Arabic Script Rare Books at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan: An Annotated Bibliography

ABSTRACT This bibliography lists and describes forty-one volumes of old and rare books in Arabic script held in the Library of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan located in Bishkek. This small but unique collection has been neglected, untouched, and uncatalogued due to lack of linguistic expertise. The publication dates of the books in the collection generally range from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. Each bibliographic entry consists of the original Arabic title of the work, full imprint information, and a brief annotation. Most items described in this bibliography are not found in modern catalogs, including the WorldCat database. This bibliography is a first step in providing access to one of the many hidden and rare collections in Central Asia.