Raza Library, Rampur

From its humble beginning in Tosha-Khana in 1774 to State Library during the reign of Nawab Hamid Ali Khan and then to Hamid Manzil since 1957, the Raza Library at Rampur stands testimony to its historic past.  It was declared as an Institution of National Importance by the Government of India in 1975.  The Governor of Uttar Pradesh is thje Chairman of Rampur Raza Library Board.  A treasure-house of learning, the library has preserved the Indo-Islamic legacy in the form of rare manuscripts, miniature paintings, artifacts and antiques.  The Library has got 17,000 manuscripts, 5,000 miniature paintings, 3,000 rare specimens of Islamic calligraphy and over 80,000 printed books.  Among these are 500 rare manuscripts of the Holy Quran, the oldest being a priceless copy of the Holy Quran on parchment in early Kufic script attributed to Hazrat Ali (A.S.), dated 661 A.D.  Other rare illustrated manuscripts are Jami'-ul-Tawarikh, Shah-Nama of Firdausi, Diwan-I-Hafiz, Kailla wa Dimna, thirteen handwritten volumes of Bhagavad Gita and Blamiki Ramayan in Persian Nasta'liq script.  The Rampur Raza Library is a centre for higher learning.  The library has so far published eighty books in different languages.  Seminars and exhibitions are also organized by the Rampur Raza Library from time to time.  The Raza Library has its own art conservation laboratory.  It is keeping pace with modern times by digitizing its collection.