Libraries

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Middle East and Diaspora Collection

OVERVIEW NEWS PLATFORMS AND SOURCES OPEN ACCESS DATABASES AND DIRECTORIES DIGITAL ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES AND REPOSITORIES CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS REFERENCE MATERIALS AND OTHER RESOURCES


This collection offers resources covering the Middle East, including the North African region, and its diverse Diaspora Communities. Whether you're a student, faculty member, a scholar or simply curious about the region, you'll find a wealth of resources here.

Resource Types:


  • News platforms and sources: Stay updated on current events and perspectives from the Middle East, including North Africa, and its diaspora communities.
  • Open access databases and directories: Access a wide range of scholarly articles, research papers, and other digital resources.
  • Digital archives, libraries, and repositories: Explore historical documents, photographs, and other primary sources.
  • Civil society organizations: If you want to learn more about what local people think about their challenges and how they address them, learn about the work of NGOs and grassroots initiatives in the region.
  • Other resources: Discover a variety of other valuable materials, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs.

Key Benefits for Your Research and Studies


  • Global Perspectives: Whether you're looking to understand the history, culture, politics, or social dynamics of Middle Eastern and North African communities, this collection gives you access to a broad range of viewpoints. Gain insight into both local realities and global connections that shape these regions.
  • Diverse Languages: You'll have the opportunity to explore resources not only in English but also in regional languages like Arabic, Pashto, and Persian. By accessing original materials, you can deepen your understanding and connect with voices from within the region.
  • Coverage: With resources spanning West Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and Diaspora communities, you'll find information that covers the region's rich diversity. This comprehensive approach gives you the tools to explore the many facets of the Middle East and its global impact.

If you have resources that could add value to this collection, please send them to areastudies@wiu.edu. We'll review them to ensure they fit our collection development policies. Thank you for your contribution!

This section provides information on News platforms and sources with related links.

  • Al Jazeera

    • Qatar-based news organization covering global events


  • RT TV

    • Russian international television network


  • TRT World

    • Turkish international news platform


  • BBC World Service

    • Offers news from around the world with a focus on impartiality and diversity


  • Human Rights Watch

    • International non-governmental organization
    focusing on human rights


  • The Guardian

    • British news organization with a global reach,
    offering diverse perspectives on international affairs


  • Press TV

    • Iranian news outlet with a focus on international affairs


  • Middle East Eye

    • Independent news organization covering the Middle East


This section provides information on open access journals and links to their websites or recent publications.

  • African Journals Online (AJOL)

    • AJOL is the world's largest online library of peer-reviewed, African-published scholarly journals. It provides access to a variety of journals from different African countries, including North Africa.


  • Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review

    • Offers open access to a wide range of business and management research articles.


  • BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine)

    • A comprehensive search engine for academic web resources, including open access documents.


  • Central Asian Journal of Global Health (CAJGH)

    • CAJGH publishes original research, reviews, and other articles related to public health in Central Asia. The journal is open access and provides a platform for researchers in the region.


  • Central Asia Journal of Water Research (CAJWR)

    • CAJWR is a bi-lingual, open-access, peer-reviewed e-Journal dedicated to water and environmental related aspects in Central Asia and the wider Eurasian region.


  • Central Eurasian Studies Society

    • It is the only established peer reviewed, multi-disciplinary journal in the world concerned with the history, politics, cultures, religions, and economies of the Central Asian and Caucasian regions.


  • Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)

    • DOAB is a community-driven discovery service that indexes and provides access to scholarly, peer-reviewed open access books and helps users to find trusted open access book publishers. All DOAB services are free of charge and all data is freely available.


  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

    • DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high-quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.


  • EBSCO Arab World Research Source

    • A database providing access to open access scholarly journal articles, reports, and other content from the Middle East and North Africa.


  • Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS)

    • EThOS offers access to doctoral theses from UK higher education institutions, with some content relevant to Central Asian studies.


