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.



New Observations Show Asteroid Resembling a Spinning Hockey Puck

This composite image of asteroid 2024 YR4 was captured with the Gemini South telescope in Chile. (International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani via AP)
This composite image of asteroid 2024 YR4 was captured with the Gemini South telescope in Chile. (International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani via AP)
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New Observations Show Asteroid Resembling a Spinning Hockey Puck

This composite image of asteroid 2024 YR4 was captured with the Gemini South telescope in Chile. (International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani via AP)
This composite image of asteroid 2024 YR4 was captured with the Gemini South telescope in Chile. (International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani via AP)

The asteroid that once had a small chance of striking Earth and now might slam into the moon resembles a spinning hockey puck, scientists said Tuesday.
A team of astronomers used the Gemini South Observatory in Chile to observe asteroid 2024 YR4 in multiple wavelengths as it zoomed away from Earth in February, barely 1 1/2 months after its discovery. They created a 3D image of it based on their findings, The Associated Press reported.
The nearly 200 foot (60-meter) asteroid looks more like a flat disk — or not-quite-round hockey puck — than a potato. It also has a rapid rotation rate of about once every 20 minutes.
“This find was rather unexpected since most asteroids are thought to be shaped like potatoes or toy tops rather than flat disks,” the research team lead, Bryce Bolin from Eureka Scientific said in a statement.
Scientists said it most likely originated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and is rich in silicates.
At one point earlier this year, NASA and the European Space Agency put the odds of the asteroid striking Earth in 2032 at 3%. It's now down to virtually zero for the next century, but there's a 3.8% chance it could strike the moon instead. Even if that happens, NASA assures the moon's orbit will not be altered.
The asteroid —- which swings our way every four years — will be too far away by next week for ground telescopes to see. The Webb Space Telescope will take another look later this month or next.
Scientists consider all this good practice for when a potentially killer asteroid heads our way.