Written by Athina Pfeiffer (2025)

INtroduction

The Qarawiyin Library is part of the renowned Qarawiyin Mosque complex, one of the oldest religious and academic institutions in the old medina of Fes. While the mosque itself dates back to the 9th century, the first formal library was not established until the 14th century. Today, the Qarawiyin Library houses an extensive collection of manuscripts, lithographs, printed books, and periodicals. To learn more about the collection, check out Josie Hendrickson’s 2008 article.

The library is open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to around 4:30pm, but don’t be surprised if the staff doesn’t show up until late morning—sometimes between 10am and noon. It’s closed in August, and hours can shift during Ramadan.

Location: Google Maps

GOING THERE

The entrance to the library is on Place Seffarine in the old medina of Fes. The easiest way to get there is to take a cab to Place Rasif, only about a five min. walk from the library. If you’re driving, you can park at Bab Jedid, which is about a 20 min. walk away. Once you reach Place Seffarine, look for a big wooden gate; that’s the entrance.

GETTING IN

When you arrive, greet the guard who will likely walk you upstairs. To your right are the director’s offices, and to your left is the main Reading Room. You don’t need to register to sit in the Reading Room, and you can keep your bag with you. However, if you want to consult materials, you’ll need to provide a copy of your passport along with proof of affiliation (I used a student ID). If you run out of photocopies, there are several places in the medina where you can get them made; just ask around, and someone will point you in the right direction.

Finding your material

Ask one of the librarians, or the guard, to set you up on a computer in the main Reading Room. Here, you can access the internal catalog (in Arabic), which is split into manuscripts and printed books. For manuscripts, you can search by author, title, shelfmark, theme, and sometimes other details. Be sure to write down the shelfmarks, titles, and authors of anything you want to request and take a photo of the catalog entry, just in case. The printed book catalog isn’t quite complete yet according to the staff, and periodicals haven’t been added at all. For those, it’s best to ask the staff directly.

Ordering your material

Manuscripts

When I visited, there was no librarian present in the main Reading Room, so instead the guard gave me a request form. On it, you’ll need to fill out your personal information along with the title, author, and shelfmark of the manuscript you want. Since each form only has space for one manuscript, ask the staff for a blank sheet of paper if you need to list more. Hand everything in: form as well as photocopies of your passport and proof of affiliation. Your request then goes to the head of the manuscript division and library director, Dr. Hasan Harnan, for approval.

It’s a good idea to ask for a meeting with Dr. Harnan as soon as you arrive. During that conversation, be clear about what you’re hoping to do: whether you’d like to view physical manuscripts (usually restricted, but you can make your case if you’re working on paleography or codicology), consult multiple manuscripts, or simply request reproductions without viewing them. Setting expectations upfront makes the approval process much smoother.

If you’re approved to see manuscripts or digital images, you’ll be set up in one of the director’s offices with Mr. Abu Bakr, head of the manuscript restoration section. He’ll either bring the manuscripts to you or walk you through digital copies on a computer. Mr. Abu Bakr is incredibly generous with his time and will even read manuscripts with you. You can go through as many images as you like (just keep those shelfmarks handy). Keep in mind that some items may only have been photographed with a regular camera rather than with a professional scanner. If a manuscript hasn’t been digitized yet, Mr. Abu Bakr will do his best to make it accessible.

Books and Periodicals

If you have a shelfmark readily available, hand it over to the staff who will fetch the material for you for perusal in the main Reading Room.

Ordering scans

Manuscripts

In general, you can only request a small number of digital copies per day (usually one or two manuscripts) depending on how many volumes or folios are tied to each shelfmark. That said, you might be able to make a case for more, especially if you’re only asking for specific sections of a manuscript. The staff will load the images onto a CD for free (this process takes around 15-30 min.). If a manuscript hasn’t been digitized yet, or if the existing images aren’t of great quality, they may agree to snap photos of selected folios and send them to you over WhatsApp.

Books and Periodicals

There’s a no-photo policy in the main Reading Room, so it’s not entirely clear whether you’re allowed to take pictures of the materials themselves. When in doubt, just check with the staff.

Food and well-being

You can bring water into the library, and for food, you’ll find plenty of options in the medina. The bathrooms are past the patio, just beyond the old microfilm room (it’s a good idea to bring your own toilet paper). Also, be prepared for different temperatures as the library gets pretty warm in the summer and chilly in the winter.