  • Hilaris

    • Hilaris SRL is an academic and scholarly publisher of the science, medicine, engineering and technology. We publish a wide range of open access journals that sets the standards for the quality publications. Cutting across the major scientific disciplines and their subsets, Hilaris focuses on both pure and applied research.


  • Journals of Middle East Studies Association (MESA)

    • MESA provides access to a range of academic journals focusing on Middle East studies, featuring research articles from and about the region.


  • Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

    • OATD indexes open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world.


This section provides information on open access journals and links to their websites or recent publications.

Archives
Digital Libraries
Repositories
  • Internet Archive

    • The Internet Archive offers a vast collection of digitized books, manuscripts, photos, and other materials from and about the MENA region.


  • Middle East Photograph Archive

    • Hosted by the University of Chicago Library, MEPA offers a digital collection of photographs from the Middle East.


  • The Zoroastrian Archives

    • This is an online collection of resources related to Zoroastrianism, one of the ancient religions of the Middle East. It includes texts, translations, and commentaries on Zoroastrian literature and history.


  • Al Manhal Digital Library

    • Al Manhal provides access to e-books, peer-reviewed journals, theses, and other academic publications from the Arab world.


  • Bibliothèques d’Orient (Libraries of the Middle East)

    • Launched by the National Library of France (BnF) in collaboration with regional partners, this digital library focuses on the historical and cultural exchanges between France and the Middle East. It features over 10,000 digitized documents including manuscripts, photographs, maps, and more​.


  • Bibliotheca Alexandrina

    • Homage to the ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt, this modern library is a major cultural center housing extensive digital and print collections. It also features museums, art galleries, and a manuscript restoration lab


  • Digital Library of the Middle East

    • This platform is an extensive archive aiming to preserve and share the cultural heritage of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It includes digital records of artifacts, documents, maps, and more, originating from various museums, libraries, and archives worldwide.


  • Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

    • The digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Gallica, contains numerous documents related to North African countries, including historical books, manuscripts, and maps.


  • King Fahd National Library (KFNL)

    • KFNL houses a rich collection of Saudi Arabia's national heritage including rare books, manuscripts, and photographs. Their digital collections are accessible online and provide valuable resources for historical and cultural research.


  • National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran

    • The NLAI Digital Library offers access to a vast collection of manuscripts, photos, maps, and printed materials from Iran and the world.


  • Open Edition Journals

    • OpenEdition Journals is an open access digital library that provides access to a wide range of academic journals, books, and research blogs in the humanities and social sciences. The platform includes content from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, focusing particularly on francophone regions. Some content is freely accessible, while other content requires a subscription or institutional access.


  • Qatar National Library (QNL)

    • Located in Doha, QNL offers a blend of classical and modern collections with over a million books and a significant digital archive. The Heritage Library within QNL includes rare manuscripts and documents relevant to the history of the Arab-Islamic civilization


  • World Digital Library (WDL)

    • WDL makes available significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world, including manuscripts, maps, and photographs from the MENA region.


  • Access to Mideast and Islamic Resources (AMIR)

    • AMIR (Access to Mideast and Islamic Resources) is a blog-formatted repository of Open Access material including books, journals and papers with a focus Middle Eastern studies.


  • AfricArXiv

    • AfricArXiv is a free community-led digital archive for African research. It provides a platform for African scientists to upload their working papers, preprints, accepted manuscripts (post-prints), and published papers


  • Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN)

    • A regional network promoting open science and providing access to research and educational resources in the Middle East and North Africa.


  • Digital Assets Repository (DAR) - Bibliotheca Alexandrina

    • The DAR at Bibliotheca Alexandrina provides access to digitized books, manuscripts, maps, and other cultural and scientific heritage materials.


  • HAL (Hyper Articles en Ligne)

    • HAL is an open archive where authors can deposit scholarly documents from all academic fields. It includes a significant amount of research from North African countries, particularly from French-speaking regions.


