Director: Prof. Mohammad Adnan Al-Bakheet

The Center for Documents and Manuscripts (CDM) was established in 1972 to promote the study of the Arab-Islamic heritage, and to provide researchers with primary and secondary sources, as well as bibliographic information on Greater Syria (Bilad Al-Sham), in general, and Jordan and Palestine, in particular.

The main objectives of CDM are:

·         Collecting manuscripts and documents related to various aspects of the history of Bilad al-Sham and other Arab and Islamic countries. Such documents include memoirs, correspondence, official files, documents and reports.

·         Collecting and classifying historical documents related to Arab countries, such as maps, pictures, sketches, travelogues, diplomatic reports and other writings, both old and new.

·         Publishing updated indexes and catalogues of the documents and manuscripts available at the center.

·         Cooperating and coordinating activities with regional and international organizations of similar interests.

CDM's library boasts (31,000) manuscripts as well as thousands of microfilms, microfiche, files, slides, and indexes for manuscripts in the possession of libraries and institutions worldwide. The center's library also includes a section for books in Arab, Persian and Ottoman languages; a section for books in other foreign and European languages; a hall for travelogue literature; a wide collection of doctoral dissertations dealing with Islamic History which have been submitted to American, French, and other universities; a section for the complete library and papers of the late Mustafa Wahbi Tell, and a section for the complete library and papers of the late Fayez Al-Ghoul.