History of Islam Vol 3 of 3 by Akbar Shah Najeebabadi

Abdur Rahman IU
145
Not only Cordova but also every big city had a government library.
Anyone who had a desire to be honored by the Caliph came to him
with a rare and useful book.
Personal Library of Hakam
The personal library of Caliph
royal
Hakam was in no way inferior to the
palace in grandeur and magnificence. The building was made of
marble with marble grounds and mosaic
work of marble and black
stone. Bookshelves were made of Sandalwood, ebony and other
precious wood. Every bookshelf had written in golden letters the
subjects of the books. The royal library had thousands of bookbinders
and calligraphers. The numbers of books were more than six hundred
thousands.
Catalogue of the Library
The catalogue of the library books consisted of forty-four volumes. The
catalogue had simply the names of the books and their authors. There
was in the library hardly any book, which hadn't been gone through by
the Caliph. Almost every book had marginal notes from the Caliph and
the first page of each book had the names of the book and the author
and the genealogy of the author in his handwriting. He had an
extraordinary power of memory. He was a critic of the first rank and
could write prose and poetry of all kinds with amazing ease.
Hakam'$ Books
The Caliph was particularly very fond of history. He had himself
penned the history
of Spain but it was destroyed with the passage of
time. Cordova had become the center of arts and learning during his
tenure.
Honoring Scholars and Accomplished Persons
Abu Ali Qali of Baghdad had come to Spain during the period of Abdur
Rahman in. Sultan Hakam never allowed him to leave his company.
Abu Bakr al-Arzaq, a renowned spiritual leader belonged to the family
of Salmah bin Abdul Malik bin Marwan. He had reached Cordova in