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The Central Library of the Astan Quds Razavi, ranking seventh among the twenty great libraries that changed the world
Open Education Database (OEDB) website ascertained in the article posted on its website on dated July 10, 2012 titled “20 Libraries That Changed the World” http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/25-libraries-that-changed-the-world includes the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi in Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran which was opened to the public use in 1457 A.D as one of the great twenty libraries throughout the world history which played a great role in the dissemination knowledge in the world.
Open Education Database is the most comprehensive collection of online college rankings and free courses anywhere online and its headquarters is based at Houston, Texas, USA have placed the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi in the seventh rank among the twenty great libraries throughout the world history.
The famous libraries like Vatican Library, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, New York Public Library and the British Library have been ranked after the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi.
The library of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) which was opened to the public use in 1457 A.D. is now considered as one of the largest and the most magnificent library in Iran and the Islamic world. The Central Library which is the constituent central library of the Organization of Libraries, Museums and Center of Deeds of Astan Quds Razavi, is situated within the precincts of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.).
The construction of the present magnificent new building of the Central Library started in 1981 was accomplished in 1993, with a constructed area of 28800 square meters and was opened to the public in April, 1994. This grand central library is equipped with 21 reading halls including reading halls for the researchers(reference books auditorium), open access reading halls, closed reading halls, book lending hall, internet reading hall, audio visual reading hall, book circulation and reading halls for children and young adults, the reading hall of the valuable manuscripts of the Holy Quran and exquisite manuscripts and printed books, specialized libraries for The Holy Quran and Hadith Sciences, the Holy Ahlul Bayt (A.S.), Islamic Economics, Geography, Literature, E-Library, museum related books and reading hall for foreign books in 64 languages.
By the end of month of March, 2011, the strength of full members of the library has surpassed 510,000 persons and at present number of printed books in the Central Library are more than 3,500,000 volumes. At present, the Central Library building is enjoying a reading space with an area of more than twenty thousand square meters and more than 6000 researchers and students daily use the sources and references present in the printed books treasuries and different reading halls of the Central Library. 2,900,00 digitalized books are available in Digitilized Section of the Central Library.
By the end of March, 2011, the manuscript section treasured 84,000 rare and old manuscripts which include 16057 manuscripts of the Holy Quran, which is considered as one of the largest collection of the manuscript copies of the Holy Quran in the world. It also preserves 44,000 old lithographic books; manuscript microfilms 47000 books, 36671 CDs of manuscripts and 9300 other hand written materials. The organization has established 52 constituent libraries in Mashhad and different cities and towns of Iran which preserve 10867 manuscripts and hold about 1,300,000 printed books and 320,000 people are members of these 52 constituent libraries. The Office of Deeds of the Central Library is holding 13,500,000 pieces of exquisite and historical documents some of them five centuries old. The historical documents belonging to the Safavid dynasty (1501-1786) preserved in the library are considered as the World Cultural Heritage. The periodical department holds more than ten thousand titles of periodicals with more than more than 12,000 issues of journals with 1,268,000 copies of journals and magazines.
Contact Information
The Organization of Libraries, Museums and Center of Deeds of Astan Quds Razavi
The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.)
Bast (Sanctuary) Shaykh Tousi
Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran
P.O. Box: 91735-177
Website: http://www.aqlibrary.org
Email: info@aqlibrary.org
Telephone Number: 0098-51-32219553
Fax: 0098-51-32220845
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