Al-Assad National Library ( ar, مَكْتَبَةُ الْأَسَدِ الْوَطَنِيَّةِ, Maktabat al-ʾAsad al-Waṭanīyah) is the

national library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, located in the capital

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

overlooking the

Umayyad Square Umayyad Square ( ar, ساحة الأمويين / ALA-LC: ''sāḥat al-Umawiyīn'') is a large and important square in Damascus, Syria. It connects the city center with several important highways and areas and contains various important buildings ...

. It's named after

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...

. In 1976, Syria's

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

issued an official decision to build a national library. Construction began in 1978 and the library was completed in November 1983 and was opened the following year. The library's purpose was "to gather all books and daily issues in addition to all kinds of literature connected with our ancestral cultural legacy", then to sort out these materials to serve researchers and scholars and benefit them. It is the legal deposit and copyright for

. The Libraries and Documents Association of Syria has its headquarters at the Assad National Library. AssadLibraryCard

Departments

The library has several departments which include a lecture hall and a special department for

blind people Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

. The library's departments are as follows: *Department of Photographic Documentation: in its three forms (microfilm, microfiche, photocopy). This section was founded in order to satisfy the readers' wishes to obtain photocopies of books and publications. *Department of Audio Material: In which the library's books and manuscripts are available in audio form. *Department of Documentaries: In which documentaries are stored available to be watched. *Department of Fine Arts: Which contains the works of contemporary Syrian artists. *Department of Periodicals: In which regular publications and publications are deposited. *Department of the Blind: In which books and other material are available in

braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...

for blind people. *Department of Information: In which specialists help readers to reach the required topics, and navigate through the various indexes, and through international information systems that enable the reader to identify the latest source of references in each subject. *The Lecture Hall: The library has a main lecture hall which can accommodate 308 people. It is suitable for films, lectures and conferences. It is equipped with a radio system for simultaneous interpretation in four languages. There are also two other halls, each of which can accommodate up to 20 people. *Reading Room: The library has three reading halls and four other reading rooms. The halls can accommodate up to 1,000 readers at the same time. *Individual Reading Rooms: 21 Individual Reading Rooms are available. *Showrooms: There are several showrooms in the library specifically for exhibitions such as art and book exhibitions.

References

External links

Library's Arabic homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assad National Library Al Library buildings completed in 1984 Libraries in Syria

Education in Damascus Buildings and structures in Damascus 1984 establishments in Syria Libraries established in 1984

Departments

References

Further reading

External links