Aims and objectives
The Ministry of Awqaf Library in Sulaimani holds a collection of approximately 4,000 manuscripts, dating from the Baban dynasty over 300 years ago, and later housed in the Grand Mosque of Sulaimani. Covering religious sciences, literature, astronomy and history, the collection includes autograph volumes by prominent Kurdish figures.
The manuscripts, now held in a library, are suffering from the adverse effects of their previous storage conditions. An estimated 6,000 manuscripts were burned during clashes with the British in the 1920s. The remains of the library of the Grand Mosque of Sulaimani were rescued and hidden in private homes and other safe places. Finally, these items were collected and returned to the Mosque, and eventually to the Ministry of Awqaf in 1978. Most of the manuscripts have suffered damage.
The Awqaf library contains many manuscripts of great significance for Kurdish and Middle Eastern studies, including rare works by classcal Kurdish poets that will likely reshape our understanding of Kurdish literary history. The collection is likely to bring to light unexplored works by Kurdish religious scholars and new perspectives on society and governance. Beyond the rarity of the content, the collection itself has a rich history, dating back to before Sulaimani's founding in 1784. Examining the collection will shed light on the circulation of the intellectual production in Kurdistan and the wider region.
