Lines of the elders and their signatures - Books of others

This book that is in your hands is the harvest of an enjoyable tour taken years ago between the corridors of the "Zaki Library" owned by the scholar Ahmed Zaki Pasha, nicknamed "Sheikh of Arabism." With God's success, the author was able to explore its treasures, gems, and precious relics, and it was made easy for him to photograph some of what his skilled fingers inscribed—dedications and signatures of their authors and prominent figures, which they reserved for this distinguished researcher. As the scholar Zirkali said: "In addition to its archaeological value, the soul of its owners, which is eternal life, lies within it, containing meanings of the souls that cannot be expressed by images of bodies, and the old habit of caring for it is longstanding." The book unveils a time period not less than a century, full of rich intellectual content, with diverse samples of the handwriting of this distinguished elite of scholars and literati.