The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) called this Friday for enhanced protection, digitization, preservation, and accessibility of Arabic manuscripts, while promoting scientific research and innovation concerning Arab heritage.

In a statement marking the celebration of Arab Manuscript Day (observed annually on April 4th), ALECSO emphasized that this occasion highlights the civilizational heritage abundant in Arab nations. This year's commemoration carries the theme: "Arabic Manuscripts: The Life of a Nation and Vanguard of Civilization."

The organization affirmed that Arabic manuscripts represent a civilizational legacy abundant in Arab countries, serving as the historical, intellectual, and social memory of the nation. They act as a bridge between diverse civilizations, containing within them numerous sciences and knowledge that contributed to civilizational and intellectual progress.

ALECSO added that Arabic manuscripts stand as testament to the creativity of Arab and Muslim scholars who sustained this intellectual movement through documentation and translations across centuries. The organization stressed its continued efforts through its Arabic Manuscripts Institute to safeguard these manuscripts, ensuring their preservation in humanity's collective knowledge memory.

The statement noted that Arabic manuscripts are not merely historical documents, but rather represent cultural and intellectual movements as well as creative artistic artifacts. They reflect the development of Arab-Islamic civilization and its influence on other cultures, documenting the social, economic, intellectual, and political life of the nation. These manuscripts pioneered major discoveries that built civilizational achievements in medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other fields.

ALECSO called for valuing Arab civilizational heritage and utilizing it in capacity-building, stressing that science and knowledge form the foundation of progress. The organization emphasized the importance of adopting Arabic as a language of science and innovation, which has contributed diverse sciences and knowledge to humanity.