Rampur Raza Library Invites Application for Director Recruitment 2023

The Rampur Raza Library is one of the world's magnificent, unparalleled repository of cultural heritage and treasure-house of knowledge built up by successive Nawabs of Rampur State. It contains very rare and valuable collection of manuscripts, historical documents, specimens of Islamic calligraphy, miniature paintings, astronomical instruments and rare illustrated works in Arabic and Persian languages besides 60,000 printed books.

Conceived and personal collection of manuscripts, miniatures specimens of Islamic calligraphy in the last decades of the 18th century, the founder of Rampur State, Nawab Faizullah Khan who ruled the state from 1774 to 1794, established the library with his personal modest collection kept in the Toshakhana of his Palace. As all the Nawabs were the great patrons of scholars, poets, painters, calligraphers and musicians, the library occupied the pivotal place of all library and publication activities. With this humble beginning, the library grew by leaps and bounds and notable additions were made to the collection during the rule of Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan (1794-1840).

Nawab Mohammad Saeed Khan (1840-1855) was versatile mind he created a separate department of library. He shifted the collection to new rooms. He engaged Agha Yusuf Ali Maulavi who was an Afghan Scholar, to organize the collection into a library. The Nawab invited well known calligraphers, illuminators and binders from Kashmir and other parts of India. The Nawab also got a seal with the following Persian inscription.