Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Ta'līf wa l-Tawthiq wa l-Nashr (Najaf)
Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa l-Tawthīq wa l-Nashr (Arabic: مَرْکَز النَّجَف الأَشْرَف لِلتَّألیف وَ التَّوثیق وَ النَّشْر, lit. Najaf al-Ashraf Center for Composition, Documentation, and Publishing) is a specialized center dedicated to preserving and developing the scientific, cultural, and historical heritage of the city of Najaf. It was established by Muhammad Karbasi, a Shi'a cleric and author from Iraq. Started in 2010, the center aims to collect, classify, and publish documents, images, manuscripts, and scientific works related to religious and historical fields, providing a collection of written and visual resources to researchers.
The activities of this center include compiling specialized encyclopedias, documenting oral history, digitizing audio and visual resources, and providing research services to domestic and foreign researchers. The organizational structure of the center includes specialized sections in the fields of media, documentation, manuscripts, scientific research, Najafi families, Husayni activities and side projects. Each section has a specific mission in line with the macro goals of the center.
Among the activities of the Najaf al-Ashraf Center in the field of book publishing is the publication of the book Safahat mutarjama min tarikh al-Najaf al-Ashraf (Translated Pages from the History of Najaf al-Ashraf) on the occasion of the millennium of the Najaf Seminary, containing eight rare historical and scientific texts, along with other published books.
Position and Importance
The Najaf al-Ashraf Center for Composition, Documentation, and Publishing is one of the cultural projects in the city of Najaf,[1] which engages in collecting and preserving documents, images, historical and religious records, manuscripts, and compiling specialized encyclopedias in scientific and religious fields.[2]
This collection possesses millions of documents related to Najaf and other regions, and thousands of images and manuscripts in various sciences.[3] By collecting historical documents from the Ottoman, Qajar, and Iranian periods, and compiling dozens of encyclopedias in the fields of Islamic sciences and the history of Najaf, this center has produced research works in areas such as Quranic sciences, Islamic unity, the issue of Palestine, and contemporary political history. It has also provided a visual collection of scholars, the Holy Shrines (Atabat), and the schools of Najaf.[4]
One of the ongoing projects undertaken by the Najaf al-Ashraf Center is the creation of a handwritten copy of the Quran projected to be 12,000 meters in length.[5]
Establishment
The Najaf al-Ashraf Center for Composition, Documentation, and Publishing was established in 2010 through the efforts of Muhammad Karbasi (b. 1977), a Shi'a Cleric and author, with the cooperation of Shaykh Ali Marza. By 2012, many manuscripts, documents, and scientific and cultural works had been collected.[6] The headquarters of this institute is located in the city of Najaf, and it cooperates closely with the Najaf Seminary with the aim of preserving and introducing the professors and scholars of the Seminary.[7]
Activities and Services
The activities of this center include the following:
- Publishing encyclopedias, books, and treatises.
- Collecting the works of scholars and displaying them in a museum.
- Digitizing video tapes, audio tapes, and microfilms.
- Activity on social networks to display historical documents and images.
- Producing and broadcasting quadruple documentaries on YouTube.
- Executing the "Oral History of Najaf" project by recording the memories of residents.
- Supporting researchers and providing free research resources.[8]
Organizational Structure and Activities
The Najaf al-Ashraf Center consists of seven main sections:
- Media and Documentation of Activities: Responsible for recording and publishing news and activities of the center since its establishment, including photos, projects, visits, videos, audios, writings, and participations.[9]
- Documentation: Collecting and preserving millions of historical and cultural documents from various sources such as Ottoman, Qajar, and British archives, personal libraries, and provinces of Iraq. It includes notable projects such as "250,000 Documents" and "500 Photos".[10]
- Manuscripts: Imaging, cataloging, and classifying thousands of manuscripts from Iraq and other countries; publishing important manuscripts based on subject on discs.[11]
- Research and Encyclopedias: Scientific research and compilation of reference works, including the "Scientific Encyclopedia of Najaf al-Ashraf" (more than 12 volumes) and encyclopedias on politics, families, literature, press, and places in Najaf.[12]
- Najafi Families and Scholars: Investigating and documenting the history and genealogy of scientific families and prominent figures of Najaf.[13]
- Husayni Center: Organizing cultural and religious activities related to Imam al-Husayn (a), including preserving images of poems and Husayni figures such as orators and poets.[14]
