Alexandria Library Inaugurates World Heritage Simulation Initiative

Alexandria Library, Egypt. (Getty Images)
Alexandria Library, Egypt. (Getty Images)
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Alexandria Library Inaugurates World Heritage Simulation Initiative

Alexandria Library, Egypt. (Getty Images)
Alexandria Library, Egypt. (Getty Images)

As part of its efforts to encourage young Egyptians, develop their capacities and spread heritage and cultural awareness, the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies, in collaboration with the Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage inaugurated the "Alexandria World Heritage Simulation" initiative.

The initiative offers many educational and cultural opportunities that allow the participants to learn about heritage and culture management from the best experts in the field.

Delegates are responsible for discussing and developing solutions for the management of tangible and intangible heritage in Alexandria, as well as for plans to include Alexandria in the world heritage list.

The project is a cultural platform aimed at raising awareness of the importance of heritage and culture, and their management among the young generation through a series of lectures, during which the participants learn how to use the various information sources available in this domain, along with some field trips related to the program's goals.

They will then have the chance to apply what they learned in a technical project and the UN's World Heritage Simulation Conference.

Emad Khalil Helmy, who oversees the Hellenistic studies in the Library of Alexandria, told Asharq Al-Awsat: "The simulation initiative intends to train over 50 youth within the coming month, following personal interviews with the applicants."

"The simulation sample will not only include theoretical lectures about Alexandria's heritage and antiquities, but also extends to cover the technical field through visits to the city's key historical sites in cooperation with the Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage," he added.

Helmy explained that the participants will be divided into different categories, including heritage restoration, tourism, advertising, media, and marketing. The members will carry out research on the Alexandrian heritage that will be published later.

The Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage is an academic and technical institution covering various areas related to art and heritage. It aims at spreading cultural awareness to preserve and revive the Egyptian patrimony, and organizes training sessions and conferences, along with exhibitions and art-related events. The institution has a learning facility, including both digital and traditional libraries specialized in sciences, arts, antiquities and literature.

The institution, founded by a group of Egyptian youths, opens its doors to all the talented and creative people seeking to introduce their skills to the Alexandrian community and spread cultural awareness.



World's Oldest Person, a Brazilian Nun, Dies Aged 116

Nuns walk down stairs in the center of Rome on April 30, 2025. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)
Nuns walk down stairs in the center of Rome on April 30, 2025. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)
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World's Oldest Person, a Brazilian Nun, Dies Aged 116

Nuns walk down stairs in the center of Rome on April 30, 2025. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)
Nuns walk down stairs in the center of Rome on April 30, 2025. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

The world's oldest person, Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, died Wednesday at the age of 116, having barely survived infancy and attributing her long life to God, her order and two longevity trackers said.

The title now passes to Ethel Caterham, a resident of Surrey, England, who is 115 years old, according to the US Gerontological Research Group (GRG) and the LongeviQuest database.

Born on June 8, 1908, Canabarro became the world's oldest person following the death in January of Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, who was also aged 116.

The Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil in Porto Alegre announced Canabarro's passing Wednesday in a statement in which it gave thanks "for the dedication and devotion" she had shown in life, AFP reported.

LongeviQuest, in an obituary, said Canabarro had been a frail child, and "many doubted she would survive."

She became a nun in 1934 at the age of 26, between World Wars I and II.

Canabarro had attributed her longevity to God, saying: "He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything," according to LongeviQuest.

For her 110th birthday, she received a blessing from Pope Francis, who himself died last Monday aged 88.

Although she had claimed her date of birth was May 27, 1908, "her documented birth date according to records is June 8, 1908," GRG director Robert Young told AFP in January.

LongeviQuest said Canabarro had been the 15th-oldest documented person in history, and the second-oldest nun after France's Lucile Randon, who lived to the age of 118 and died in 2023.