1001 Inventions Celebrates World Arabic Language Day at UNESCO

THIS EVENT IS COMPLETED


Arabic Edition of Ibn Al-Haytham Children’s Book Launched at UNESCO

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Paris, 15 December 2016: 1001 Inventions participated at the World Arabic Language Day Celebration at UNESCO Headquarters today. At the event, Professor Mohamed El-Gomati, Chairman of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC), 1001 Inventions academic partner, delivered a talk on the importance of the Arabic language in Science and Technology. UNESCO Director-General, ambassadors, representatives of permanent delegations and other high profile participants, from around the world, participated at the celebration.

Irina Bakova, Director-General of UNESCO said:

When we celebrate the Arabic language every year on 18 December, we also acknowledge its immense contribution to science and universal culture, including philosophy and the arts.”

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Irina Bakova, Director-General of UNESCO 

Tracing the history of Arabic language day, Dr Ziad Aldrees, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO, called for further protection of the Arabic language and paid tribute to the efforts of non-Arabic scholars and intellectuals to contribute to its vitality.

Professor Mohamed El-Gomati, Chairman of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC) said:

FSTC and 1001 Inventions are delighted to celebrate the World Arabic Day at UNESCO. At the height of the Golden Age of Muslim Civilisation, the Arabic language was the lingua franca that served as the language of science, poetry, literature, governance and artFSTC and 1001 Inventions are developing productions to engage a global audience with content in Arabic. One of our most recent efforts is publishing the Arabic edition of the new children’s book on Ibn al-Haytham which we are honoured to launch today at UNESCO.”

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Professor Mohamed El-Gomati, Chairman of FSTC

1001 Inventions children’s book “Ibn al-Haytham: The Man Who Discovered How We See”, published in partnership with National Geographic Kids, was released in Arabic earlier this month through collaboration between 1001 Inventions and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS).

The book has been recently presented the prestigious designation “A Junior Library Guild Selection” as a Best Biography of 2016. The book follows Ibn al-Haytham’s inspirational story taking young readers on a wondrous journey of the pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics and light and achieved breakthroughs that still influence our world today.

Ibn Al-Haytham children’s book is part of a global educational campaign launched by 1001 Inventions in partnership with UNESCO in 2015 in celebration of the United Nations proclaimed International Year of Light. The global campaign “1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham”, that has engaged more than 25 million people around the world, continues to reach out to global audiences through the short film starring legendary actor Omar Sharif, music album by international acclaimed British composer Sami Yusuf, interactive exhibits, and learning materials.

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About the World Arabic Language Day

December 18 is the World Arabic Language Day, where the international community celebrates Arabic and its contributions to humanity. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the day in 2010 in order to “celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.” December 18 was chosen as the date for the Arabic language as it is the day in 1973 when the General Assembly approved Arabic as an official language of the United Nations.

www.unesco.org

About 1001 Inventions

1001 Inventions is an award-winning, British based organization that creates international educational campaigns and engaging transmedia productions aiming to raise awareness of the contributions to science, technology and culture from the Golden Age of Muslim Civilisation.

1001 Inventions has engaged with over 250 million people across the globe working with a network of international partners, including UNESCO, National Geographic and leading academics to produce interactive exhibits, short films, live shows, books and classroom learning materials that are being used by hundreds of thousands of educators around the world.

www.1001inventions.com

Further Information

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(Images Source)

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The depiction of Orion, as seen from Earth (left) and a mirror-image, from a 13th-century copy of al-Sufi’s Book of the Fixed Stars. In this version, Orion’s shield has become a long sleeve, typical of Islamic dress.  (Source)

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The first and last pages of an original manuscript of Ibn Sina’s Medical Poem 

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Books printed at the Ibrahim Müteferrika Press (Source)