IRCICA Newsletter, issue 82-83

The visit of UNESCO Director-General
Ms. Irina Bokova
Ms. Irine Bukova, Director-General of UNESCO, visited IRCICA on 22 June
2010. The meeting with Dr. Halit Eren revolved around the coinciding main
areas of the two organisations’ respective missions. The Director-General of UNESCO
highlighted in particular their engagement in promoting studies and debate on
inter-cultural relations and their efforts to encourage education towards a “culture of
peace”. She expressed the wish that cooperation between UNESCO and IRCICA can
be intensified to contribute in giving more substance to the work each organisation
is doing. Dr. Halit Eren, IRCICA Director General, gave examples of the Centre’s
research and publications on relations between cultures at the level of “civilizations”
and in various “regional” contexts. He expressed the wish that cooperation between
the two organisations can increase further around the new projects and programs
that respond to the growing requirements of cultural relations. He said that one of
the best examples of ongoing cooperation is the joint project coordinated by the
Ministry of Culture of Turkey, UNESCO and IRCICA to set up “Book Hospital”
at Suleymaniye Library in Istanbul for the conservation and restoration of old
books and manuscripts. During the same meeting, Prof. Amir Pasic, Head of the
Department of Architecture, IRCICA, gave information to Ms. Bukova on the
Centre’s architectural and urban studies program relating to Al-Quds/Jerusalem. Ms. Bukova described UNESCO’s work relating
to the heritage sites in the region, and there were exchanges of views on architectural and urban preservation issues.
After the meeting, the Director-General of UNESCO and her colleagues visited the library and the research sections of the
Centre. Ms. Bukova was in Istanbul to attend the Summit Meeting of the Heads of State of Southeast European Countries on
Cultural Corridors (23 June 2010).
Visit of Dr. Fahd al-Simari,
Secretary-General of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research
and Archives, Riyadh
On 5 August IRCICA was honoured by the visit of Dr. Fahd al-Simari, Secretary-General of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation
for Research and Archives and King Abdul Aziz Museum, Riyadh. Dr. al-Simari and his colleagues were guided by Dr.
Eren o a tour to the different research departments and the library during which they received information on the activities.
During the talks on developing cooperation between the two institutions, Dr. al-Simari informed IRCICA on the large-scale
project to produce an Encyclopedia of Haj which is undertaken jointly by King Abdul Aziz Museum, the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques Institute for Haj Research in Makkah, the Ministry of Haj, the General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques
Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education and Bin Laden Group. The encyclopedia will document the history of Haj, the routes,
the history of the Haram Mosque in Makkah
and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and
the expansion works carried out on them
over the centuries. It is the biggest research
project ever on the Two Holy Mosques and
the annual pilgrimage. It will involve inputs
from specialists in all social sciences and draw
from archival sources allover the world.
Recording his impressions, Mr. al-Simari
noted that “It is a great pleasure for the
Muslim to see the efforts of IRCICA invested
in the context of coordination, supervision
and the follow-up of the diverse activities it
undertook in cooperation with other parties.
No doubt these efforts of IRCICA, its staff,
will be a gain for all Muslims.”
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Newsletter May-August, No: 82 / September-December 2010, No: 83