Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Salem Al-Malik, Director-General of ISESCO, signed a joint cooperation agreement between the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Faculty of Archeology, Ain Shams University and Philips University of Marburg (Germany).

The signing ceremony of the agreement was witnessed by Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President of Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President of Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Mamdouh Eldamaty, Dean of the Faculty of Archeology, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Shoki, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Archeology for Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Shahira Samir, Executive Director of the International Relations and Academic Cooperation Sector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Director of the International Cooperation Office, Prof. Dr. Sherwat Al-Ahmadi, Director of Expatriates Department, Prof. Dr. Abdel Razek El-Naggar, Head of the Department of Archeology and Excavations, and Dr. Albert Vois, President of the Council of Islamic Studies at Philipps University Marburg in Germany, shared them online.

The agreement aims to establish a joint international master’s program in digitizing and preserving the biblical heritage. ISESCO will provide a number of scholarships to scholars from Islamic countries in order to develop individuals working in heritage institutions to be able to make practical contributions to heritage conservation and management, armed with the necessary knowledge and skills through the master’s program international and unique in the region, this program, in partnership with other relevant international professional centers, will provide a hands-on education linking theory with practice, and students from diverse scientific disciplines will receive a flexible education based on practice and research, including international training and fieldwork, by a group of international experts from Egypt, Germany and Europe, so that graduates of this program are well prepared to work and bridge the gap in the labor market in Arab and Islamic countries, Africa and Europe.

It is noteworthy that the signing of the protocol came as an affirmation of the efforts exerted by Ain Shams University to develop heritage institutions and related academic programs, and to further consolidate research, scientific and societal relations between relevant international and regional bodies, and to complement the Egyptian efforts in the field of developing higher education and preserving Egyptian, Arab and Islamic heritage.

This was followed by the delegation's visit to the Heritage Collections Restoration Laboratory at the Faculty of Archeology, where they reviewed methods of training and educating students on techniques for preserving and preserving manuscripts.