H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, took part, on April 14, 2026, in the inauguration ceremony of the “Arabic Book Chair” at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was attended by HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Center’s Board of Directors, and HRH Princess Maha bint Mohammed Al-Faisal, Secretary-General of the Center, along with prominent intellectual and academic figures.
This Arabic Book Chair is a pioneering initiative dedicated to the study of the Arabic book from various perspectives, within a multidisciplinary scientific approach that encompasses the history of the book, the processes of its production, the patterns of its circulation, and its relationship with cultural and intellectual institutions.
In his remarks on this occasion, Prince Turki Al-Faisal emphasized that the “Arabic Book Chair”, the first of its kind in the Arab world, constitutes a significant contribution to the realm of knowledge. It brings together scholarly efforts within a unified institutional framework, and transforms attention to the Arabic book from scattered initiatives into an integrated research pathway, thereby enhancing the presence of the Arabic Book on the global knowledge map.
It is worth noting that the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies houses a rich collection of manuscripts and rare books, including over 28,000 original manuscripts and over 100,000 reproduced manuscripts, in addition to a significant corpus of books and scientific resources. This wealth of material offers a solid foundation for launching specialized research projects.
