474 manuscripts from the Archdiocese of Aleppo, a division of the Syrian Orthodox Church, have been added to Reading Room. This collection, which was previously uncataloged and relatively inaccessible to scholars, contains Syriac Orthodox manuscripts, many of which were moved from Şanlıurfa, Turkey (ancient Edessa, known as the cradle of Syriac Christianity), in the early 20th century. 

The manuscripts include historical works, liturgical books, Bibles, hagiographies, apocryphal stories, and other religious literature. Among the gems of the collection are a unique manuscript of the Chronicle of Michael the Great (SOAA 00250 S) and early copies of the Arabian Nights stories of Sindbad the Sailor and the Ebony Horse in Arabic Garshuni (SOAA 00121 K and SOAA 00124 M). The materials are written in Syriac, Arabic Garshuni, Arabic, and Turkish Garshuni. Many are richly embellished, and 25 manuscripts include full-page decorations.

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