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Preamble

The beautiful and impressive building of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Arabic and Persian Research Institute Rajasthan, Tonk is situated in the valley of two historical hills of Rasiya and Annapoorna and is installed at    District Head Quarter, Tonk in Rajasthan State of India. It is 100 Km. southwards from Jaipur. The climate of the area is almost dry. Only road facility is available to reach Tonk from Jaipur. The area of the Institute’s premises is 1,26,000 Sq. Ft., Main Building 7,173 Sq. Ft., and Scholar’s Guest House is 6,315 Sq. Ft. Guest House comprises 8 well furnished rooms, kitchen, dining hall and visiting hall. This Institute was established by the Government of Rajasthan and has earned international repute because of its aims, objectives and achievements. A repository of knowledge, the Institute has a collection of 8,513 manuscripts, 31,452 printed books, 719 Faramin, 17,701 old magazines and 65,000 judgement files of the Shariat Records of the erstwhile Tonk State in addition to the historical documents belonging to the old Munshi Khana Huzuri of the said State along with Asnad, Tughrajat and the exhibits of decorative calligraphic art.  

This literary treasure of Arabic and Persian as well as Urdu belongs to the 5th century of the Hijra and onwards. It consists of the original works including edited and translated manuscripts and publications on the subjects relating to holy Qur’an, Hadis, Fiqh, Tasawwuf, Philosophy, Sirat, History, Medicines, Astrology, Literature and Malfuzat (writings) of the holy saints. 
This invaluable literary collection owes its initial establishment to Yameen uddolah Wazir ul Mulk.  Nawwab Muhammad ‘Ali Khan  the third ruler of erstwhile Tonk State in the year 1867. In the year 1946, Saeed ud Daulah. The late  Nawwab Saadat Ali Khan transferred it to the newly established Saeediyah Library which was known as the District Library, Tonk after the formation of Rajasthan. 
The manuscripts of the District Library were transferred in 1961 to Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute, Jodhpur by opening its Branch at Tonk. Subsequently in 1973 the State Government established a separate Institute in the name of Arabic and Persian Research Centre which was further enriched by a historical and benign decision of the Government through which important Arabic and Persian collections were transferred from various libraries and museums to this Institute.  Ultimately an epoch making decision was taken by the Government of Rajasthan to create an independent Directorate in 1978.  The Institute is now situated in its own constructed building well equipped with ultra modern and scientific techniques of preserving the manuscripts and other records. During Maulana Azad Centenary Celebrations in 1989 this Directorate was named as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Arabic and Persian Research Institute Rajasthan, Tonk.
As a further landmark, the Government  constructed a Scholars Guest House adjacent to the Directorate’s  building to provide lodging facilities and amenities to the research scholars.
In this valuable collection, except the transferred collections from the Government institutions and libraries there is a sizable collection of purchased books and manuscripts by the Institute. The collections which were donated to the Institute by private persons are also important. The Institute preserves such collections by the name of the donor such as Maulana Shaghil Collection, Jaipur; Jauhar Collection, Tonk; Pandit Ram Niwas Nadeem Collection, Tonk; Maulana Ubaid Arab Collection, Bhopal; Hafiz Qamar  Asif Collection, Ajmer; Chand Bihari Lal ‘Saba’ Collection, Jaipur, Maulawi Hakim Muhammad Ahmad Collection, Tonk , Capt. Sahibzadah M. Shamsher Khan ‘Shaaheen’ Collection, Tonk, Mufti Akhtar Hussain Collection, Kota and Manzoor Alam Collection, Tonk  etc.
We are grateful to all our donors and assure them that the donated books and manuscripts shall be preserved so that the scholars from all over the world are benefitted. We are sure that such donations shall flow perennially for the sacred cause.