Syed Muhammad Naquib al‑Attas Library (SMNA) – ISTAC’s Scholarly Sanctuary

Nestled atop a serene hillside in Kuala Lumpur’s Taman Duta, the SMNA Library is the intellectual heart of ISTAC, established in 1987 and named in 2012 after its visionary founder  . Designed with echoes of the Alhambra’s contemplative courtyards, the architecture invites visitors through a fountain‑centered courtyard into a peaceful setting where gentle birdsong and water flow set a reflective tone  . Inside, the four‑floor building houses over 150,000 volumes across general collections, bound journals, scholars’ compilations, and rare manuscripts—including over 2,500 rare book manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Malay, Turkish, Urdu, and Western languages  . Among its treasures are a 12th-century Persian manuscript by al‑Biruni, the first Latin Qur’an translation prefaced by Martin Luther (Basel, 1543), and historic Malay printed works from the 1840s  . Functioning as both research centre and quiet retreat, the library supports postgraduate and visiting researchers with reading rooms, seminar and audio‑visual spaces, photocopying, scanning, and interlibrary services  . While primarily for ISTAC affiliates, access can be granted to external scholars through application  . Whether you’re tracing Persian cosmology or Malay literary history, the SMNA Library offers an architectural and intellectual ambience uniquely suited for deep exploration—a world‑class repository of Islamic, Malay, and comparative thought in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. #kualalumpurguide