The wife of iconic Ahram journalist and writer Mohamed Hassanein Heikal (1923-2016), Hedayet Taymour, has signed a final agreement with Bibliotheca Alexandrina to transfer Heikal's entire personal library to the Bibliotheca.

Under the agreement, Heikal's books, personal papers and belongings, in addition to his desk, will be kept at the Bibliotheca on public display.

Heikal's family has said that they wish to give young Arab generations a chance to see the writer's legacy, which is part of the history of the region. Heikal covered the events of the region extensively and witnessed some of its most crucial moments in person.

The agreement was signed in Heikal's home in Giza. Heikal's sons, Ahmed, Hassan and Ali, attended the signing of the agreement.

The prominent Egyptian writer was born in 1923, and started his career as a journalist in the fall of 1942 at the Egyptian Gazette.

His breakthrough came with his coverage of the World War II battle of Al-Alamein for the Gazette. He later moved on to join the most established editor of the time, Mohamed El-Tabei, in the most widely-circulated paper of the time; Akher Saa.

Heikal joined Akhbar Al-Youm and worked closely with the Amin brothers before moving on to chair Al-Ahram in 1957 for 14 years, transforming the paper into the Arab world’s most reputable press establishment.

In his later years, Heikal produced his largest volume of books offering insight into the politics of Egypt and the Middle East post Sykes-Picot up until the eve of the Arab Spring.