Under the patronage and presence of HRH Prince Turki AlFaisal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS), and HE Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO), and by the kind invitation of HRH Princess Maha bint Mohammed AlFaisal, Secretary-General of the KFCRIS; the KFCRIS, in cooperation with the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts, hosts the official celebration of Arabic Manuscript Day in its thirteenth session under the theme "The Arabic Manuscript: The Life of a Nation and a Pioneer of Civilization," at the premises of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh.

Whereas the Scientific Committee for Arabic Manuscript Day, chaired by Professor Dr. Ali Abdullah Al-Naeem, Director of the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts, approved honoring each of:

• Professor Yahya Mahmoud bin Junaid from (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) is the as Heritage Research Personality of the Year.

• The National Laboratory for the Conservation and Restoration of Parchments and Manuscripts in Kairouan (Tunisia) as Heritage Institution of the Year.

• The book “Jamiʿ Faraʾid al-Milaha fi Jawamiʿ Fawaʾid al-Filaha” (Iraq) as Heritage Book of the Year in the Arab world.

The Arab Institute has adopted the Arabic Manuscript Day as an annual event since 2013. The twentieth session of the Conference of Arab Ministers of Culture in 2016 approved it as an official day to celebrate the Arabic manuscript. The Arab Manuscript Institute, affiliated with the ALECSO, is the Arab body responsible for manuscript heritage. It was established by a decision of the League of Arab States on April 4, 1946, as the first cultural body established by the League.

The program includes introductory films, alongside ceremonies for signing cooperation agreements and specialized exhibitions that highlight the journey of the Arabic manuscript, its preservation tools, and its passage through time.

This celebration and the Center's hosting of this event affirm its steadfast mission to preserve manuscript heritage and enhance its presence as an integral part of the nation's cultural identity. Since its establishment in 1983, the King Faisal Center has made the care of manuscripts a top priority, becoming one of the world's leading references in this field. It preserves more than 30,000 original manuscripts and more than 150,000 photocopied manuscripts preserved in cooperation with major international libraries and museums. Furthermore, its achievements in treatment, sterilization, and restoration have extended to include more than 330,000 books, manuscripts, and documents, a qualitative addition that confirms its leadership and highlights its position as a renewed scientific and cultural hub that transmits this great legacy to future generations.

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