“World Greek Language Day” at the BA
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The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in cooperation with the Consulate General of Greece in Alexandria, is organizing a celebration on the occasion of the “World Greek Language Day” on Monday, 16 February 2026, at 11:00 am, in the Small Theater of the BA Conference Center.
The program features a keynote lecture entitled “The Role of the Greek Language in Preserving the World’s Scientific, Literary, and Intellectual Heritage,” delivered by Prof. Ashraf Farag, Professor of Comparative Linguistics (Greek and Latin) and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Alexandria University. His lecture will address the contributions of the Greek language to safeguarding and transmitting human knowledge across generations, its profound impact on global scientific, intellectual, and literary heritage, as well as the historical development of the Greek language from antiquity to the modern era, and its continued presence in numerous scientific and literary terms in use today. The Writing and Scripts Center, affiliated with the Academic Research Sector, will also participate with a lecture entitled “Heritage Preservation: The Zaki Aly Papyri Digitization and Study Project,” presented by Ms. Rana El-Zalabany, researcher at the Center and a member of the project team. The lecture will highlight the papyri collection donated by the family of Dr. Zaki Aly to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, now preserved within the Rare Books and Special Collections Library. The event will be accompanied by a museum display of ten original Ancient Greek papyri, including rare samples containing passages from the ancient Greek translation of selected books of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, which are believed to date back to the third century BCE and may have been produced during the reign of King Ptolemy II within the scholarly environment of the ancient Library of Alexandria.
The program will also include readings of modern Greek poetry in both Greek and Arabic, the screening of the documentary film The Journey of Writing in Egypt, which sheds light on Greek writings in Egypt, as well as a short documentary on Greek textual heritage in Egypt and worldwide.
The celebration will conclude with a musical performance inspired by Greek heritage. In addition, The Alexandria branch of the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture will participate by presenting a selection of books translated from Greek into Arabic, in support of translation initiatives and to further strengthen cultural exchange between the two countries.
It is worth noting that the World Greek Language Day is celebrated annually on 9 February in commemoration of the national poet Dionysios Solomos, author of the Greek national anthem, following its official adoption during the 43rd session of UNESCO.
Attendance is open to the public until the maximum capacity of the hall is reached.