HISTORY FOR 150 |
The Arab ruler Abbisid caliph Harun al-Ma'mun was an ardent collector of books who is credited with having inaugurated the first public library in the Arab world during his reign (813 - 833). It was known as the Dar al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) and flourished until the 13th century when it was ransacked by the Mongols.
The Arab muslims originally had no libraries and no books other than the Qur'an (Koran). Instructed by the Koran to respect other religions, the Arab leaders encouraged interest in Greek culture and in Judaism and Christianity. As the Muslims conquered the centers of the older civilizations, they adopted literature and science from the Persians and Greeks, eventually establishing their own libraries around the ninth century. Book collections bequeathed to the mosques, which were local centers of learning, led to the development of great universities such as Cordoba and Toledo.