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KSA Ministry Acquires Kuwaiti Arabic Dictionary

by Swati Gupta

October 1, 2023 10

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture has announced an agreement with Kuwait-based Sakhr Software Company to acquire the Sakhr Contemporary Arabic Lexicon (Al-Mu’jam Al-Mu’asir).

The agreement includes the transfer of intellectual property rights related to the dictionary, which encompasses various aspects such as source identification, material selection, arrangement, interpretation, explanation, and user-friendly presentation.

Fahad Al-Sharekh, the son of the founder of Sakhr Software Company, expressed his satisfaction with the deal, emphasizing that it is the outcome of Saudi Arabia’s dedication to preserving the Arabic language as part of Vision 2030.

“We are very happy and excited,” he added, “We are honored that the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language has acquired the lexicon.”

Al-Sharekh also highlighted that the lexicon comprises words spanning more than a century of cultural content, with entries from various regions, including Syria and Lebanon.

“We have input 100,000 words with new definitions,” he said.

Abdullah Al-Washmi, the Secretary-General of the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, underlined that the acquisition signifies the academy’s commitment to promoting the Arabic language in contemporary applications.

He praised the efforts of Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for KSAA, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, in elevating the cultural system through various channels and applications that serve both national and Arab cultures.

Al-Washmi emphasized that this commitment reaffirms the Kingdom’s leading global role in this field.

Founder of Sakhr Software Company, Mohammed Al-Sharekh, expressed his belief that the acquisition would benefit Arabic language users and drive the language toward new horizons.

Sakhr Software Company is renowned for its creation of the world’s first “Arabized computer,” developed in collaboration with Japanese giants Hitachi and Yamaha.