  • King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Repository

    • The KAUST Repository provides open access to research outputs from KAUST, including theses, dissertations, and journal articles.


  • MENAdoc - Digital Collections of Middle East and North African Documents

    • Hosted by the University of Halle, MENAdoc offers access to a variety of digitized materials, including books, articles, and other scholarly works related to the MENA region.


  • Mohammed Bin Rashid Library

    • The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Dubai, designed to resemble a traditional wooden book rest, houses millions of books and rare manuscripts. It aims to foster knowledge, support research, creativity, and entrepreneurship, and preserve Arabic culture through extensive collections and innovative services.


  • Qatar National Library Digital Repository

    • Provides access to a wealth of research and academic materials from Qatar and the wider Arab world.


  • QU Institutional Repository

    • The QU institutional repository is an online digital collection of scholarly output and academic activities. It includes, but is not limited to: faculty publications, research materials, learning materials images, audio/video outputs, book chapters, reports and associated data, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings


  • South African National ETD Portal

    • The National ETD Portal provides access to theses and dissertations submitted at South African universities, which often include research relevant to North Africa.


  • The American University in Cairo Libraries and Learning Technologies

    • AUC Libraries and Learning Technologies (LLT) stands at the core of the University’s academic mission. LLT can claim a century-long legacy of contributions to the University: within two years of its 1919 founding, AUC began developing a library.


  • The House of Wisdom in Sharjah

    • The House of Wisdom in Sharjah is a cutting-edge cultural hub offering open access to extensive libraries, digital resources, reading lounges, exhibition spaces, and advanced tech like 3D printing. It aims to foster learning, creativity, and cultural exchange in a modern, innovative setting.


  • The International African Institute

    • The IAI publishes the long established and prestigious journal, Africa, the Journal of African Cultural Studies the annual Africa Bibliography, Research and Documentation, the International African Library series, the African Arguments series, and the Urban Africa Book Series.


  • Zayed University Digital Repository

    • An institutional repository for Zayed University, offering access to theses, dissertations, and research papers.


This section provides information on civil society organizations and links to their websites or resources.

  • Middle East and North Africa Civil Society Network for Displacement

    • The Middle East and North Africa Civil Society Network for Displacement (MENA CSND) joins civil society actors including NGOs, academic institutions, faith-based organizations, artists, cultural influencers and the private sector in their shared commitment to contribute to the protection, resilience and development of displaced persons and host communities.


  • Middle East and North Africa

    • The Open Society Foundations’ work in the Middle East and North Africa seeks to promote democratic governance and to protect human rights amid entrenched regional conflicts and political restrictions.


  • Environmental Civil Society in the Middle East Working Group

    • The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges.


This section provides information on Hispanic Latinx Caribbean reference materials and other resources.

General
Dictionary
Encyclopedia
Thesaurus
  • Al Manhal

    • Al Manhal is a leading platform for academic publications from the Arab and Islamic worlds. It offers a wide range of Open Access books, journals, and reports in Arabic and English focused on the Middle East region, including topics in humanities, social sciences, law, and more.


  • Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation

    • Al-Furqan provides digital access to a vast array of resources on Islamic heritage, manuscripts, and cultural history in the Middle East and beyond. Their publications on Islamic sciences, history, and culture are freely available.


  • Arab Studies Institute (Jadaliyya)

    • Jadaliyya is an Open Access online publication by the Arab Studies Institute, offering critical analysis on politics, history, and culture in the Middle East. The content includes essays, reports, and multimedia.


  • Arab World Research Source

    • This resource offers a rich collection of academic journals, magazines, trade publications, conference papers, and reports covering the Arab world, with a focus on history, politics, culture, and economy. Some materials are freely accessible.


  • Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME)

    • The DLME provides free access to digital collections of Middle Eastern cultural heritage, including manuscripts, maps, historical documents, and photographs related to the region’s history and cultural practices.


