The Center was established in 2008 with the primary mission of promoting the Arabic language, literature, and culture in Ukraine. It aims to support the education of the Arabic language and literature, enhance the knowledge of Arabists about the history, culture, and arts of Arab countries, and provide students, postgraduates, and faculty members with educational, literary, and informational resources, including periodicals.
The Center has actively contributed to the development of international cooperation at the Institute of Philology. Since 2012, in collaboration with the Embassy of Egypt in Ukraine, it has organized film lectures for students specializing in Arabic studies, as well as meetings with prominent figures from the cultural and academic circles of Arab countries and prominent Orientalists. Annual events celebrating the birthday of the outstanding Egyptian writer, Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz, and the International Arabic Language Day have also become traditional highlights.
The Center and the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures take pride in founding and hosting the International Conference on the History of Arabic Literature (ICHAL) since 2015. This annual event unites Arabists from Ukraine and around the world. Since 2013, the Institute has hosted the All-Ukrainian Student Olympiad in Arabic Translation, which is supported by both the Center and the department.
The Center has its own library, which is continuously enriched through support from the embassies of Arab countries accredited in Ukraine, as well as from Ukrainian embassies in Arab nations, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Algeria.
The Center provides information and organizational support to students, lecturers and representatives of other higher education institutions of Ukraine regarding various forms of academic mobility, internships, participation in scientific conferences, and congresses.
The Director of the Center is O. Khomitska.
