Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA_ Al-Assad National Library, despite its novelty, is one of the largest and most important libraries in Syrian and the Arab region.
It was established in Damascus in 1984 to gather all books and daily issues in addition to all kinds of literature connected with our ancestral cultural legacy, then to sort out these materials to serve researchers and scholars and benefit them.
The library, which is located in the center of the capital, Damascus, and overlooks the Umayyad Square, covers an area of 22000 m sq and it is surrounded by a landscape ground (gardens) which extends on a space of 6.000 m sq.
The complex (buildings) of the library comprises of nine floors. It hosts hundreds of official and private events.
The library has cultural goals, including gathering all books and daily issues in addition to all kinds of literature connected with our ancestral cultural legacy, then to sort out these materials to serve researchers and scholars and benefit them.
It serves the scientific research and researchers through the provision of all research requirements, starting from the databases to the microfilms minimizing and other requirements based on the technological developments associated with the movement of scientific research.
For preserving the ancient Arab heritage, specifically in the field of (manuscripts), the library seeks to collect what is available from it, maintain it through sterilization and restoration, and keeping it in suitable warehouses.
The library receives visitors daily where it can host approximately 750 readers at one time in all reading halls.All citizens and visitors benefit its references through a free annual subscription card.
Since 1985 the Al-Assad Library has worked to organize a book fair, as successive exhibitions have deepened the relation between the reader and the book and helped increase publishing activity in Syria.
Due to the current conditions of the Coronavirus and just like all the book fairs in Arab Countries, the Book Fair for the current year has been postponed with the hope that the coming days will witness the creation of creative ideas by the library staff to keep pace with modern technological developments in a manner appropriate to the ancient cultural edifice in Syria.
Gh.A.Hassoun
