AL- ZAHIRIYAH SCHOOL (LIBRARY)
Public Anceint Schools

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The strategic location of old Damascus has made the city an ideal center for religious and intellectual activities. For this reason, many religious schools were built here to provide a place for teaching religious and applied sciences. Al-Adiliya School in old Damascus is a good example of these schools.
Al-Zahiriyah Library was another public school. It was divided into two sections: a library and a school. Al Zahiriyah Library in Damascus is one of the most famous ancient libraries in the world. Its cultural treasures include old Arabic books, old manuscripts, documents, and hand-written letters.
Al-Zaheriyah Library dates back to 1277 A.D; it took its name from its founder Al-Zaher Baibars. Building this library was his father’s idea but he died before he could achieve it. Al Zahiriah used to be -in the beginning- a school in charge of teaching Quranic sciences. The decorations, carvings, and writing on the building walls, in addition to the gate which bears geometric designs and patterns, make the library one of the most important buildings in Damascus. The manuscript department includes 13,000 manuscript, and the oldest one among these is: "Al-Imam Ahmad Ben Hanbal’s question of faith".