The Cervantes Institute held a symposium at its headquarters in Alexandria in honour of late Egyptian historian in Andalusian studies Ahmed Mukhtar El-Abbadi, who headed the Egyptian Institute for Spanish Studies in Madrid in two different periods and had also occupied the post of the cultural advisor of Egypt in Spain.  

The symposium was held on 28 March with the participation of Director of Cervantes Institutes in Egypt Javier Ruiz Sierra and an array of attendees, including El-Abbadi's son, Hossam El-Abbadi, who is also involved in Andalusian studies, as well as professors of history at Alexandria's Faculty of Arts and Literature Zakaria Anani, Sahar Salem, and Spanish studies experts Radwan El-Baroudi and Mohamed El-Gamal.

The symposium has been organised within the framework of the “Senior Egyptian Historians” series launched by the institute to celebrate historians, especially those specialising in Andalusian studies.

El-Abbadi (20 April 1922 - 25 April 2016) is considered one of the most prominent specialists in Andalusian studies in the Arab world to this day.

The institute seeks through this honour to recognise the efforts and work of historian El-Abbadi and his role in spreading the Spanish and Andalusian speaking culture in the world, knowing that he had founded the Alexandria School in cooperation with Professor Abdel-Aziz Salem.

It is noteworthy that during the mid-twentieth century, a group of historians who were educated in Spain and specialised in Andalusian history and culture, established the School of Alexandria, which specialised in Andalusian studies and the history and culture of this civilisation.

In recognition of the efforts of the founders of this school, the Cervantes Institute in Alexandria is organising a series of seminars to honour them and celebrate their work.