The Opening of the Third International Forum of the Calligraphy, Writing, and Inscriptions in the World throughout the Ages
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Alexandria—
The Third International Forum of the Calligraphy, Writing, and Inscriptions in the World Throughout the Ages was inaugurated on Tuesday, 24 April 2007, by Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, on the occasion of the World Book Day.
At the outset of his speech, Dr. Seragedlin stated that the Library is approaching its fifth anniversary, and that throughout the past five years it has been enriching the scientific and cultural arena in Egypt, the Arab World, and the Mediterranean with works and writings serving the society and humanity at large.
He stressed that the Library seeks to promote the spirit of scientific initiative, through encouraging youth, specifically, to participate in all the projects and scientific conferences, organized by the Library. The BA welcomes young Egyptian and Arab researchers to participate in the series of studies in calligraphy, publishing books on inscriptions, calligraphy, and writings.
Dr. Serageldin stated that the Calligraphy Center succeeded in transcending numerous barriers and placed itself at the top of the international research centers in this field, and year after year partnerships with the Calligraphy Center are increasing, last of which was the partnership with the British Museum. He added that establishing a digital library for the documentation of inscriptions is one of the ambitious projects adopted by the Calligraphy Center, and that more than 2000 inscriptions are available now for revision and refinement. He also mentioned that the first phase of the project comprising 5000 digital inscriptions will be launched by October 2007.
He also announced the birth of a new project, a dictionary of determinatives of the ancient Egyptian language, the first dictionary issued by an Egyptian institution specialized in the ancient Egyptian language. He referred to the international praise gained by the Journal of Abgadiyat, the first scientific journal issued by the BA. Dr. Serageldin stated that the Calligraphy Center will organize three exhibitions during the coming period: Coptic Papyruses, Rarities of Arabic Calligraphy from the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia, and the Journey of Writings in Egypt from the Prehistoric to the Digital Age.
Dr. Sabry Abdel Aziz, talked on behalf of Dr. Zahi Hawas, on the cooperation between the BA and the Supreme Council for Antiquities, and added that the Calligraphy Center is now ripping the fruits of its efforts over the last period. He praised the strong relationship between the BA and the Supreme Council for Antiquities, referring to joint projects, most important of which is Documentation of Ancient Writings and Scripts in Lower Egypt, an ambitious project preserving the Egyptian heritage in the form of inscriptions and calligraphy. He added that a team from the Calligraphy Center and the Supreme Council for Antiquities is now conducting surveys, recording, and listing inscriptions, calligraphy, and writings on the Egyptian monuments, as part of the Documentation of Ancient Writings Project adopted by the BA.
Dr. Khaled Azab, Deputy Director, Calligraphy Center, stated that he is proud that the Forum was prepared by a group of youth under 30 years of age. He announced that the book on The History of Writings was awarded the prize of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, the first prize given to the Center. He spoke about the efforts exerted by the Center to issue several books and journals in calligraphy and inscriptions for the benefit of young researchers.