The ''Global Arabic Encyclopedia'' ( ar, الموسوعة العربية العالمية) is an

encyclopedic An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

reference work written in the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

language. It is in part a translation of the American ''

World Book Encyclopedia The ''World Book Encyclopedia'' is an American encyclopedia. The encyclopedia is designed to cover major areas of knowledge uniformly, but it shows particular strength in scientific, technical, historical and medical subjects. ''World Book'' wa ...

'', edited and expanded to reflect an Arab–

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

perspective. Its composition and publication were funded by

Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (c. 5 January 1928 – 22 October 2011) (Arabic: سلطان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Sulṭān ibn ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Suʿūd''), called ''Sultan the Good'' (Arabic: سلطان الخير ''Sulṭa ...

, Crown Prince of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. The printed edition first appeared in 1996 (1416 AH) as a 30-volume set with color illustrations. A second, revised edition appeared in 1999 (1419 AH) and in the same year a digitization project was started that resulted in an electronic internet edition in 2004. The encyclopedia contains almost 24,000 articles.

Editions

The printed edition of the ''Global Arabic Encyclopedia'' consists of 30 volumes, it contains about 17,000 pages and has approximately 12,000 illustrations, 2500 maps, 4,000 charts, and 1,000 tables and timelines. it was printed twice, first in 1996 and the final one was in 1999. The electronic online version of the global Arabic encyclopedia consists of two sections, the free of charge section which contains about 4,000 articles searchable freely. The other section of the site is a

subscription The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, and ...

based portion that covers over 150,000 research material-titles and subtitles, includes 20,000 illustrations and maps. 500 audio files and video clips are also available. In

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

2007 (1428 AH) an unofficial version of the encyclopedia was released in the .chm format.

Reception

In a 2009 catalogue entry, P. Bearman describes the ''GAE'' as having wide coverage, but also a "subtle Saudi-centric stance" and an overall lack of objectivity, as witnessed by the lack of any mention of

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, the not-mentioning of the

homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

in articles about

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

and

Abu Nuwas Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī (variant: Al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī 'Abd al-Awal al-Ṣabāḥ, Abū 'Alī (), known as Abū Nuwās al-Salamī () or just Abū Nuwās Garzanti ( ''Abū Nuwās''); 756814) was a classical Arabic poet, ...

, and the removal of the ''World Book'' article about

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

in favor of a condemning new article about sexual deviations. The ''GAE'' contains no lists of references or suggestions for further reading.

References

External links

The Official online Global Arabic Encyclopedia Web site

The Works Of encyclopedia Institution
{{Authority control Arabic-language encyclopedias Saudi Arabian online encyclopedias 1996 non-fiction books 1999 non-fiction books Arab encyclopedias 20th-century encyclopedias 21st-century encyclopedias

Editions

Reception

See also

References

External links