The Writing and Scripts Center is one of the research centers at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It studies inscriptions, calligraphy, and writings from all over the world throughout the ages—from the pre-dynastic period to the digital age.
The Center strives to be unique and distinguished in the field of its specialization, spreading the interest in the history of writings and their development and the preservation and digital documentation of the history of writing, which is considered to be the memory of humanity.
Since its establishment, the Writing and Scripts Center has adopted several objectives: to produce and digitally document writings, to study of the development of writings up until the digital age, and to study the aesthetics of calligraphy as a means for advanced artistic expression.
In order to meet these objectives, the work plan was focused on two fundamental axes:
The cultural activities of the Writing and Scripts Center include publication releases in the field, research projects (short, medium, and long-term), and academic conferences, which are also great opportunities to bring worldwide specialists together.
The Writing and Scripts Center offers several educational activities that aim to form links with the local community. These activities include permanent and temporary exhibitions; educational courses and workshops; ancient calligraphy sessions for children, youth, and adults; and lectures that are held within the framework of the Center’s cultural season.
In 2006, the Writing and Scripts Center was awarded the Best Translated Book Prize in the field of Arts, Literature, and the Humanities for the Arabic translation of The History of Writing from Ideogram to Multimedia. The prize was awarded by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science.