emirates7 - The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) participated in the second International Scientific and Practical Conference held in Moscow by the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Education Centre in collaboration with the Primakov School.
Organised under the theme Teaching Arabic in the Modern World: Traditions and Innovations, the conference brought together 50 Russian-speaking experts and 15 Arabic speakers to explore modern approaches to Arabic language teaching that blend tradition with contemporary educational technologies.
The event targeted researchers, teachers and students of Arabic, with discussions covering artificial intelligence and language models in Arabic language instruction, the role of Arabic dialects in Russian education and the use of modern tools to teach Modern Standard Arabic, including at the university level. Participants also examined standards for evaluating instruction quality, ways to enhance reading experiences, the use of translation practice, research into ethnolinguistics and prospects for teaching Qur’anic Arabic in schools.
Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, said the conference plays a vital role in strengthening cultural cooperation between the UAE and Russia and in enhancing exchange between Arab and Russian cultural spheres. He noted that the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Education Centre, inaugurated last year in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vladimir Putin, represents a prestigious academic institution that advances strategic cooperation and supports Arabic language education, along with history, culture, arts and sciences.
He said the Primakov School has cultivated creative minds and supported talented learners from nearly 50 Russian regions, a strategy aligned with the ALC’s mission to promote Arabic, support creative talents and provide research and translation grants that encourage scholarship and knowledge.
Bin Tamim served as Guest of Honour at the conference’s first main panel, Centres and Directions of Russian Arabism: Balancing Tradition and Innovation, alongside experts from Saint Petersburg State University, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Higher School of Economics, as well as specialists from Arab studies centres.
He highlighted ALC initiatives that support researchers, including the annual Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which honours leading thinkers, academics and creatives across 10 categories, and the Centre’s grants for research on Arabic curricula and instruction. He also underscored the importance of Al Markaz: The Journal of Arab Studies, published by ALC in partnership with Brill, noting its role in bridging Arab and international scholarship and addressing the scarcity of peer-reviewed Arabic academic publications. He said the journal has restored the presence of Arabic as a language of scientific research and positioned it alongside leading international sources in Arabic and Islamic studies.
Through its participation, the ALC reinforced its international presence and expanded its role in building connections, strengthening cultural collaboration and shaping shared spaces for future cooperation. The two-day event featured various activities, including a performance by Arabic language students titled Hand in Hand, highlighting the role of Arabic as a bridge between cultures.
At the conclusion of the conference, bin Tamim and an ALC delegation visited the Library for Foreign Literature, Russia’s second-largest library, which houses around 4.5 million books in more than 150 languages, including approximately 20,000 Arabic titles. They met with the Library’s Director to discuss current cultural exchange and future opportunities for collaboration.
Organised under the theme Teaching Arabic in the Modern World: Traditions and Innovations, the conference brought together 50 Russian-speaking experts and 15 Arabic speakers to explore modern approaches to Arabic language teaching that blend tradition with contemporary educational technologies.
The event targeted researchers, teachers and students of Arabic, with discussions covering artificial intelligence and language models in Arabic language instruction, the role of Arabic dialects in Russian education and the use of modern tools to teach Modern Standard Arabic, including at the university level. Participants also examined standards for evaluating instruction quality, ways to enhance reading experiences, the use of translation practice, research into ethnolinguistics and prospects for teaching Qur’anic Arabic in schools.
Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, said the conference plays a vital role in strengthening cultural cooperation between the UAE and Russia and in enhancing exchange between Arab and Russian cultural spheres. He noted that the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Education Centre, inaugurated last year in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vladimir Putin, represents a prestigious academic institution that advances strategic cooperation and supports Arabic language education, along with history, culture, arts and sciences.
He said the Primakov School has cultivated creative minds and supported talented learners from nearly 50 Russian regions, a strategy aligned with the ALC’s mission to promote Arabic, support creative talents and provide research and translation grants that encourage scholarship and knowledge.
Bin Tamim served as Guest of Honour at the conference’s first main panel, Centres and Directions of Russian Arabism: Balancing Tradition and Innovation, alongside experts from Saint Petersburg State University, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Higher School of Economics, as well as specialists from Arab studies centres.
He highlighted ALC initiatives that support researchers, including the annual Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which honours leading thinkers, academics and creatives across 10 categories, and the Centre’s grants for research on Arabic curricula and instruction. He also underscored the importance of Al Markaz: The Journal of Arab Studies, published by ALC in partnership with Brill, noting its role in bridging Arab and international scholarship and addressing the scarcity of peer-reviewed Arabic academic publications. He said the journal has restored the presence of Arabic as a language of scientific research and positioned it alongside leading international sources in Arabic and Islamic studies.
Through its participation, the ALC reinforced its international presence and expanded its role in building connections, strengthening cultural collaboration and shaping shared spaces for future cooperation. The two-day event featured various activities, including a performance by Arabic language students titled Hand in Hand, highlighting the role of Arabic as a bridge between cultures.
At the conclusion of the conference, bin Tamim and an ALC delegation visited the Library for Foreign Literature, Russia’s second-largest library, which houses around 4.5 million books in more than 150 languages, including approximately 20,000 Arabic titles. They met with the Library’s Director to discuss current cultural exchange and future opportunities for collaboration.