diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d795b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+project(
+  'htslib',
+  'c',
+  version : '1.9',
+  default_options : [
+    'buildtype=release',
+    # -Wall produces way
+    # too many warnings
+    'warning_level=0',
+    'c_std=c99',
+    'b_ndebug=if-release'],
+  license : 'MIT',
+  meson_version : '>= 0.46.0')
+
+# htslib uses
+#   - usleep()
+#   - strdup()
+#   - M_LN10/M_LN2
+add_project_arguments(
+  '-D_XOPEN_SOURCE=600',
+  language : 'c')
+
+# libm (glibc)
+cc = meson.get_compiler('c')
+libm_dep = cc.find_library('m', required : false)
+
+# pthreads
+thread_dep = dependency('threads', required : false)
+
+# zlib
+zlib_dep = dependency('zlib', required : true, fallback : ['zlib', 'zlib_dep'])
+
+htslib_incdir = include_directories('.', is_system : true)
+
+htslib_sources = files([
+  'cram/cram_codecs.c',
+  'cram/cram_decode.c',
+  'cram/cram_encode.c',
+  'cram/cram_external.c',
+  'cram/cram_index.c',
+  'cram/cram_io.c',
+  'cram/cram_samtools.c',
+  'cram/cram_stats.c',
+  'cram/files.c',
+  'cram/mFILE.c',
+  'cram/open_trace_file.c',
+  'cram/pooled_alloc.c',
+  'cram/rANS_static.c',
+  'cram/sam_header.c',
+  'cram/string_alloc.c',
+  'bcf_sr_sort.c',
+  'bgzf.c',
+  'errmod.c',
+  'faidx.c',
+  'hfile.c',
+  'hfile_net.c',
+  'hts.c',
+  'hts_os.c',
+  'kfunc.c',
+  'knetfile.c',
+  'kstring.c',
+  'md5.c',
+  'multipart.c',
+  'probaln.c',
+  'realn.c',
+  'regidx.c',
+  'sam.c',
+  'synced_bcf_reader.c',
+  'tbx.c',
+  'textutils.c',
+  'thread_pool.c',
+  'vcf.c',
+  'vcf_sweep.c',
+  'vcfutils.c',
+])
+
+htslib_config_h_config = configuration_data()
+htslib_config_h_config.set('HAVE_LIBZ', 1)
+htslib_config_h = configure_file(
+  output : 'config.h',
+  configuration : htslib_config_h_config)
+
+htslib_version_h_config = configuration_data()
+htslib_version_h_config.set_quoted('HTS_VERSION', meson.project_version())
+htslib_version_h = configure_file(
+  output : 'version.h',
+  configuration : htslib_version_h_config)
+
+# install library if
+# - either running as a proper project
+# - or linking to shared libraries
+htslib_lib_install = (not meson.is_subproject()) or (get_option('default_library') != 'static')
+
+htslib_lib = library(
+  'hts', [
+    htslib_config_h,
+    htslib_version_h,
+    htslib_sources],
+  soversion : 2,
+  version : meson.project_version(),
+  install : htslib_lib_install,
+  dependencies : [
+    libm_dep,
+    thread_dep,
+    zlib_dep],
+  override_options : [
+    'warning_level=0',
+    'c_std=c99'])
+
+###################
+# dependency info #
+###################
+
+htslib_dep = declare_dependency(
+  include_directories : htslib_incdir,
+  link_with : htslib_lib,
+  version : meson.project_version())
diff --git a/upstream.wrap b/upstream.wrap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e51d53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/upstream.wrap
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+[wrap-file]
+directory = htslib-1.9
+
+source_url = https://github.com/samtools/htslib/archive/1.9.zip
+source_filename = htslib-1.9.zip
+source_hash = c4d3ae84014f8a80f5011521f391e917bc3b4f6ebd78e97f238472e95849ec14