  • Iraq Academic Scientific Journals (IASJ)

    • IASJ provides Open Access to academic journals published in Iraq on various topics, including history, archaeology, economics, and the political landscape of the Middle East.


  • Islamic Manuscripts of Leiden University

    • Leiden University hosts one of the largest collections of Islamic manuscripts, covering topics like Arabic history, Islamic studies, and Middle Eastern culture. The manuscripts are freely available in digital format.


  • Middle East Institute (MEI)

    • MEI offers free reports, research papers, and publications on political, economic, and social issues concerning the Middle East. Many of their articles and papers are available for free download.


  • Open Access Islamic Manuscripts (Princeton University)

    • Princeton University offers digitized manuscripts from the Islamic world, focusing on topics like law, philosophy, science, and Arabic literature, all available for free.


  • Open Access Papers on the Middle East (Brill Publishers)

    • Brill offers a variety of Open Access books and articles, particularly on Islamic studies, Middle Eastern history, and Arabic language research. Their platform features several peer-reviewed academic works focused on the region.


  • Persée (Persian and Middle Eastern Studies)

    • Persée is a French-based digital library providing free access to scientific publications in the humanities and social sciences, including extensive materials on Middle Eastern studies, Persian history, and Islamic culture.


  • Qatar Digital Library

    • This platform provides Open Access to a wide range of documents and multimedia related to the history of the Middle East, with a specific focus on the Gulf region. It includes manuscripts, photographs, maps, and archival records.


  • The Palestine Open Maps Project

    • This project offers free access to historic maps of Palestine, including British Mandate-era maps, alongside modern cartographic data. It is a resource for understanding historical geography and urban development in the region.


  • Arabic-English Lexicon by Edward William Lane

    • Lane’s Lexicon is a comprehensive 19th-century Arabic-English dictionary. It provides in-depth meanings of classical Arabic words and is widely used for Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. It’s available online for free.


  • Aratools (Arabic Morphological Analyzer)

    • Aratools is an Arabic-English dictionary and morphological analyzer, making it easier to understand the structure of Arabic words. It is free and accessible online, providing translations and definitions of both classical and modern Arabic words.


  • Babylon (Multiple Middle Eastern Languages)

    • Babylon provides free access to dictionaries in various Middle Eastern languages, including Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Kurdish. It offers translations, meanings, and usage examples for multiple languages in the region.


  • Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language

    • The Academy of the Hebrew Language offers free access to etymological resources and dictionaries of Hebrew, tracing the development of Hebrew words through history.


  • Farhangsara (Persian Dictionaries)

    • Farhangsara offers a collection of Persian dictionaries online, including Persian-English, Persian-French, and Persian-Persian dictionaries. It’s freely accessible and valuable for those studying the Persian language and culture.


  • Glosbe (Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, and more)

    • Glosbe offers a wide range of dictionaries for Middle Eastern languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Kurdish, and Persian. It is community-driven and provides free translations, phrases, and contextual usage.


  • LexicOrient (Middle East and North Africa Dictionary)

    • LexicOrient is a free online encyclopedia and dictionary focused on the Middle East and North Africa. It provides entries on historical, cultural, and geographical topics specific to the region.


  • Lughat Nameh Dehkhoda (Persian)

    • This is one of the most comprehensive Persian-Persian dictionaries, widely used for understanding classical and modern Persian texts. The online version is available for free.


  • Online Hebrew Dictionary

    • Morfix provides a free Hebrew-English dictionary, offering translations and definitions. It is particularly useful for Modern Hebrew learners and scholars interested in the Middle East.


  • Sakhr Dictionary

    • Sakhr offers an Arabic-English dictionary that focuses on modern Arabic, providing translations, definitions, and example sentences. The platform is freely accessible.


  • The Free Dictionary (Arabic-English)

    • The Free Dictionary provides an Arabic-English translation tool, alongside other language pairs. It offers free access to definitions, grammar resources, and pronunciation guides.


