Some legacies of the Osman Shehidiya library

Abstract

Well-off people have left numerous utilitarian institutions to the community as a lasting legacy. They have played an invaluable role in thc creat- ing of various humane forms and relalionships.
Those are schools and libraries, where education in the spirit of lslamic scientific methods and disciplines was acquired. A large number of personalities in culture and other public personalities owned private collections of books. These collections were donated to private and public libraries, thus making them common property. Some o'f these books, by the abudance and refinement of decorative elements, wealth and harmony of colours, and overall artistic expressivity, form a'part of the world's art hertiage. Three collections of books which were donatcd by private persons to the public Osman Shehidiya Library in Sarajevo are presented in this paper: the collection of the Sarajevo M, Salih lzet, contained 165 manuscripts in leath- er binding, and the Fazlagić Ibrahimaga collection of 171 manuscript, also leather bound.