The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco ( ar, المكتبة الوطنية للمملكة المغربية; Amazigh: ⵜⴰⵙⴷⵍⵉⵙⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵜⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵜⴰⵎⵔⵔⵓⴽⵉⵜ; french: Bibliothèque nationale du Royaume du Maroc, previously ''Bibliothèque générale'' and ''Bibliothèque générale et Archives'') is located in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
with a branch in
Tetouan.
The former Bibliothèque Générale (General Library) was created in 1924. In 2003, it was renamed the "Bibliothèque nationale du Royaume du Maroc."
History
The first national library of Morocco was founded in 1924 by the
French Protectorate in Morocco. After a
dahir (royal decrée) in 1926, it became a public establishment. Tétouan native
Muhammad Abu Khubza
Abu Uways Muhammad Abu Khubza al-Hassani ( ar, مُحَمَّد بن الأَمِين بُوخُبْزَة الْحسْنِيُّ; July 30, 1932 – January 30, 2020)International Institute for Counter-Terrorismbr>report 1 January 2012. was a Moro ...
authored a
library catalog
A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also c ...
for the branch in that city in 1984.
The present building in Rabat-Agdal was designed by architects
Rachid Andaloussi and
Abdelouahed Mountassir of Casablanca and inaugurated by
King Mohammed VI on 15 October 2008. Inspired by the square
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
s of traditional Moroccan architecture, the building houses a main building with an adjacent tower, topped with a glass roof and decorated with modern
Arabic calligraphy. There are also a spacious
courtyard
A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky.
Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...
and other outdoor spaces for cultural performances and events.
See also
*
Archives du Maroc
The Archives du Maroc (est. 2007) is an archives in Rabat, Morocco, on Avenue Ibn Battouta. Jamaâ Baida became director in 2011. It opened to the public in 2013. Among its holdings are materials related to the colonial French protectorate in Moro ...
, in Rabat
*
List of national libraries
A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...
References
Bibliography
* . (Includes discussion of items held in the library)
*
*
*
* . (Includes information about the national library)
External links
Official siteof Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc
* VIAF
Bibliothèque générale et archives du Maroc
Libraries in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
Moroccan culture
Buildings and structures in Rabat
1924 establishments in Morocco
Libraries established in 1924
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