Mostafa El-Abbadi
- February 13, 2017
- 88 years
- heart failure
About Mostafa El-Abbadi
Mostafa El-Abbadi, 88, Egyptian historian, heart failure.
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Full Biography
|Mostafa Abdel-Hamid el-Abbadi (Arabic: مصطفى العبادي; 10 October 1928 – 13 February 2017) was a prominent Egyptian historian, public intellectual and professor specialized in Greco-Roman studies. He died on 13 February 2017, at the age of 88, in Alexandria.
Education
El-Abbadi was educated in Egypt and the United Kingdom. He completed his undergraduate BA at Alexandria University. At age 22, he was awarded a scholarship from the Egyptian government to study at the University of Cambridge. He graduated with special BA and PhD in ancient history at Cambridge. He received an honorary doctorate from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
Work
After graduation, El-Abbadi became a lecturer and then a professor in Greco-Roman studies at the University of Alexandria. Ismail Serageldin credited him with initially proposing the revival of the ancient library of Alexandria. The project was embraced by UNESCO in 1986, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was completed in 2003, but he was not invited to the opening. He was critical of some of aspects of the project as realized by the Egyptian government, telling the New York Times that the library was at risk of becoming "a cultural center" rather than fulfilling its "promise as a world-class research center." He authored the Library of Alexandria entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica.
El-Abbadi was a member of Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture (SCC), Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), and l'Institut d'Égypte. He served as president of the Archaeological Society of Alexandria and was an advisor to UNESCO.
Personal life
Mostafa El-Abbadi was married to the literary critic and scholar Azza Kararah, who died in 2015. His father, Abdel-Hamid El-Abbadi, was a historian and founding dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alexandria. He had two children, a son, the computer scientist Amr El Abbadi and a daughter, Dr Mohga El-Abbadi.
Honours
El-Abbadi was a recipient of the Order of the Nile. On 10 October 2022, he was celebrated online with a Google Doodle.
Selected works
- What happened to the ancient Library of Alexandria? Leiden: Brill (2008).
- The Life and Fate of the Ancient Library of Alexandria. Paris: UNESCO (1990, 1992, 1999).
- "The Alexandrian Citizenship," Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (1962).
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Mostafa el-Abbadi, Champion of Alexandria's Resurrected Library, Dies at 88"nytimes.com
- "Obituary: Mostafa el-Abbadi died on February 13th"economist.com
Reported coverage of Mostafa El-Abbadi; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostafa_El-Abbadi
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Mostafa El-Abbadi's archived record and the sources above.
1.Which publication features an entry written by Mostafa El-Abbadi about the Library of Alexandria?
- A.Encyclopædia Britannicacorrect
- B.The New Yorker
- C.Leiden Journal
- D.Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
Mostafa El-Abbadi authored the Library of Alexandria entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica.
Source: Work section
2.What was the profession of Mostafa El-Abbadi's wife, Azza Kararah?
- A.Computer scientist
- B.Literary critic and scholarcorrect
- C.Archaeologist
- D.Historian
Mostafa El-Abbadi was married to the literary critic and scholar Azza Kararah.
Source: Personal life section
3.What was the role of Mostafa El-Abbadi's father, Abdel-Hamid El-Abbadi, at the University of Alexandria?
- A.President of the Archaeological Society
- B.Professor of Greco-Roman studies
- C.Founding dean of the Faculty of Artscorrect
- D.Advisor to UNESCO
Abdel-Hamid El-Abbadi was a historian and founding dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alexandria.
Source: Personal life section
4.What is the name of Mostafa El-Abbadi's son?
- A.Ismail El-Abbadi
- B.Amr El Abbadicorrect
- C.Alexandre El-Abbadi
- D.Abdel-Hamid El-Abbadi
Mostafa El-Abbadi had a son, the computer scientist Amr El Abbadi.
Source: Personal life section
5.Which award did Mostafa El-Abbadi receive?
- A.Order of the Nilecorrect
- B.Egyptian Medal of Honor
- C.Order of the British Empire
- D.UNESCO Medal
Mostafa El-Abbadi was a recipient of the Order of the Nile.
Source: Honours section
6.On what date was Mostafa El-Abbadi celebrated with a Google Doodle?
- A.13 February 2017
- B.13 February 2022
- C.10 October 1928
- D.10 October 2022correct
On 10 October 2022, Mostafa El-Abbadi was celebrated online with a Google Doodle.
Source: Honours section
7.In which journal did Mostafa El-Abbadi publish 'The Alexandrian Citizenship'?
- A.Journal of Egyptian Archaeologycorrect
- B.Bibliotheca Alexandrina Quarterly
- C.The New Yorker
- D.Brill Historical Review
Mostafa El-Abbadi published 'The Alexandrian Citizenship' in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology in 1962.
Source: Selected works section
8.What caused the death of Mostafa El-Abbadi?
- A.Pneumonia
- B.Cancer
- C.Stroke
- D.Heart failurecorrect
Mostafa El-Abbadi passed away due to heart failure.
Source: biographical header
9.What was the date of birth for Mostafa El-Abbadi?
- A.13 February 1928
- B.10 October 1928correct
- C.10 October 2022
- D.13 February 2017
Mostafa El-Abbadi was born on 10 October 1928.
Source: biographical header
10.In which city did Mostafa El-Abbadi die?
- A.Cairo
- B.Cambridge
- C.Alexandriacorrect
- D.Montreal
Mostafa El-Abbadi died in Alexandria at the age of 88.
Source: biographical header
11.Where did Mostafa El-Abbadi complete his undergraduate BA degree?
- A.Oxford University
- B.University of Cambridge
- C.Alexandria Universitycorrect
- D.Université du Québec à Montréal
Mostafa El-Abbadi completed his undergraduate BA at Alexandria University.
Source: Education section
12.How old was Mostafa El-Abbadi when he received a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge?
- A.22correct
- B.20
- C.18
- D.25
At age 22, Mostafa El-Abbadi was awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge.
Source: Education section
13.Which university awarded Mostafa El-Abbadi an honorary doctorate?
- A.University of Alexandria
- B.Université du Québec à Montréalcorrect
- C.University of Cambridge
- D.Cairo University
Mostafa El-Abbadi received an honorary doctorate from the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Source: Education section
14.Who is credited with initially proposing the revival of the ancient Library of Alexandria?
- A.Ismail Serageldincorrect
- B.Abdel-Hamid El-Abbadi
- C.Azza Kararah
- D.Amr El Abbadi
Ismail Serageldin credited Mostafa El-Abbadi with initially proposing the revival of the ancient library.
Source: Work section
15.In what year did UNESCO embrace the project to revive the Library of Alexandria?
- A.1990
- B.1986correct
- C.1999
- D.2003
The Library of Alexandria project was embraced by UNESCO in 1986.
Source: Work section
16.What concern did Mostafa El-Abbadi express to the New York Times regarding the new library?
- A.It was at risk of becoming merely a cultural centercorrect
- B.It was built in the wrong location
- C.It would lose its historical records
- D.It would lack sufficient funding
Mostafa El-Abbadi feared the library would become a cultural center rather than a world-class research center.
Source: Work section
People who died on February 13
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