UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register lists documentary heritage – texts, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – that have been judged to be of global importance. The register brings that heritage to the attention of experts and the wider public, promoting the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of those materials.
The first inscriptions were added to the register in 1997. As of 2025, 570 pieces of documentary heritage had been included in the register. Of these, 24 were nominated or co-nominated by countries from the region of the Arab States. They include religious and secular manuscripts, texts carved on stone, maps, and historical archives.
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List by country/territory Documentary heritageCountry/TerritoryCustodian(s), Location(s) Yearinscribed Reference Al-Mustamlah Min Kitab Al-TakmilaAlgeriaNational Library of Algeria, Algiers 2017 First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement ArchivesAlgeria,Egypt,India,Indonesia,SerbiaEgyptian National Library and Archives, Cairo National Archives of India, Delhi National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia, South Jakarta Archives of Yugoslavia, Belgrade National Archives of Algeria, Algiers 2023Kitab Al-Qanun fi Al-Tibb: the Book of Medical Laws (Book Four)AlgeriaNational Library of Algeria, Algiers2025Cuneiform Inscriptions of Dilmun Kings on Stone Vessels (c. 1700 BCE)BahrainBahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Manama2025 Memory of the Suez Canal Egypt, Paris 1997 National Library of Egypt's Collection of Mamluk Qur'an ManuscriptsEgyptNational Archives of Egypt, Cairo 2013 Deeds of Sultans and PrincesEgyptNational Archives of Egypt, Cairo 2005 Persian Illustrated and Illuminated Manuscripts EgyptNational Library and Archives of Egypt, Cairo 2007Itḫāf Al-MahbṻbEgypt, Cairo2025The Ikaros InscriptionKuwait, Kuwait City2025 The Phoenician Alphabet LebanonNational Museum, Beirut 2005Commemorative stela of Nahr el-Kalb, Mount LebanonLebanonMunicipality of Zouk Mosbeh; Municipality of Dbayeh 2005 Camocio MapsMalta, Czech RepublicFaculty of Science, Charles University, Prague Heritage Malta 2017Petrus de Caxaro’s KantilenaMaltaNational Archives of Malta, Rabat 2025 Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabarMoroccoBibliothèque al-Quaraouiyyine, Fez 2011 Manuscript of al- ZahrāwīsurMoroccoBibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, Rabat 2017 Al Orjoza fi teb by Ibn ToufailMoroccoArchives du Maroc, Rabat 2025 Maden Al Asrar Fi Elm Al Behar ManuscriptOmanMinistry of Heritage and Culture, Muscat 2017A’nuwniah Al kubra (An important Omani marine navigation manuscript)Oman2025 Earliest Islamic (Kufic) InscriptionSaudi Arabianear Al-'Ula and Al Hijr archeological site NW Saudi Arabia 2003 Arabian Chronicles in Stone: Jabal IkmahSaudi ArabiaAl-'Ula archeological site, NW Saudi Arabia 2023 Privateering and the international relations of the Regency of Tunis in the 18th and 19th centuriesTunisiaNational Archives of Tunisia, Tunis 2011 The Abolition of Slavery in Tunisia 1841-1846TunisiaNational Archives of Tunisia, Tunis 2017 The Music holdings in Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger's archives (1910-1932)TunisiaCentre of Arab and Mediterranean Music, Sidi Bou Saïd 2023
Notes
Names and spellings provided are based on the official list released by the Memory of the World Programme.
References
External links UNESCO Memory of the World - Official website