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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.

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Dogs Prove Invaluable in Search for Los Angeles Fire Victims

San Francisco firefighter Joshua Davis from the National Search and Rescue Response System and his dog Bosco take a break in the search of rubbles of houses destroyed by the Pacific Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 16, 2025. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP)
San Francisco firefighter Joshua Davis from the National Search and Rescue Response System and his dog Bosco take a break in the search of rubbles of houses destroyed by the Pacific Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 16, 2025. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP)
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Dogs Prove Invaluable in Search for Los Angeles Fire Victims

San Francisco firefighter Joshua Davis from the National Search and Rescue Response System and his dog Bosco take a break in the search of rubbles of houses destroyed by the Pacific Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 16, 2025. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP)
San Francisco firefighter Joshua Davis from the National Search and Rescue Response System and his dog Bosco take a break in the search of rubbles of houses destroyed by the Pacific Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 16, 2025. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP)

In the ashes of what was once a luxury home on Malibu's Pacific coast, an energetic dog runs from spot to spot, searching for victims of one of the huge wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles.

Tulla, a sandy-colored Labrador retriever, stops next to a crusted gas canister that was once perhaps part of a barbecue, and begins to bark furiously, AFP reported.

To the human eye, there is nothing there, but Tulla's powerful sense of smell says otherwise.

Moments later, handlers bring in another dog, which also homes in on the same spot, offering a strong indication that the body of one of the dozens still missing from the massive blazes may finally be found.

Marco Rodriguez, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, says the dogs are "critical" to the search effort.

"We have thousands of homes here in this area that have burned and approximately 15 people that have been reported missing.

"We're doing our best, and the dogs are an integral part of that," he told AFP.

For thousands of firefighters doing 12- or even 24-hour shifts, the last ten days have been back-breaking; hard physical work made even more difficult for those who have seen swaths of their city burned to the ground.

But for the dogs, it is something of a game, says Joshua Davis, who has deployed with Bosco -- a black Labrador -- from his base in San Francisco.

"They're used to crawling on rubble. They enjoy it," he said.

While there's no emotional toll on the animals, there are physical dangers that require special protective boots to safeguard their paws.

"There's a lot of sharp glass and a lot of nails and debris out there that can injure the dogs," said Davis.

- 'Like every other firefighter' -

The dogs in the search and rescue unit have routines similar to the humans they work alongside, said Davis.

"Every day we go to work, he gets fed, just like every other firefighter," he said.

"He gets training on various things and we do daily exercises with him, so he knows how to run on a treadmill and he can climb ladders."

When he's not on operations, Bosco keeps his skills up with a weekly session in a dummied-up practice disaster area, where trainers hide scents for him to find.

Bosco was originally trained to be a guide dog but "failed miserably" because he had too much energy, said Davis.

But that energy makes him perfect for searching -- where the dog has learned to associate the discovery of a scent with the chance to play with his favorite toy.

In Bosco's case, that's a piece of fire hose.

"When they find the scent, they'll bark at it. I'll get to the victim and/or the source where they're barking at, and then I'll reward Bosco," said Davis.

The dogs are not infallible and there are false alarms, but on the whole they drastically reduce the amount of work that humans have to do.

"A lot of the dogs here today can cover a building that has been collapsed in five minutes or less," said Davis.

"It can take four to five firefighters 10 to 20 minutes to cover a location."

For Bosco, who has worked alongside Davis for three years searching countless properties, it's not all serious labor.

In his downtime, he has a successful Instagram feed, where followers can see what he has been up to.

This week, one of his stories showed Bosco sitting in a car, looking enthusiastically through the window with an apt caption: "Ready to work, boss!"