Libraries in Saudi Arabia

Although older libraries differ from their modern counterparts, they played a pivotal role in facilitating cultural and intellectual movements and benefitting scholarships and scholars more broadly.

[2] Libraries spread throughout the Najd region due in part to the sizable number of Islamic and other books imported from Iraq, the Levant, Morocco and Yemen.

This transfer not only benefitted the large number of students there, but also directly contributed to the growth of private libraries in Riyadh.

[4] In the decades ensuing the Kingdom's establishment, its libraries sought to bring themselves into line with modern notions of how such institutions work with respect to organization, equipment, and specialized services.

In the same year, the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Library was established in Riyadh.

The project began under the supervision of the Riyadh Municipality and was completed after three years, opening its doors to the public in 1988.

Consequently, the data does not highlight related trends that may differ over time or by generation, particularly given the transformative role of technology over the last two decades.

The endowed libraries in Saudi Arabia, are overseen by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance.

Some, including the Library of the Noble Qur’an, were established after the creation of the Saudi state, while others date back to older historical periods.

For example, in 1324, the Al-Sawlatiyyah School in Makkah opened a public library, the oldest in the Kingdom, frequented by students reading and borrowing books outside of class time.