As Saudi Arabia continues to look at how to inspire an environment that nurtures arts and culture in the Kingdom, it has been developing institutions, creating initiatives, and entering collaborations with other parties across the globe in order to achieve its goals. As part of its efforts, the country’s King Faisal Prize (KFP) launched this week the “One Hundred and One Books” project in cooperation with Institut Du Monde Arabe in Paris.
According to Saudi Gazette, the project, which is in line with Saudi Arabia’s goal to enhance cooperation and encourage knowledge exchange between cultures, will see the publishing of books that introduce to both countries “a number of Arabic and French scientists and scholars who have contributed to communication and the development of cultural dialogue and engagement between the two countries.”
The launch event, which fell on the 40th anniversary of the prize, was organized under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, chairman of King Faisal Prize Board, represented by Prince Sultan Bin Khaled Al-Faisal, and in attendance were: Jack Lang, president of the Institut Du Monde Arabe; Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail, secretary-general of King Faisal Prize; and Dr. Moajab Al-Zahrani, director general of the Institut. The publication of five books in Arabic and five books in French were announced at the event, marking the first stage of the project.
Books published under the “One Hundred and One Books” project aim to shed light on the contributions of French scholars in introducing Arabic culture in various parts of the world, as well as the contributions of Arab scholars in introducing French culture to the Arab region.
Established in 1979, King Faisal Prize is an annual award sponsored by King Faisal Foundation and presented to dedicated individuals and institutions “whose contributions make a positive difference” within the categories of: service to Islam; Islamic studies; Arabic language and literature; science; and medicine.
