Records of MENA – Page 40 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

11th Century Manuscript of Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi Restored . 16th Century Omani Navigator & Cartographer.

Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi (aka) Ibn Majid (aka) Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”. Poet and Writer of 44 books. Inventor of the Magnetic needle.

The manuscript is loaned from the Al Assad National Library in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The manuscript was loaned to the National Museum-Oman, for two years under the purpose of preservation and conservation and coordination was maintained with the National Records and Archives Authority, Oman – to restore this document to its original state, through the implementation of an integrated program for preservation, conservation, indexing and revision.

This manuscript was written in the 11th century AH / 16th century CE, under the ruling of Al Nabhani dynasty. It is compiled (175) sheets, (350) pages and (23) lines per page. Texts were written by “Naskh” script using black ink and headlines in red. The body of the manuscript is surrounded by two red frames.

This manuscript is one of few preserved copies of the manuscripts of Ahmed bin Majid Al Sa’adi around the world, the oldest among them is the one which is preserved in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St. Petersburg Russia”.

This compiled collection includes the most important and best known of the works by Ahmad bin Majid`s. It is divided into three parts: al-Fawāid fī ilm al-bahr wa-alqawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), completed on 17 Rabi al-Thani 984 AH/ 13 July 1576. This part is dedicated to 18 benefits related to marine sciences and some proverbs.
The second collections: Hāwīyat al-ikhtisār fī usūl ilm al-bihār, it is the longest section and includes 11 chapters.

The third collection consists of 14 proses, in addition to eight chapters in marine sciences.

Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi was an Omani navigator and cartographer. Born in Julfar, he was educated in his early years by his father Majid bin Mohammed al-Sa’adi, who was a renowned marine captain and navigator.

Ibn Majid is one of the best-known navigators in the Indian Ocean and among the finest scholars of the art of navigation and its history among the Arabs.

He was the inventor of the magnetic needle (magnetic compass), which is used for navigation and orientation at sea.

He was also the author of nearly forty works of poetry and prose. Among his many books on oceanography, Fawā’id fī-Usūl Ilm al-Bahr wa-al-Qawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), which was compiled in the year (880-895 AH / 1475-1490 CE) at the end of his life, which is considered as one of his best.

He is remembered as Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”.

source: contents – www.timesofoman.com

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SYRIA / OMAN

Najla El-Mangoush – Libya’s First Woman Foreign Minister : 2021

History is being created with the first female woman foreign minister of Libya – Najla El-Mangoush. She will be accompanied with 4 other women who will be joining her.

Presently:

Practising Advocate and Lawyer in Criminal Law
Assistant Professor – University of Benghazi

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Law
Master’s Degree in Conflict and Peace Management, Eastern Mini Knight University, USA
Ph.D in Conflict and Crisis Management, George Mason University, USA

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LIBYA

Jamal Shakhtor – Palestinian Student Creates Robotic Hand

Palestinian student, Jamal Shakhtor, has created a robotic hand in his workshop in Bethlehem on the West Bank.

Earlier Innovations:

Breathing Vest
Transformable Disability Chair

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Jamal Shakhtor, a 26-year-old Palestinian student in industrial automation, demonstrates the movements of a robotic hand that he built at his workshop in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, on February 5, 2021. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) / pix: arabnews.com

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WEST BANK, PALESTINE

Egypt launches 1st Platform for Entrepreneurship in Middle East, N Africa (MENA) : February 2021

The Ministry of Planning launched in cooperation with Facebook and Rise Up Foundation an interactive platform “SMB Business BOT” for entrepreneurship to support small and medium enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Hala El-Said asserted the keenness of the ministry to provide mechanisms supporting the entrepreneurship thinking, saying the ministry is keen on establishing business incubators via “Rowad 2030” project that was launched by the ministry .

Facebook Managing Director in the Middle East and North Africa Ramez Shehadi said Facebook is committed to provide the tools that would enable small and medium enterprises push forward economic growth wheel, creating job opportunities and boosting local societies in Egypt,

The Founder of Rise Up Foundation Abdel Hamid Sharara said the Business BOT program will provide support needed by the different companies in the Middle East and North Africa. (MENA)

source: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder – Abu Dhabi Festival

Huda I Alhamis-Kanoo, Patron of the Arts

Founder – Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) – 1996
Founder & Artistic Director : Abu Dhabi Festival (2004)

www.admaf.org / www.abudhabifestival.ae

Awards:

The Abu Dhabi Award and Abu Dhabi Medal (conferred by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi)
The UN-affiliated Women Together Award
The Aspen Institute Emerging Voice Award for Cultural Stewardship
The Puccini Festival Foundation Award,
The Middle East Institute’s Visionary Award,
etc…

Orders Conferred:

The Commander of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Orden de Isabel la Católica), conferred upon her by HM Juan Carlos, former King of Spain, by order of HM Philip IV, King of Spain
The Medal of Civil Merit of Spain
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz)
Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà of Italy
Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur of France
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France
The Belgian Officer of the Order of the Crown, bestowed upon her by HM Albert II, King of Belgium
The Gloria Artis Medal of Poland
Order of the British Empire (OBE), bestowed upon her by HM Queen Elizabeth the Second
etc…

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Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo is the founder of Admaf and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Festival / pix: thenationalnews.com

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Saudi Arabia Opens Military Recruitment to Women : February 2021

Women can now join Saudi Arabia’s armed forces, following a ruling by the Saudi Ministry of Defense that opened the way for both genders to sign up through a unified admission portal starting Sunday.

