On the tenth of last October, social networking sites in the world were buzzing with the image published by the Internet search engine giant, Google, to celebrate the birthday of the late Egyptian historian Mustafa Al-Abadi (1928-2017).

And "Google" published on its front page a drawing of Dr. Al-Abadi, while he was holding a book in his hands, behind his desk, and next to him were architectural landmarks, including a pyramid with a flame emerging from its top.

Mostafa El-Abbadi's 94th Birthday https://t.co/ai7P6WeMUF pic.twitter.com/f43QOBA8Kb

— Google Doodles (All) (@gksearch) October 9, 2022

Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi was not just a professor and thinker, as much as he was a historian, philosopher, and social theorist, because of his intellectual and social visions, the most important of which is that he mixes thought with reality, so that science is in the service of society, and despite the few books he wrote, he founded a school that combines thought and study, Philosophy and living reality, and for this reason all his students came as a reflection of his thought and approach, and they were his living books that seek on two feet, and his writings were the fruit of long experience and expertise in the study of history and human building over a period of 60 years.

He has taught in a large number of Arab and foreign universities since he obtained his doctorate in 1960, and has become one of the pioneers of the historical movement in Egypt and the world, and has gained fame and a prestigious position in ancient historical classical studies.

The old library and the realization of the impossible dream

Al-Abadi's name was associated with the project of the ancient Library of Alexandria, and he worked to revive it, and resurrect it from its dorm after more than 1,600 years, since the idea was presented in a lecture at the Alexandria University faculty club in November 1972, and he wrote, commissioned by UNESCO, the book "The Ancient Library of Alexandria: Its Biography and Fate." Which is a forward-looking document for the revival of the Library of Alexandria.

And for being a recognized historian thanks to his work in the field of Greco-Roman civilization, and thanks to his achievements in the field of scientific research, especially Mediterranean studies, which made him a reference in the civilizations of the East and an expert in the field of relations between the Arab and Western worlds, and what distinguished him from an open mentality, a broad human horizon, and a keenness on dialogue and defense. On human heritage in a turbulent world, Dr. Mustafa al-Abadi, professor of history, was able to convince political decision-makers in Egypt and the world of the necessity of reviving the Library of Alexandria, just as world public opinion prepared for this idea.

And the International Papyrus Society considered him one of the 10 most famous experts in the world in the field of Arabic, Greek and Roman papyrus, and as heritage expert Dr. Khaled Azab says - to Al Jazeera Net - Al-Abadi was able to publish a collection of rare papyrus papers dating back to the city of Fayoum, and thus contributed to the discovery of many One of the secrets of the history of Egypt, and helped to understand the relationship between the Egyptians and the Romans in the Greco-Roman era.

Al-Abadi is considered one of the most prominent workers in the field of the modern historical school, and his importance appears in that he made the world, including Turkey, rewrite the ancient Greek, Roman and eastern Mediterranean history, which was a fertile field for his in-depth research that enriched the Arab library, through an integrated scientific and philosophical approach characterized by depth. And he did not focus on political history only, but he worked on the economic and social history of those peoples through his papyri.

At the international level, his presence was remarkable, and he achieved a global position in his scientific and academic field, and for this reason, when he called for the establishment and revival of the ancient Library of Alexandria, his voice was heard, and the director of UNESCO came to discuss with him and assign him to draw a picture of the ancient library. Translated into most languages ​​of the world, according to the hadeeth of Khaled Azab.

A historical reference for the Mediterranean countries

His knowledge expanded to include the ancient Egyptian civilization and the Islamic civilization together, and his most famous book “Egypt from Alexander the Great until the Arab Conquest” is considered an essential reference for the history of Egypt in the Ptolemaic, Greek and Roman eras, and also his important book “The Roman Empire” has become a scientific reference for all students of ancient civilizations, so that Al-Abadi became one One of the most important pioneers of classics in the world.

Alexandria was his favorite city, and the Alexandrian society at that time was a mixture of Egyptians, Europeans, and the people of the Levant, and the Europeans were a mixture of Greeks, French, English, Belgians, and Swiss.

Biography and his life

Mustafa Al-Abbadi was born in Cairo in 1928, fourth among 8 brothers, and received his primary education at Al-Aqadin School in Old Cairo. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the Department of History, majoring in ancient history, with a very good grade with honors in 1951, and was appointed as a lecturer in Greek and Roman history at the University of Alexandria.

In 1942, Farouk I University was established in Alexandria, with Dr. Taha Hussein as its first director, and the professor of Islamic studies, Dr. Abd al-Hamid al-Abadi (father of Dr. Mustafa al-Abadi), was appointed as the first dean of the Faculty of Arts, and the family moved from Cairo to Alexandria, and al-Abadi (the father) is described as the first Who introduced studies of the Arab Maghreb and Andalusia in university curricula.

Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi said in one of his recorded interviews before his departure, "My father often repeated Dr. Taha Hussein's speech at the opening ceremony of the university, which was attended by King Farouk I, saying: In the past, my Lord, Herodotus described Egypt as a country of wonders, and here we are now as it wrestles The forces of war (at a distance of 90 km from Alexandria, the battle of El Alamein) and destruction are a stone's throw away from Alexandria, so we in Egypt hymn a university for the service of science, peace and the good of the future.

He was sent in 1953 on a scientific mission to the University of Cambridge in England. He attended a BA in classical languages ​​(Greek and Latin) until 1956, then began his postgraduate studies at the same university and obtained a Ph.

Professor in Arab universities

During his mission, he married fellow student Azza Karara, who obtained a doctorate with him, and was appointed as a professor in the English Department at the Faculty of Arts at Alexandria University. He has two children who live in the United States. Upon his return from the mission, he was appointed as a teacher of Greco-Roman history at Alexandria University in 1961, then promoted to assistant professor in 1966. Then a professor of Greek and Latin studies in 1972, and held the position of head of the Greek and Roman Civilization Department several times since 1971, and was appointed as Vice Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Arts in the period 1976-1979.

He was seconded to teach at Beirut Arab University twice, where he held the position of head of the History Department, then worked as a professor at Kuwait University at the end of the eighties, and after his return to his country he was appointed full-time professor and part-time professor at the Faculty of Arts at Alexandria University since 2000, then he returned as a full-time professor in 2002.

Dr. Amr Al-Abbadi, the son of Dr. Mustafa Al-Abbadi, said that his parents belonged to a class of the middle family, to a family that traces its roots back to Morocco. Muhja was a woman of great determination and determination, and after her name, my father named his only daughter, who is my sister, Dr. Muhja.

A new concept of scientific giving

His colleagues at Alexandria University describe him as one of the pioneers of innovation in the humanities in contemporary Egypt, through a unique genius and cultural and scientific richness that characterized his personality throughout his scientific life since the middle of the 20th century. This was evident in his scientific writings, whether those he wrote in Arabic or those that were translated into English and vice versa, according to the hadith of Dr. Fathi Abu Ayana, professor of human geography at Alexandria University and a friend of Omar al-Abbadi.

Abu Ayana adds in his speech, "The one who contemplates his biography and career sees that he laid an important base in cognitive integration represented in linking the past with the present, and the establishment of a scientific school that established this concept, as he mixed the science of history in the Greek cultural era with culture and the dissemination of knowledge, but rather directed it in the service of society." And the advancement of his culture, and even his writing contributed to clearing up much of the ambiguity that surrounded an important stage in Greco-Roman history, thus opening an important door for subsequent generations of researchers in the field of humanities.

As for his students, they enumerate his scientific and moral merits, including Dr. Abbas Suleiman, the former dean of the Faculty of Arts at Alexandria University, who says, "There is another aspect of the achievements of our professor Al-Abbadi that he did not take his due from the definition, which is that Al-Abbadi is not only a scholar of classical studies locally, regionally and globally, but rather he is considered one of the The most important pioneer of Greek and Arabic papyrus studies in the world, and one of the few specialists in the study of papyrus during the first centuries of the Arab-Islamic conquest of Egypt. Rescue of Alexandria's terrestrial and submerged antiquities.

Suleiman adds, "If historians have disagreed about the person who built the ancient Library of Alexandria, then this difference has become an agreement about the person who has the great credit for the project to revive the ancient Library of Alexandria. That is Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi, who has struggled since 1972 to achieve this dream, and has toured The world calls for his dream until he was able to prepare the world public opinion for this idea, and he remained patient and persistent in order for the project to come to light, and indeed he was able to see this project as a reality before him in 2002 AD.

The beginning and end of a dream

But how did the project to revive the ancient Library of Alexandria begin?

Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi said in a recorded interview with the Antiquities Society in Alexandria before his death, "The project began with an idea in November 1972 in a public lecture at the Club of Alexandria University faculty members at the invitation of Dr. Lotfi Dowidar, then president of the university, and I said at the end of the lecture: If the University of Alexandria wants To belong to the scientific heritage of this ancient city, which was a pioneer of knowledge in the world in the Greek and Roman eras, and to be able to contribute to the global scientific movement, it must follow the Alexandrian model of the Library of Alexandria, which led the scientific movement in its time, and we must benefit from the ancient scientific movement that established On the basis of compiling the largest global library, in addition to interest in scientific laboratories in astronomy, medicine, and other fields of science, with generous spending from the Ptolemaic kings.

