The King Abdulaziz Public Library houses—among its more than 2.5 million cultural items—a comprehensive knowledge system that reinforces the Saudi, Arab, and Islamic cultural impact, presenting to the world a rich heritage that is culturally, historically, and literarily diverse. Central to this system are the "Special Collections," comprising a wealth of heritage materials across various fields. These include manuscripts, academic theses, private library collections, rare books, photographs, and photographic archives, as well as maps and atlases. These collections hold immense intellectual value, providing vital scholarly material for the study and re-examination of history. Among the most significant holdings acquired by the library over its more than 40-year history is its archive of original photographs. This vast collection contains over 7,811 original images captured by renowned photographers from the East and the Arab world—dating back to the dawn of photography in the 19th century—alongside images taken by explorers, sea captains, military personnel, and diplomats who visited the region over the past two centuries. This historical photographic archive stands as one of the world’s most important and unique resources for documenting the past and heritage of the Arab region. The library houses a photographic collection depicting the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina—an archive comprising eighteen rare photographs taken in 1880. It also holds four books authored by the same individual: *A Brief Account of the Exploration of the Hejaz Land Route from Al-Wajh and Yanbu al-Bahr to the Prophetic City, with a Description of its Military Map* (1877); *Mash'al al-Mahmal: On the Overland Hajj Journey* (1880); *Kawkab al-Hajj: On the Mahmal’s Sea Voyage and Overland Journey* (1885); and *Hajj Guide for Pilgrims Arriving in Mecca and Medina from All Quarters* (1885). These rare and significant works document the social and urban conditions of the Hejaz during the second half of the 19th century. Among the library's rare acquisitions is the first photograph of Mecca taken by a foreign traveler—the Dutch Orientalist Snouck Hurgronje—in 1888. The collection of the renowned photographer Ahmed Pasha Helmy holds a prominent place among the library's photographic treasures, featuring over 341 previously unpublished original photographs of the Two Holy Mosques, alongside albums documenting the Hejaz Railway and various regions of the Kingdom. Additionally, the collection of Princess Alice—granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria—offers a significant historical record; during her three-week journey to Saudi Arabia in 1938, she captured 324 rare, previously unpublished photographs documenting numerous events, as well as a video recording of the trip—the latter being the oldest known film footage of the Kingdom. Among the special collections is a set of 165 photographs by the renowned Brazilian photographer Humberto da Silveira, documenting historical aspects of the Kingdom prior to the era of modern development. The library also houses a collection of British documents concerning King Abdulaziz Al Saud—may God rest his soul. These are copies of original documents held in the British archives known as the Public Record Office; this repository contains documents amassed over centuries by successive British governments, offering invaluable information about the Arabian Peninsula. Another notable holding is the collection of George Rentz—an American Arabist, historian, and researcher who made significant contributions to the study of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s history during his time there between 1945 and 1962. The Rentz collection comprises 2,165 rare documents—1,035 in Arabic and 1,130 in English—as well as 1,244 books in Arabic and 3,114 titles in foreign languages. Additionally, the library holds the collection of Khair al-Din al-Zirikli—the distinguished man of letters, historian, and diplomat who served as an acting advisor at the Saudi Arabian Legation in Egypt in 1934. This extensive collection contains 4,574 documents spanning his professional career from 1921 until his death in 1976, including official and unofficial correspondence and documents exchanged with the Saudi government—specifically with King Abdulaziz and his sons and successors, Kings Saud and Faisal. The library of the Imam of the Paris Mosque, Sheikh Hamza Boubakeur, houses 17,170 titles—comprising books, periodicals, manuscripts, document collections, and significant rare works—in Arabic, English, French, and Russian, alongside exquisite copies of the Quran. Additionally, the library has acquired a collection of over 700 antique maps produced in Europe since the advent of the printing era. This collection features works by renowned cartographers such as Ptolemy, Gastaldi, Ortelius, Münster, Bertius, Hondius, Mercator, Speed, Blaeu, Sanson, De Wit, Vanden Keere, Vandra, Rigel, Baun, Bellin, Niebuhr, D'Anville, Pinkerton, and Arrowsmith. The King Abdulaziz Public Library makes these special collections accessible to readers, researchers, and scholars to foster scientific inquiry across the fields of history, literature, philosophy, economics, geography, and the sciences.