CULTNAT Documents Popular Arab Games
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Alexandria— The BA Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage has recently launched a project to document popular Arab games and develop them to meet the needs of today’s children and give them the chance to experience forms of their cultural heritage.
Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, stated that CULTNAT decided to document games since they are part of our popular heritage, dating back to the Islamic era. Games were a tool for self expression for children and contributed to their physical and mental skills, contrasting with modern imported games, which propagate the culture of violence.
CULTNAT researchers search in history and in our authentic Arab and Islamic heritage for games that could be built on instead of the modern imported ones and they succeeded in that, including wooden and stone games.
Dr. Serageldin urges the revival of these games, which broaden the scope of children’s imagination and help them socialize with their peers and work in teams.