  • Turkish Language Association (TDK)

    • TDK provides a free, official Turkish dictionary. It covers definitions, usage examples, and the history of Turkish words, making it a key resource for Turkish language learners.


  • WordReference (Arabic-English Dictionary)

    • WordReference offers a freely accessible Arabic-English dictionary, which includes translations, synonyms, and usage examples. It's widely used for both classical and modern Arabic.


  • Al Islam org

    • Al-Islam.org offers free access to a comprehensive collection of resources on Islamic history, theology, and culture, with a focus on Shia Islam. It includes detailed entries and scholarly articles related to the Middle East.


  • Al Maqal (Encyclopedia of Arab Thought)

    • Al Maqal offers Open Access resources and articles covering Arab history, intellectual movements, literature, and culture. It is an Arabic-language platform that focuses on critical issues in the Arab world.


  • Encyclopaedia Britannica

    • While Britannica offers a paid subscription, a significant portion of its content is freely available. It provides articles on Middle Eastern history, politics, geography, and culture, offering reliable and accurate information.


  • Encyclopaedia Iranica

    • This is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the history, culture, and civilization of Iran and the Persianate world. It provides scholarly articles on a wide range of subjects, from ancient history to modern times, and is freely accessible.


  • Encyclopaedia of Islam (Online Version)

    • Though much of the Encyclopaedia of Islam requires a subscription, many universities and institutions offer access to its content for free. Some articles are open to the public, covering topics related to Islamic history, culture, law, and more.


  • Encyclopaedia of the Orient (LexicOrient)

    • This online resource offers free access to articles on Middle Eastern and North African countries, providing historical, cultural, and political context. It’s an Open Access source for both casual readers and researchers.


  • Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics (Brill)

    • This is a comprehensive reference work on the Arabic language, including its history, structure, dialects, and use across the Middle East. Though not fully Open Access, many academic institutions provide free access to its entries.


  • Encyclopedia of Egyptology (UCLA)

    • This Open Access encyclopedia provides detailed scholarly articles on ancient Egyptian history, art, culture, and archaeology, making it an essential resource for anyone interested in Egyptology and the broader Middle East.


  • Jewish Virtual Library

    • The Jewish Virtual Library offers free access to articles on Jewish history, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Middle Eastern politics. It’s a valuable resource for understanding the role of Judaism and Israel in the Middle East.


  • Muslim Heritage

    • This encyclopedia explores the contributions of Islamic civilization to science, technology, and culture. It offers Open Access articles on topics like the history of science in the Middle East, scholars, and inventions that have shaped the modern world.


  • Oxford Islamic Studies Online

    • This platform offers free access to some articles on Islamic history, theology, and law. While not fully Open Access, it provides free entries on major topics related to the Middle East.


  • Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP)

    • SEP provides Open Access, peer-reviewed entries on a wide range of philosophical topics, including Islamic philosophy and scholars from the Middle East. It's an invaluable resource for understanding Middle Eastern contributions to global philosophy.


  • The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

    • While primarily focused on economics, the Palgrave Dictionary includes entries related to Middle Eastern economic development, oil economies, and regional economic policies. Some entries are freely available.


  • The Zoroastrian Archives

    • This is an online collection of resources related to Zoroastrianism, one of the ancient religions of the Middle East. It includes texts, translations, and commentaries on Zoroastrian literature and history.


  • Wikipedia

    • Wikipedia offers free, user-generated content on virtually every subject, including comprehensive articles on Middle Eastern history, culture, languages, and geopolitics. While it’s not an academic source, it is widely used for general knowledge.


  • Merriam-Webster Thesaurus

    • This free thesaurus offers synonyms and antonyms, which is useful for writing and research.


  • Thesaurus

    • Provides a large collection of synonyms and antonyms for academic writing and better articulation in policy research.