Foreword by Beverly Gray, Chief, African & Middle Eastern Division
Introduction & text by Levon Avdoyan, Armenian & Georgian Area Specialist

• Foreword
• Introduction
• The Middle East and Religion
• The Arab World
• Armenia and Georgia
• Central Asia
• The Iranian World
• Turkey
• The Near East Heritage in America
• A Note to Researchers
• Countries, Areas, and Languages Covered by the Near East Collections
• Publications on the Near East Collections

Pictured on the Right: An Islamic book binding enameled with an intricate golden vine and highlighted with tiny burgundy and blue flowers is a particularly rich example of such bindings from the Kirkor Minassian collection. (Near East Section)

Note on transliteration - Acknowledgments

Dedicated to George N. Atiyeh Head, Near East Section 1967-95

"If thou would'st see the noblest of mankind, Behold a monarch in a beggar's garb."
Isail Qosim Abu al-Atahiyah (A.D. 747/748-826?)