Egyptian author and journalist Helmi Namnam has been appointed head of the National Library and Archives (NLA) by the country's culture minister, Gaber Asfour.

Namnan – who replaces Abdel-Nasser Hassan – will head the NLA's central administration, which includes the two divisions of the library and the archives.

The National Archives has its own head – currently Abdel-Wahed El-Nabawy.

In a press release, Namnan said that he will work on verifying manuscripts and preserving Egypt's heritage. He also promised to spread awareness of Egypt's historical importance and push for reprinting old manuscripts in new editions to gain a wider readership.

As for the archives, he said he will work hard to make sure that all state institutions hand over documents to the National Archives.

Egypt's National Archives lacks more recent state documents because most official bodies – especially the military, presidency, and ministries of foreign affairs and the interior – stopped handing over their papers in the middle of the last century.

Helmi El-Namnam earned a philosophy degree from Cairo University in 1982. He was the deputy editor of Al-Mosawar Magazine and deputy head of the General Egyptian Book Organisation (GEBO) before he became the CEO of Dar El-Hilal, one of the oldest publication houses in Egypt.

He is the author of many books, including Sayed Qutb and the July Revolution, Hassan El-Banna As You've Never Known, and Taha Hussien and Zionism.