The Institute of Arabic Manuscripts, a subsidiary institution of ALECSO, took part in the celebration held by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States to mark the Arab Cultural Heritage Day, under the title: “Reviving and protecting the cultural heritage of the State of Palestine.”
In her opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at the League of Arab States, highlighted the importance of the Arab Cultural Heritage Day and the theme chosen for this year’s celebration. She noted that this event acquires increased significance this year in view of the attacks and violations suffered by Palestine and its heritage, which are intended to obliterate the Palestinian Arab identity. She stressed, in this regard, that protecting the Arab cultural heritage ranks high among the priorities of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States.
For his part, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the Arab League, H.E. Amb. Muhannad al-Aklouk, highlighted the massive destruction and looting that the Palestinian cultural, heritage and educational institutions are being subjected to.
The Institute of Arabic Manuscripts contributed a presentation entitled “The Palestinian Manuscript Heritage : Between Looting and Saving,” presented by Dr. Abdel-Azim Saqr, Manuscript Cataloguer at the Institute. The presentation highlighted the rich Palestinian library heritage across different eras, which numbered nearly forty libraries whose holdings have been lost or looted. It also reviewed the Institute’s efforts to save the Palestinian manuscript heritage.
