Written by Athina Pfeiffer and Mathias Ghyoot (2024)

INtroduction

The Institute of Arabic Manuscripts (Maʿhad al-Makhtutat al-ʿArabiyya or MALESCO) is an intergovernmental institution, created by the Arab League, that aims at indexing and gathering microfilms and digital images of Arabic manuscripts from libraries around the world. They do therefore not hold any physical manuscripts. MALESCO is a convenient place to work; you can search quickly for a good amount of manuscripts (all the way from Morocco to India, through Libya and Yemen) and get a good sense of what’s out there before, for instance, continuing to the Egyptian National Library. If you’re looking for manuscripts, MALESCO ought to be your first stop in Egypt. MALESCO is open Sunday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm. 

Location: Google Maps

GOING THERE

MALESCO is located in Cairo in a neighborhood called Doqqi. Grab a taxi or an Uber or hail a minibus to the Mustafa Mahmud Square. From there, it’s a short walk to MALESCO which is situated on the first floor of a residential building on the corner of Muhyi al-Din Abu al-Izz Street. The entrance is on the right.

Getting in

Approach the security guard at the main gate and tell him that you are here to visit MALESCO. On your left, you’ll see a staircase leading to the entrance. Head up to the first floor where you will likely be greeted by an employee or the manager himself, Ahmad al-Ibrahim. You’ll be asked, in Arabic, about your research interests and your experience with manuscripts before the employee will show you the reading room, that is, the three computers on which you can search the online catalog.

Finding your material

The catalog is simple to use (you can only search in Arabic), yet do not expect many search features: look up authors, titles, copyists, and possibly centuries.

Ordering your material

Once you have located your material, write down the manuscripts on the form that you’ll find next to the computers. You can order to see as many digitized manuscripts as you like. You’ll have to indicate the title, the manuscript number, and the “collection” in which it is catalogued by MALESCO. Don’t hesitate to ask an employee if you can’t find this information. Then, bring the paper to the librarian in charge of searching for the material – follow the hallway down to the last door on your right. He will check whether your manuscripts have already been digitized (in the form of a PDF) or whether they are available on microfilm. The PDF will be shown to you on the computers – you can take all the time you want to look at them - and microfilm on the microfilm-reader next to the computers.

Ordering scans

It is very easy to order scans at MALESCO – just let the librarian know. However, each image will cost you 0.500 USD in cash. You’ll then have the choice to get the images on a CD or on a USB.

Food and well-being

MALESCO is located in the affluent neighborhood of Doqqi which provides many options for buying food and beverages. For instance, take a short walk to the Mustafa Mahmud Square where you will find a Starbucks, or you can cross the street and grab a sandwich at GAD. Bathroom facilities are decent at MALESCO.

ADDITIONAL REMARKS

You can do some book shopping at MALESCO as the institute sells its own publications on Arabic manuscripts. 

The catalog is also available remotely online but the website doesn’t work that well and is often down; plus, the prices are significantly higher when you order scans remotely.

Be aware that MALESCO’s catalog is far from covering all the manuscript collections in the Near East and South Asia.