Guardian of the Syrian written heritage
Discover more than a million books, periodicals and manuscripts gathered over decades — and an ever-growing digital library bringing Syrian culture to readers around the world.
Discover
Featured collections
Manuscripts
More than fifteen thousand manuscripts in naskh, maghrebi and kufic scripts covering Qur'anic sciences, hadith, jurisprudence, medicine, astronomy and literature from the third century AH to the early twentieth century.
Rare books
Rare printed books from the 16th to the mid-20th century, including first editions from oriental and world presses.
Periodicals & newspapers
An encyclopedic collection of Syrian and Arab newspapers and magazines from the late 19th century onwards — a mirror of the history of the press in the Levant.
Maps & atlases
Historical maps of the Levant and the Arab world, including works by Arab geographers and Ottoman and European cartographers.
Photographic archive
A visual archive of social and urban life in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Latakia since the 1880s.
Audio-visual collection
Audio and video recordings: literary readings, speeches, concerts and historical radio and television broadcasts.
Current exhibitions
The Syrian press — virtual exhibition
From al-Muqtabas to today
An interactive virtual exhibition surveying more than a century of Syrian press with a complete digital archive.
- Date
- June 10, 2025
- Location
- Online virtual exhibition
News
Latest news
The National Library receives a rare collection of Mamluk manuscripts
The donation comprises 47 manuscripts from the 8th and 9th centuries AH, exhibited to the public for the first time last week.
Launch of the redesigned digital library portal
The new portal provides access to more than thirty thousand digitized titles with an advanced search engine.
Restoration of the Historic Newspapers Room completed
After a year of restoration, the hall has been returned to its original splendour with climate-controlled facilities.
Cooperation agreement with Bibliotheca Alexandrina for digital manuscript exchange
The agreement gives researchers reciprocal access to more than 100,000 digital manuscript images.
Featured items
From the collections
Kitāb al-Aghānī (The Book of Songs)
Abū al-Faraj al-Isfahānī
Manuscript
The Canon of Medicine
Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna)
Manuscript
Qur'an in Kufic script
Anonymous scribe
Manuscript
Lisān al-ʿArab
Ibn Manẓūr
Book
The Complete Works of Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran
Book
Al-Muqtabas Magazine
Muhammad Kurd Ali
Newspaper
Map of Bilad al-Sham
Al-Idrīsī
Map
The Umayyad Mosque, 1898
Bonfils Studio
Photograph
Plan your visit
A space for everyone
Reading rooms, research carrels, exhibition halls and a dedicated children's library — the National Library welcomes researchers, students, families and the simply curious from across Syria and beyond.
Opening hours
Sun – Thu, 9:00 – 17:00
Address
Al-Jala'a Avenue, Damascus
Phone
+963 11 222 0000
info@nls.sy