HM the King, Spanish Sovereign inaugurate exhibition ’25 years of Moroccan-Spanish archaeological cooperation’ in Rabat
PERSISMA, Rabat (16 July 2013) – His Majesty King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid and His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain, inaugurated, Tuesday in Rabat, the exhibition “25 years of Moroccan-Spanish archaeological cooperation: From Jbala to Draa between prehistory and modern age.”
Held at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, this exhibition showcases the results of main joint projects under the Spanish-Moroccan cooperation protocol in Archaeology and Heritage signed in 1988, including those relating to human presence in the eastern part of Morocco during the Pleistocene epoch, the archaeological research in the regions of “Jbala-Ghomara” and “Souss Tekna”, the archaeological map of northern Morocco, and the Neolithic origins in Mediterranean Morocco.
The exhibition is supported by the Spanish Embassy in Morocco and the Cervantes Institute in Rabat, under the patronage of the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID) and in collaboration with the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan Ministry of Culture.
On this occasion, Shawki Binbine and Driss Khrouz, respectively Director of the Royal library and Director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco were handed a copy of scanned and digitized Arabic manuscripts by President of the Board of Directors of the Spanish national heritage, Jose Rodriguez-Spiteri Palazuelo. These rare documents are owned by the Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial.
In a speech before the two sovereigns, Rodriguez-Spiteri Palazuelo said that the donation reflects the excellent relations of cooperation between the institution of the Spanish national heritage and the Kingdom of Morocco.
He said the donation includes a hard disk of 1939 scanned Arabic manuscripts and 327,661 digital images.
Recalling the historical value of the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial, José Rodriguez-Spiteri said the Monastery library has more than 2,000 Arabic manuscripts.
For his part, Spokesman for the Royal Palace and historian of the Kingdom, Abdelhak Lamrini thanked the institution of the Spanish National Heritage for the precious gift which reflects the very strong partnership between the two kingdoms, adding that this partnership is an excellent model that should be extended to scientific and cultural fields.
Source: MAP
