Middle Eastern Library
The Middle Eastern Library is located on the ground floor of the new Herta Mohr Building at Witte Singel.
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Herta Mohr Building
(+31-71-5272039) |
Please visit Middle Eastern Library in Leiden for background information and all the latest news on the library.
Library access
The Middle Eastern Library can temporarily be accessed by way of the University Library (UB) walkway only. The University Library is located right next to the Herta Mohr Building, on Witte Singel 27.
After entering the University Library, please proceed to the first floor using the stairs or the lift, and find the walkway to the Middle Eastern Library between study areas 1 and 2.
Please find the opening hours schedule for the Middle Eastern Library on our opening hours webpage.
Collections
For centuries, the Middle East has been an important region for research and education at Leiden University. Over time, Leiden University Libraries (UBL) has built one of the most important Middle East collections in Europe.
The core of the collection concerns classical Middle Eastern literature and linguistics. Collection development is oriented towards, but not limited to, regions and languages that are taught and studied in Leiden: the Arab world, Turkey, the Persian-speaking countries and Israel, with Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Hebrew. The collection of the Netherlands Institute for the Near East is managed by the Middle Eastern Library and focusses on Egyptology, Assyriology, archaeology, and studies of the Levant and the Ancient Near East. The Middle Eastern Library works in cooperation with the Netherlands Institute in Morocco on the building of collections concerning sociology, political science, socio-economic issues and Islam, as well as classic language and literary subjects, like the collection of literature in Berber languages (Tamazight).
Materials can be shelved in the Middle Eastern Library reading room itself, holding a reference collection, or in the University Library's accessible or closed stacks. The catalogue will show the location, request options, and policy for each item.
Special Collections
The oldest and most treasured items in the Middle Eastern Library collections are held in the Middle Eastern Special Collections. These collections remain at the Special Collections of the UBL and are available for consultation on request.