Chester Beatty Library and Gallery of Oriental Art in Dublin, Ireland

Formerly, until recently located in Ballsbridge, the library was bequeathed to the Irish nation in 1956. This collection of books contains approximately 22,000 manuscripts, rare books, miniature paintings, and objects from Western, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern cultures. Highlights include copies of the Koran, Islamic manuscripts and biblical papyrus dating from the early 2nd and 4th centuries A.D.