Middle East

Our Middle East collections comprise manuscripts, printed books, newspapers and journals from countries in today's Middle East as well as from Iran and Central Asia from the 5th century AD to the present day.

Collection guides

Arabic collections
Printed books, periodicals and newspapers, manuscripts and a range of other materials
Persian collections
Over 40,000 volumes of printed books, periodicals and newspapers, more than 11,000 manuscripts, and a range of other materials.
Hebrew collections
Manuscripts copied over 1,000 years ago to the most recent monographs and serials
Ethiopian collections
The Ethiopian collections include over 600 manuscripts in addition to recent monographs and serials
Judeo-Persian
The British Library has a small but important collection of Judeo-Persian manuscripts and printed books
India Office Records: Resources for Iran
Archival sources for the study of Iran

View all related guides

Help

Readers at desks in the Asian and African Reading Room

Asian & African Studies Reading Room

Find information on the shelves
Access online databases and electronic books and journals
Order collection items to the Reading Room via our catalogues

If you need help, just ask our Information Specialists at the Reference Enquiry desk or contact the Asian & African Studies Reference Team.

We offer a range of free Reader sessions and 1-2-1 consultations to help you make the best use of the Library's collections.

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Mon: 10.00 – 17.00
Tue – Sat: 09.30 – 17.00
Sun & English Public Holidays: closed

Opening hours for all Reading Rooms

Blog posts

Dining with style: the East India Company’s communal table at Mocha

Monday, June 27, 2022

In August 1720, the East India Company’s Council in Bombay received a letter from their factors and merchants based in the city of Mocha. They had expected this letter for some time. It was the practice for the factory’s staff...

Dr Sarah Hosmon and the Missionary Hospital in Sharjah

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Kentucky born Sarah Hosmon devoted nearly her entire adult life to missionary and medical work in Arabia. In 1909 Dr Hosmon arrived in Bahrain, and in 1913, under the auspices of the Dutch Reformed Church of America’s Arabian Mission, she...

New online - June 2022

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

We have another 4 new projects online to bring to your attention. This time from Indonesia, Iran, India, and West Africa: Bima Manuscripts [EAP988] Zoroastrian historical documents and Avestan manuscripts [EAP1014] Private records of leading business families of Early Colonial...

Monsieur Roux, the would-be Consul of Baghdad

Thursday, May 26, 2022

By the summer of 1917, the British Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force had been in Mesopotamia for three years. It had fought the armies of the Ottoman Empire and occupied territory stretching from Basra to Baghdad. British officials had every reason to...