Professor Simeon Evstatiev, Head of the Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, and Associate Professor Galina Evstatieva, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, took part in the Third International Conference on Arabic Studies in Europe (Sharjah, 8–9 November 2025).
The conference was organized by the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah under the personal patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah and a member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At his invitation, on 8 and 9 November 2025 the Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi Center hosted 24 scholars from 18 European countries specializing in Arabic language, Middle Eastern history, and culture.
The Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah is a state research institution dedicated to the study of Arabic and its role in the past and present of Arab and Islamic cultures. It maintains several regular flagship forums of international standing, one of which is the conference series devoted to Arabic Studies in Europe. The Academy was established in 2016 on the initiative of the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Sultan Al-Qasimi, who has transformed this emirate into an emerging major hub for education, scholarly research, culture, and the literary arts in the contemporary Arab world.
Alongside the Bulgarian representatives, the Third International Conference on Arab Studies in Europe brought together leading Arabists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. The discussions examined the development of various European schools of Arabic Studies, the teaching of Arabic language and culture across Europe, as well as topics related to translation from Arabic into European languages.
Professor Simeon Evstatiev delivered a paper exploring the emergence and development of the Bulgarian school of Arabic, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. He highlighted the contributions of key figures in Bulgaria’s Oriental Studies, including Ivan Dimitrov Kimryanov (1883–1913) and Aleksandar Yonkov Shishmanov (1889–1949).
His presentation also addressed the contemporary evolution of Arabic Studies in Bulgaria, with a particular focus on Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski as its central hub.
In her paper, Associate Professor Galina Evstatieva presented and analyzed translations of literary works from Arabic into Bulgarian. She outlined the major stages in the increasing interest among Bulgarian Arabists, over recent decades, in translating key works by classical and modern Arab authors.
Her presentation also emphasized that the processes of translation and publications in Bulgaria entail specific challenges that must be addressed to ensure broader access of the Bulgarian readers to the rich literary heritage created in the Arabic language.
During the conference, the Bulgarian representatives engaged in discussions on fostering academic cooperation with colleagues from the University of Sharjah and from several European countries. The Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah also organized a visit to Mleiha National Park , an archaeological and natural site in the central desert region of the emirate, where further discussions on the contributions of European Arabists and Islamicists to the study of Arabic language and culture were held in a specially arranged tent.
After their visit to Sharjah, the academics from Sofia University traveled to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where they met with the Bulgarian Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Ivan Yordanov. The meeting focused on cultural and academic relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the UAE and examined opportunities for collaboration between the Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies, Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, and UAE institutions. The discussions also explored possibilities for internships for students enrolled in the Arabic Studies Program and the Master’s Program “Middle East Studies with Arabic” in this increasingly important Gulf country.
The Third International Conference on Arabic Studies in Europe, along with the participation of Bulgarian scholars in the Sharjah forum, received coverage in major Arab electronic media outlets, such as Sharjah TV , as well as in the print press, including the newspaper Al Khaleej in the United Arab Emirates.