Al-Aqsa Library
The al-Aqsa Library ( ), also known as the al-Aqsa Mosque Library ( ), assembles books inside the al-Aqsa Compound. Locations. The library has two sections: Both libraries are only accessible from within the compound. Main library. The main al-Aqsa library is in a building immediately west of al-Aqsa Mosque, inside the compound's south wall. This structure went by many names: Its entrance faces the courtyard with the Dome of Yusuf Agha. To its west is the southern section of the Islamic Museum and the al-Fakhariyya Minaret. The library was established in 1922 by  the Supreme Muslim Council under the name (‘al-Aqsa Mosque's House of Books’, ). In 1923, books dispersed throughout the compound were gathered together, first in the , then in the Women’s Mosque. Al-Khutniyah Library. The al-Khutniyah Library ( ) is named after al-Khutani, an 8th-century sheik associated with the room, which was a zawiya and madrasa. It is in ( ), a structure on top of the now-sealed Double Gate. The structure is outside the compound's south wall, but its access is via a tunnel under the al-Aqsa Mosque (al-Qibli Mosque). The tunnel's only  entryway/exit is before the mosque's façade (north). It is at . This library began in 1998 as the initiative of a mosque volunteer, Marwan Nashashibi (1934-2014), and his wife, Um Adnan. It has books on jurisprudence, hadith and other topics. Services. Its director (chief librarian) is often also the director (head curator) of the Islamic Museum. It has about 20,000 books, notably on Islamic archaeology. Books are mostly in Arabic and English, with some in French. It has about 2,000 titles of Arabic manuscripts, from the 5th century to the Ottoman period. Only researchers have access to the  manuscripts. It also has a large number of Palestinian newspapers and magazines, many dating to the early 20th century. It has a department dedicated to children and youths; it is in the main library. See also. Other Palestinian libraries in the area: References.