Military ranks from soldier to sergeant will be available in the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Air Defense, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force, and Armed Forces Medical Services.

Saudi female applicants must be between the age of 21 and 40 years old, have a height of 155 cm or taller, and cannot be a government employee.

Female submissions must also hold an independent national identity card and have at least a high school education. Applicants married to non-Saudi citizens will not be accepted.

source: arabnews.com

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All applicants must have a clean record and be medically fit for service. (Supplied) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Egypt – 1st in Arab World & 3rd in Africa in size of Population : Study 2021

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) released a study Wednesday indicating that Egypt ranks first among Arab countries in population size, and third on the African continent.

The study is based on a global ranking indicating that the North African Arab state ranks 14th globally in that regard for it has a population of over 100 million.

source: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Feb. 04 th – Birth Anniversary of Egyptian Geographer Gamal Hamdan

Gamal Hamdan was a scholar, writer, researcher and one of the pioneering Egyptian geographers.

He was a prolific author and published over 29 books both in Arabic and English and 79 research papers.

Education:

B.A. – Cairo, Egypt
M.A – University of Reading, U.K.
Ph.D – University of Reading, U.K.

Books :

In Arabic

Studies on the Arab World, Cairo, 1958.
Patterns of Environments, Cairo, 1958.
Study on Urban Geography, Cairo 1958.
The Arab City, Cairo 1964.
Arabs’Oil, Cairo, 1964.
Colonisation and Liberation in the Arab World, Cairo, 1964.
Anthropology of Jews, Dar el-Helal Publications, Cairo, 1967.
Egypt’s Identity, Dar el-Helal Publications, Cairo, 1967.
The Strategy of Colonisation and Liberation, Cairo, 1978.
Introduction to “Cairo” by Desmond Stewart, translated by Yehya Haqqi, 1969.
The Contemporary Islamic World, Cairo, 1971.
Between Europe and Aisa, A Study in the Geographic Counterparts, Cairo, 1972.
The Arab Republic of Libya, A Study in Geopolitics, Cairo 1973.
6 October War in the International Strategy, Cairo, 1974.
The Suez Canal, Cairo, 1975.
New Africa, Cairo, 1975.
Egypt’s Identity, A Study in the Genius of the Place, four volumes, Cairo, 1975-84.

In English :

Population of the Nile Mid-Delta, Past and Present, Reading University, June 1953, 2 volumes.
Khartoum : Study of a City, Geog. Review, 1956.
Studies in Egyptian Urbanism, Cairo, 1960.
Evolution of Irrigation and Agriculture in Egypt. A History of Land Use in Arid Regions, Ed. L.
Dubley Stamp UNESCO, Paris, 1961.
Egypt : the Land and the People, A Guide Book to Geology, 1962.
Pattern of Medieval Urbanism in Arab World, Geog. Review, April 1962.
A Political Map of the New Africa, Geog. Review October 1963.
The Four Dimensions of Egypt
‘The Personality of Egypt: A study of the ingenuity of the place (1967)
Jews Anthropology (1986)
Studies of the Arab World
The Contemporary Islamic World Geography

Awards:

State Encouragement Award in Social Sciences (1986)
Scientific Progress Award from Kuwait (1992)
Science Medal of First Class for his book ‘The Personality of Egypt’ (1988)

Born February 04th, 1928. Laid to rest on April 17th, 1993

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EGYPT

Soad Hosny – Egyptian Cinema’s Sweetheart : Birthdate – January 26th, 1942

Soad Hosny, Egyptian Cinema Superstar Sweetheart ,dubbed by her fans as ‘Egyptian Cindrella’.

Her most prominent roles include her roles in “Al- Ashqya’ al-Thalatha” (Three Naughty Boys) (1962), directed by Hossam Eddine Mostafa; “Be’r el-herman” (The Well of Deprivation) (1969), directed by Kamal el-Sheikh; “Khaly Balak Men Zouzou” (Take Care of Zouzou) (1974), written by the exceptional poet Salah Jaheen and directed by Niazi Mostafa, and “Sagheera ‘Al Hob” (Too Young to Fall in Love) (1966), which was also directed by Niazi Mostafa.

Hosny used her outstanding talent to call for gender equality in the TV series “Hekayat Hwa we Heyain” (1985) that achieved booming success.

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EGYPT

Moroccan Nidal Benali to Represent the UN Youth Engagement Group

Nidal Benali is the first Moroccan to represent the UN Major Group for Children and Youth.

The United Nations has appointed Al Akhawayn University Graduate Nidal Benali to represent the UN Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY.)

Benali will serve as one of its Global Focal Points for Peace and Security. The appointment makes him the first Moroccan under the age of 30 to be granted this diplomatic honor.

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MOROCCO