- Side Activities: Managing supplementary projects, exhibitions, foreign collaborations, and the Museum of Celebrities with statues of 58 figures. This includes producing Quranic CDs, introducing Najaf, and the writing of the Mushaf of Najaf al-Ashraf by al-Sayyid Sadiq al-Husayni.[15]
Book Publishing
On the occasion of the millennium of the establishment of the Najaf Seminary, the Najaf al-Ashraf Center published a book titled Safahat mutarjama min tarikh al-Najaf al-Ashraf (Translated Pages from the History of Najaf al-Ashraf). This work includes eight rare texts translated from Persian, English, and French, published for the first time in Arabic. The content of the book, printed in 295 pages by the Najaf al-Ashraf Center, includes scientific and intellectual dialogues between Rasul Ja'farian and al-Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, academic research, and historical documents about Najaf.[16]
Other books published by the Najaf al-Ashraf Center are as follows:
- Al-Usul al-hakima fi mabahith al-iilm al-ijmali, Haydar b. 'Izz al-Din al-Karbasi
- Alfiyyat hawzat al-Najaf al-Ashraf 1448 AH, Shaykh Muhammad Karbasi
- Al-Najaf al-Ashraf wa al-qadiyya al-Falasṭiniyya, Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Ta'lif wa al-Tawthiq wa al-Nashr
- Al-Kafi fi hujjiyyat riwayat al-Kafi, Shaykh Muhammad Karbasi
- Intifadat al-Najaf 'am 1977 M (Intifadat Ṣafar), Dr. Rahim 'Abd al-Husayn 'Abbas
- Bughyat al-talib fi ma'rifat al-mafruḍ wa al-wajib ma'a hawashin li-akabir 'ulama' al-Imamiyya, Shaykh Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita
- Hikayat al-Shaykh al-Tusi wa ta'sis hawzat al-Najaf al-Ashraf al-'ilmiyya, Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf
- Da'wat al-muwahhidin ila himayat al-din: fatwa 'ulama' al-Shi'a lil-jihad didd al-hujum al-Itali 'ala Libya 1911 M / 1329 AH, Shaykh Hasan Ali al-Badr al-Qatifi.[17]
- Tarikh al-Najaf al-Ashraf al-siyasi al-hadith wa al-mu'asir 1508- 1958 M', Jamil Musa Najjar.[18]
Notes
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, p. 4.
- ↑ "Idāma-yi ravand-i kitābat-i ṭūlānītarīn Qurʾān-i dast-nivīs-i jahān dar Najaf", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Masjid.
- ↑ Anbūhī, "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr", Hafta-nāma-yi Ufuq-i Ḥawza, p. 3.
- ↑ "Idāma-yi ravand-i kitābat-i ṭūlānītarīn Qurʾān-i dast-nivīs-i jahān dar Najaf", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Masjid; "Yik markaz-i ʿilmī dar Najaf-i Ashraf az jamʿ-āvarī-yi 3 mīlyūn sanad-i ḥawzavī khabar dād", Site-i Rādīo Maʿārif.
- ↑ "Idāma-yi ravand-i kitābat-i ṭūlānītarīn Qurʾān-i dast-nivīs-i jahān dar Najaf", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Masjid.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, p. 4.
- ↑ "Idāma-yi ravand-i kitābat-i ṭūlānītarīn Qurʾān-i dast-nivīs-i jahān dar Najaf", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Masjid.
- ↑ Anbūhī, "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr", Hafta-nāma-yi Ufuq-i Ḥawza, p. 3.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, pp. 9-11.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, pp. 13-17.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, p. 19.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, pp. 21-25.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, p. 27.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, p. 31.
- ↑ Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr, Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf, p. 34.
- ↑ "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf yuṣdir kitāban jadīdan bi-munāsabat dhikrā alfiyyat ḥawzat al-Najaf al-ʿilmiyya", Wikālat Anbāʾ al-Ḥawza.
- ↑ "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr", Furūshgāh-i Internetī-yi Kitāb-i Zein.
- ↑ [https://mtif.ir/book/66590/Tarikh al-Najaf al-Ashraf al-siyasi al-hadith wa al-muʿāsir 1508- 1958 M, Kitābkhāna-yi Muḥaqqiq Ṭabāṭabāʾī.
References
- Anbūhī, Muḥammad. "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr". Hafta-nāma-yi Ufuq-i Ḥawza. Gurūh-i al-Āfāq, no. 752.
- Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr. Dalīl Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr. Najaf, n.d.
- "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf yuṣdir kitāban jadīdan bi-munāsabat dhikrā alfiyyat ḥawzat al-Najaf al-ʿilmiyya", Wikālat Anbāʾ al-Ḥawza, Published: 2 November 2025, Accessed: 14 Ābān 1404 Sh.
- "Markaz al-Najaf al-Ashraf lil-Taʾlīf wa al-Tawthīq wa al-Nashr", Furūshgāh-i Internetī-yi Kitāb-i Zein, Accessed: 14 Ābān 1404 Sh.
- "Idāma-yi ravand-i kitābat-i ṭūlānītarīn Qurʾān-i dast-nivīs-i jahān dar Najaf", Pāygāh-i Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Masjid, Published: 23 Khurdād 1397 Sh, Accessed: 14 Ābān 1404 Sh.
- "Tārīkh al-Najaf al-Ashraf al-siyāsī al-ḥadīth wa al-muʿāṣir 1508- 1958 M.", Kitābkhāna-yi Muḥaqqiq Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Accessed: 14 Ābān 1404 Sh.
- "Yik markaz-i ʿilmī dar Najaf-i Ashraf az jamʿ-āvarī-yi 3 mīlyūn sanad-i ḥawzavī khabar dād", Site-i Rādīo Maʿārif, Published: 19 Isfand 1402 Sh, Accessed: 14 Ābān 1404 Sh.