1856.] Origin and progress of writing down historical facts. 327 



^ fUxfi ^ ^jiij £$$> |jj| *«*k <y j Ixtfy^l j^^l ^^| »jaJ| 4J|3^ 

 <xJyx*+J| i^aAj jw»o. " In this town is a library like that of Bacrah. Both 

 have been founded by Ibn Sowar. Those who visit the library with 

 a view of reading or copying books get stipends. The library of 

 Bacrah is larger, in better condition and contains more books. To 

 this library of (Ramhormoz) there is always a Shaykh attached, who 

 teaches dialectic theology according to the system of the Mo'tazilites." 

 Another large library was at Shyraz in the palace which was built 

 by the nephew and successor of 'Adhod aldawlah. The palace was 

 the moat extensive and splendid building that existed in those days 

 and contained three hundred and sixty apartments, and one of them 

 was devoted to the library, which is described by Ibn Banna in the 

 following words : ciy^/oj (jjU* j JL}£j UxU S<^=»> ^5^ ^sr^ i^aIx/i &j\y^j 

 aIao^j ill IgJi* £jJ*J|alyi iy*> sSJj ^1 uai^avo s^US (Jxj J j dSJ\Jj^fi f^o 



^\ { y*i\ *3j i^j <JS v* ^\}±. <UJ ^JjAT *Lc ^9 Jj^fc, ^ ji ^b j 1«jJ> 



v* g>^J ^ O^r^ t5» **U* Mj-i L3^xj ^j[>^| j ^ji/f wUa^. jx^ 



w The library occupies a separate apartment. And there are 

 appointed over it an agent, a librarian and a superintendent. These 

 officers are chosen from among the most respectable persons of 

 the place. The founder has procured for this library every book 

 on every science and of every author. The apartment consists of a 

 very long arched-room which stands in an immense Coffah (a plat- 

 form walled in on three sides and open on the fourth side towards 

 the courtyard and provided with a roof, see p. 63 note). On every 

 side of this arched-room are chambers (or recesses) and against the 

 walls of the arched-room and of the chambers, are closets six feet 

 long and three cubits wide. The closets are of wood lacquered 

 with gold and silver, and the entrance into them is from above. The 

 books are piled up upon the shelves of the closets. To every science 

 a number of those closets is allotted and there are catalogues which 

 contain the names of the books. Only persons of respectability 

 are allowed to visit the library. I have gone over the whole palace: 7 ' 



The Fihrist of Ibn Nadym, who wrote in 377 or two years after 



