21-07-2025
Legendary Toumliline Library Open Doors Once Again to Scholars, Visitors
Casablanca – In a remarkable initiative to preserve Morocco's spiritual and intellectual heritage, the Fondation Mémoires pour l'Avenir (FMA) has announced the reconstruction of the historic Toumliline Library, once recognized as the second-largest library in North Africa.
This revival is part of the broader program 'Réinventer Toumliline,' which aims to restore and reimagine the monastic site of Toumliline, located in the province of Ifrane.
The initiative follows the successful reopening in 2024 of the site's 20th-century Christian chapel, one of Morocco's most unique religious structures, thanks to the support of the Rabita Mohammadia des Oulémas, the Belgian foundation 'Futur 21,' and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The library, originally home to more than 15,000 books, served as a center of knowledge and interfaith dialogue during the mid-20th century.
According to the FMA, the rebuilt facility will serve two purposes: a 'library of the past' that recreates the original atmosphere and holdings of the 1950s, and a 'library of the future' equipped with contemporary resources and research tools, open to both scholars and visitors.
'This project is not only about restoring architecture, but about reviving an intellectual and spiritual heritage,' the Foundation wrote on its official Facebook page. 'Thanks to generous donations, we are gradually reconstructing a cultural epicenter that once welcomed the world's thinkers.'
The Diocese of Rabat delivered a major contribution to the new library, which came personally from Archbishop of Rabat Cristobal Lopez Romero.
The donation includes books and library materials from churches in Casablanca, Safi, El Jadida, Oujda, Meknes, Errachidia, and Rabat.
Founded in the 1950s by French Benedictine monks, the Toumliline monastery is known for its intellectual vibrancy and as a site of pioneering interfaith dialogue, attracting Moroccan scholars, Christian theologians, and international philosophers. Tags: CulturelibraryToumliineToumliline library
