Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library is an important historic
Ottoman building in the medieval city of
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. The library was founded by Hafiz Ahmed Agha in 1793.
History
Hafiz Ahmed Agha was born in the village of
Asgourou (Turkish: Uzgur Köyü), 3 km to the south from the present center of the city of Rhodes, in the middle of the 18th century in a wealthy, established Ottoman family. He was educated in the Imperial Court and later became the Chief Equerry of the Sultan. He retired in 1789, but was reactivated and became a member of the regular delegations travelling to Mecca with the yearly presents of the sultan to the
Sharif of Mecca
The Sharif of Mecca ( ar, شريف مكة, Sharīf Makkah) or Hejaz ( ar, شريف الحجاز, Sharīf al-Ḥijāz, links=no) was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and ...
. He died on such a travel some time between 1800-1802.
He founded this library for the literate public of his home town with 1995 manuscripts from the entire scope of Islamic science in 1793. The institution became a center of learning. Hafiz Ahmed Agha paid the librarians also for teaching the Arabic language, which was necessary for the reading of the texts.
Presently there are 1256 manuscripts in the possession of the library. Among the most valuables there is a
Koran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
from 1540, the history of the
Turkish siege of the city in 1522, and manuscripts with Persian miniatures. On the walls of there are old maps and engravings of the town.
Gallery
File:Rodi, Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library 03.JPG, The building
File:Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library 03.jpg, The entrance
File:Rhodos677.JPG, Ceiling
Rodi, Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library, interno 02.JPG, View from the interior
File:Map of the port of Rhodes.jpg, Old map of the port of Rhodes from the collection of the library
File:General view of the town of Rhodes, 1844.jpg, General view of the town of Rhodes, 1844
File:Palace of the Grand Masters of Rhodes, 1844.jpg, Grand Master's Palace, 1844
Sources
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* Information tables in the Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library, Rhodes
External links
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{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Rhodes (city)
Libraries in Greece
Ottoman architecture in Rhodes
1793 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
18th-century establishments in Greece
18th-century architecture in Greece
Libraries established in 1793