And the late historian added, "In 1980, I traveled for the first time to the United States of America to give a series of lectures on the ancient Library of Alexandria, and I met the Director of the Library of Congress, and I found on his desk a book for me in Arabic about: "The Library of Alexandria: Its Journey and Destiny," and he told me: I asked the specialist Dr. George Attia, in the Arabic section, read the book and summarized it, why? And he answered his question: Because I want to make a model of the ancient Library of Alexandria and place it at the entrance to the Library of Congress, given that we in the Library of Congress represent the ancient Library of Alexandria in the world today.

In March 1986, the director of UNESCO, Ahmed Mukhtaru Ambo, came to Egypt, and met with Al-Abadi in a special meeting that revolved around the ancient Library of Alexandria. This project, and we asked him why? He replied: Because you have a pioneering experience in cultural and human knowledge, which is the ancient Library of Alexandria, and before that UNESCO had its successful experience in transferring the antiquities of Nubia, and it is the duty of UNESCO to sponsor the successful experiences that the world followed. Then he said: So Carry out this project in the same way it was inspired, it could change the cultural map of the region with its impact."

In June 1986, the Executive Council of UNESCO, numbering 51 members, was convened. The issue of the Library of Alexandria was presented to a vote, and it received 49 unanimous votes except for two votes, namely Israel and racist South Africa at the same time (according to Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi's account).

Based on UNESCO's sponsorship of the Ancient Library of Alexandria project, the World Bank moved in and started funding the project to revive the ancient Library of Alexandria.

International honor

Al-Abadi won dozens of local and international honors, and was a member of the most prestigious international bodies and societies, UNESCO and others in the fields of history, archeology, philosophy, and classical studies. He participated in his serious and distinguished research in many scientific conferences and seminars.

Locally, he won the Cavafy Prize in Ancient Greek Studies, the State Appreciation Award, and the Taha Hussein Award from the University of Alexandria. American Egyptian Scientists.

We cite here the reasons for an honorary doctorate in human studies from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada, which says: “Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi was awarded an honorary doctorate for being a recognized historian, thanks to his work on Roman and Greek civilization, and thanks to his achievement in scientific research, especially classical studies and Mediterranean studies.” Which made this distinguished scholar a reference in the civilizations of the East, and an expert in the field of relations between the Arab world and the rest of the world, with what was distinguished by his open mentality and a broad human horizon.

Al-Abadi has many books and research papers, the most important of which is “The Ancient Library of Alexandria: Its Biography and Fate”, which was first written in English and translated into almost all languages ​​of the world. Among his important books are “Egypt from Alexander the Great to the Arab Conquest” and “The Ancient Library of Alexandria” published by the Anglo-Egyptian Library. 1975, and deals mainly with the study of the fate of the library, in contrast to the book issued by UNESCO in 1990, "Alexandria since ancient times."

Al-Abadi played a pioneering role in the investigation of ancient Greek papyrus documents, and dozens of joint research papers, all of which were published in books, and one of his important translations is the book "Cairo, City of Art and Commerce", written by Gaston Viet 1968.

The world is farewell

On the day of Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi's death, the New York Times, The Economist, and other international newspapers called him, and the speech that Dr. Roger Buck Nold wrote in The New Yorker was, in which he said, "Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi was my father in Egypt" (according to Dr. Amr Al-Abadi).

Mostafa el-Abbadi is dead.

He aided the revival of an ancient library in Egypt with the help of President Nixon.

https://t.co/p3XHjUi4vX pic.twitter.com/Yik1DD9Aso

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) March 1, 2017

Amr Al-Abadi adds, "I wrote articles lamenting the father in all countries of the world, in Brazil, Japan and Europe, as well as the flowing feelings with which our friends in the Arab countries bestowed upon us, because our house was open to all friends, Arabs and foreigners, and many of all nationalities know our house and its small details, Among these friends, the Indian immigrant poet Anita Desai, who is an internationally known Indian writer, visited us and wrote a book in which she describes Papa and Mama in her story, and it contains an accurate description of our apartment in Al-Mazarita, and even describes the gate and balcony with its planting and roses.

And if behind every great man there is a woman, then Dr. Mustafa Al-Abadi was behind him a woman no less than his greatness, and she is his wife, Dr. Azza, about whom he said in more than one hadith, “She was my partner in everything, and she reviewed everything I wrote in English, and she was a witness and partner.” In all stages of success and failure, she shared my hobbies and my long and many trips.

Dr. Mohja Mustafa al-Abadi says that her father and mother "were in love with poetry, philosophy and Alexandria, and an Indian poet friend wrote a long poem about them enumerating their virtues, describing the neighborhoods and squares of Alexandria."