The Omar Khalidi Hall, eponymously named after the late Hyderabadi scholar, at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) is scheduled to be inaugurated on Thursday. Now, the varsity is also home to Mr. Khalidi’s personal library and comprises scores of rare books.
With over 1,000 Urdu, English Persian, French, German and French titles, the process of bringing his personal library back to his hometown of Hyderabad was a collaborative effort of Mr. Khalidi’s daughter Aliya Khalidi, his wife Nigar Sultana Khalidi, MANUU’s H.K. Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies led by historian Prof Salma Farooqui, the United States Consulate General in Hyderabad and individuals who admired the Hyderabad scholar who was based in the USA.
Mr. Khalidi’s library contains books on history, culture and administration in the Deccan, including that of Hyderabad State, and Golconda, religion, Sufis and Sufism, heritage, and several journals. One of the rare books in his collection is L’Inde Anglaise, published in 1845.
