Birnbaum (Eleazar) Collection

The Birnbaum Collection is a unique and valuable assemblage of Near Eastern, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian manuscripts, comprising over 270 items in Turkish, Persian, Chagatai, Arabic, and Azerbaijani. This collection reflects the literary, religious, and intellectual traditions of the Islamic world from the 15th to the early 20th centuries. The manuscripts represent a wide array of genres, including poetry, history, theology, Sufism, science, and jurisprudence. Highlights include rare Ottoman Turkish works, Persian classical literature, Chagatai texts from Central Asia, and Arabic manuscripts related to Islamic scholarship and devotional practices. Many items feature exquisite calligraphy, illumination, and marginalia, offering rich insights into the manuscript cultures of the broader Islamic world.