Conference dedicated to the 1150th Anniversary of the “Second Teacher” and the great thinker Abu Nasr al-Farabi held in the capital of Saudi Arabia

On December 8, 2020, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Riyadh, in cooperation with the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, organized an International Conference entitled “The Contribution of Abu Nasr al-Farabi to the Development of Human Civilization.”

The Conference was attended by HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal Al Saud, the Chairman of the KFCRIS, H.E. Mr. Askar Mussinov, the OIC Assistant Secretary General for Science and Technology, Dr. Saud Al-Sarhan, the Secretary General of the KFCRIS, Dr. Galymkair Mutanov, the Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Iraqi writer Dr. Rashid al-Khayun, Professor Dr. Absattar Haji Derbisali, the Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan, as well as Saudi philosophers and scientists.

In his opening address, Ambassador Berik Aryn briefed on the large-scale anniversary and scientific-practical events held in Kazakhstan and abroad to popularize the legacy of Abu Nasir al-Farabi. Ambassador drew attention that these events, as was stressed by the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, take on particular importance in the modernization of public consciousness and the formation of youth value orientations.

The Kazakh diplomat also said that the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, referring to the great scientist’s heritage, pointed out that the name of the great thinker Al-Farabi is an invaluable “symbolic capital” that promotes the country’s image on the world stage.

In his turn, HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal, noting that al-Farabi is a world-class genius, and his legacy has made a significant contribution to the development of human civilization, named al-Farabi as the founder of Islamic philosophy and a wise teacher who gave a positive impetus to the comprehensive development of global knowledge and science.

The OIC Assistant Secretary General Askar Mussinov spoke about the events held within the OIC on the occasion of this Anniversary, including the special resolution adopted in this regard within the framework of the 47th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place on November 27-28 this year in Niamey.

Other speakers shared the outcomes of their researches into the life and scientific works of al-Farabi. In this regard, Dr. Omar Tamalat, the head of the Department of rare books of the KFCRIS, said that the fund of the Center contains several manuscripts and about 90 copies of works of al-Farabi, which they are ready to provide to Kazakh scientists for research.

In general, the Saudi intellectuals and scholars who attended the International Conference highly appreciated the Embassy’s initiative. They expressed sincere gratitude for the opportunity to exchange views on the life, work, and legacy of Al-Farabi.