows on the walls of the dome are decorated, which catches the eye as soon as you enter, as it is a stone building drawn with extreme precision, which suggests that skilled and intelligent hands have contributed to its construction, and the stones are colored and topped with inscriptions indicating the date of construction, without changing anything in its features, since the beginning of its construction by order From the happy king.

An ancient edifice

Al-Zahiriyya Library is located in the heart of the old city of Damascus, and it is lined up along with many historical places and buildings that have their roots in time.

The library has a large hall for reading. As for the eastern and southern iwans, they were designated for research, as they are provided with references and only researchers enter them. Familiarity prevails everywhere in the world of the library, and beauty emerges in all corners, starting from the gate and ending with its treasures, and on its walls are decorations and writings that date the place, as valuable information was written above the door, pertaining to the place and its history, as if it highlights its identity.

The Al-Zahiri Library is located in the heart of the old city of Damascus, and it is lined up along with many historical places and buildings rooted in time. The places and buildings that distinguished the city of Damascus, and gave it its privacy, including the famous Umayyad Mosque, and the ancient and touristic Citadel of Damascus.

Ali Al-Qayyim: Al-Zahiriyyah School is one of the oldest schools and libraries in Damascus, and it still maintains most of its applications

To talk more about the library, its history and its importance, researcher Ali al-Qayyim spoke about it, saying, "The school of al-Malik al-Zahir Baybars was previously a place for the house of al-Haqqi, who died in the year 368 AH. Then the house was expropriated in the year 676 AH, and Al-Saeed bin Baybars took over building the soil and the school after the death of his father."

And he indicated that Al-Dhahiriya School is one of the oldest schools and libraries in Damascus and still maintains most of its wonderful applications. It dates back to the second half of the eleventh century during the Mamluk era, and is located in the Bab Barid area in Old Damascus near the Great Umayyad Mosque. Its external shape is similar to the Adiliyya School, and until recently it contained precious books, manuscripts and important references. It was transferred to the Al-Assad National Library.

He continued, "This library is also considered one of the most important remaining schools in Damascus. Its façade is built of red-yellow diamond stones, which are evasive in compact groups, and in the wall of the dome are wonderful models of mosaics, which date back to the seventh century AH, and contain various types of colored stone, Scholars consider it one of the most precious architectural monuments of Damascus, and one of the most beautiful Mamluk buildings inspired by the traditions of Ayyubid art, distinguished by bright stones, carved schools, decorated walls of colored alabaster, and mosaics on the way.

According to the values, the Madrasa al-Zahiriyya includes three halls and three warehouses.

Regarding its departments, the researcher continued his speech by saying, "The departments of the virtual library are: the Department of Publications, the Department of Manuscripts, the Department of Optics and the Department of Photography. The number of manuscripts received by the house reached 4612 manuscripts, and the number of many books that were donated to the library: from the library of Abdul-Ghani Al-Qadri 946 books, and from Muhammad Taher Abu Harb Library 919, Dr. Rashad Al Jassim Library 446, Muhammad Aref Al Munir Library 244, Saeed Al Khani Library 190, Al Buraiki Library 179, Rafik Al Tamimi Library 173, and Muhammad Sidqi Al Kilani Library 579 books.

There are a number of other libraries that contributed to the formation of the contents of the virtual library, and these libraries are: Jame's Library and the Ahmadiyya School Library. Raouf Bey, the governor of Damascus in the early twentieth century, collected about five hundred golden pounds for her, and bought books for her. She also received many manuscripts as a gift, the number of which reached 4,612 manuscripts. As for publications, 1,206 manuscripts were donated to the library.

There are also three warehouses containing many manuscripts, publications, and periodicals. The number of books in the library has reached 72,000 books, and nearly 85,000 magazines. It also includes 13,000 old and rare manuscripts. This library houses in its vaults a collection of highly important literature, such as law and medicine by Ibn Sina and others.

In short, the Al-Zahiri Library is considered one of the oldest and oldest Damascene libraries, and it is considered one of the historical, archaeological and authentic libraries, in terms of the mother books, magazines and manuscripts it contains. It is also one of the oldest and most beautiful tourist places.(Omar Shriki _ alarab.co.uk)