The Largest Islamic Architecture and Arts Book Collection Donated to the BA
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Alexandria—
The BA received a number of books, volumes, magazines and rare Arab and foreign encyclopedias from the special collection of late Mrs. Laila Ali Ibrahim, Professor at the American University in Cairo, donated by Dr. Mona Serageldin, Professor at Harvard University, on behalf of her family.
The collection comprises a number of books on antiquities, Islamic and ceramic art, and languages, including a book on the Turkish language rules, issued in Paris in 1834; “Egypt’s mosques and Rightful Followers of Allah” by Dr. Soad Mohammed Maher; an encyclopedia of Cairo by Abdel-Rahman Zaky; a book in French on the art of Coptic sculpture, issued in Paris in 1931. A volume on Islamic archaeological studies; a French book on Arab decor “La Décoration Arabe”, as well as “Catalogue Général du Musée Arabe du Caire”.
The Collection also includes issues of "The Historic Egyptian Magazine", published by the Egyptian Society for Historical Studies; “The Route to Egypt and Sudan” book by Othman Hamd Allah in 1962; issues of "Sumer", a magazine on Iraqi antiquities and its history; and a dictionary of Egyptian customs, traditions and expressions by Ahmed Amin.
In addition to a manual of the Coptic museums and the most important churches and archaeological monasteries, by Morkas Smika Basha, Founder and Director of the Coptic Museum in 1930; and “The Islamic Art” book by Ernest Connell, translated by Dr. Ahmed Moussa, and issued in Beirut in 1966. The collection also contains the first issues of the French Apollon magazine, the Faculty of Arts magazine, and Saudi magazines such as Al-Faisal, Al-Kafela, and Al-Khafigi and volumes of the Al-Arabi magazine and Alam El Fekr magazine.