King Salman Academy for Arabic Signs MoU with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in promoting the Arabic language. SPA
The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in promoting the Arabic language. SPA
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King Salman Academy for Arabic Signs MoU with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in promoting the Arabic language. SPA
The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in promoting the Arabic language. SPA

The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday in Almaty with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KAZNU).
The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in promoting the Arabic language, teaching it in various fields, preserving its integrity, supporting its use in line with the objectives of the Human Capability Development Program -- one of the initiatives for achieving the Saudi Vision 2030 -- and fulfilling KSGAAL’s strategic goals.
The signing of this agreement follows the Saudi cabinet’s July 23 approval to authorize Minister of Culture and KSGAAL chairman of the board of trustees Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, or his deputy, to negotiate with the Kazakh side on a MoU regarding the promotion of the Arabic language between KSGAAL and KAZNU, and to sign it.
The signing took place during the KSGAAL delegation’s trip to Kazakhstan, which included visits to several universities, centers, and institutions to assess the status of the Arabic language and explore avenues for collaboration in teaching and promoting it.
KSGAAL serves as a global reference for the Arabic language and its advancement, leveraging its institutional expertise in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.
The MoU covers several areas of collaboration, including implementing the Arabic Language Proficiency Test (ALPT) for non-native speakers, developing educational materials and modern curricula related to the Arabic language, and conducting specialized studies and research in the field of Arabic language teaching and learning.
The MoU also includes areas such as the computational linguistics of the Arabic language, the development of digital dictionaries, and the creation of Arabic-Kazakh linguistic corpora. Additionally, it involves sharing language services and consultations in areas of mutual interest.



Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
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Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)

Egypt opened a series of galleries to the public on Tuesday in its flagship new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the pyramids of Giza.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly last week announced a "trial opening" ahead of a formal inauguration. Egyptian officials say a number of world leaders have expressed interest in attending the official opening but have not indicated when this will take place.

Pharaonic statues are showcased at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

The museum's main entrance hall with its stairway of Pharaonic statues and an annex for commercial shopping opened to the public in February 2023.

Ali Abu Al-Shish, a member of the Egyptian Archaeologists Union who attended Tuesday's opening of almost a dozen galleries, said the trial operation of the vast museum was evidence Egypt now had the space to exhibit its antiquities, including those being returned by Western states and museums.

It's an "important message that we can recover our antiquities, which are spread across various countries in the world," he said.

Visiting Russian tourist Kseniia Muse said: "We are so happy to be here, to have visited these beautiful sculptures... It is very modern and at the same time you can touch the ancient."

Pharaonic statues are displayed at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Tourism is an important source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt. The government has been trying to increase tourist numbers after facing a long-running foreign currency shortage that was exacerbated by external shocks.

Until now, Egypt's most famous collections have been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been largely unmodernized and unrenovated since opening in 1902.