Primary Sources: Middle East History

A collection of several thousand prints and photographs of the Middle East region between the 17th and 20th centuries.

Photographic compilation of Palestine, Sinai, and Egypt. Includes classics of illustrated travel and regional archaeology.

1,700+ posters and 768 Lobby cards, mostly Egyptian, but also contains Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqi examples.

The Oriental Institute works to recover and preserve the history, languages, and cultures of the ancient near East. This collection consists of mostly photographic images of various excavation efforts.

Thousands of images and texts dealing with Shi`ite branches of Islam

Islamic manuscripts, maps, and published texts dating from the 10th to the 20th centuries CE and represent many regions.

Francois Arago (1786-1853) wanted “to copy the millions and millions of hieroglyphics which entirely cover the great monuments at Thebes, Memphis and Carnac, etc”. This collections demonstrates Western impressions of the Middle East.

Books and articles about Islam and the Muslim people.

Guide listing many additional sources.

Online access to declassified records on issues pertaining to US actions/concerns in the Middle East and South Asia. Click on article titles to access scanned copies of primary source reports/records.

1,264 items from collector Robert Garrett.

275 Yemeni manuscripts from the 10th century to the present.

More than 300 Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscripts.