His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, received Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on Thursday (December 21, 2023), at the Presidential Palace, in Nouakchott, one day before the close of Nouakchott Celebration as the Culture Capital in the Islamic world.

At the beginning of the meeting, the ICESCO Director-General expressed his great thanks and gratitude to His Excellency the President of Mauritania for granting his high patronage to this year-long celebration, which featured a wide range of cultural and artistic activities, and the organization of international conferences and workshops, adding glow to the city of Nouakchott, which demonstrated its ancient, unique and diverse cultural heritage.

He also commended the efforts of all parties that contributed to the success of the celebration, which is implemented within the framework of ICESCO’s program to celebrate the cities of the Islamic world, particularly the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.

For his part, His Excellency the President of Mauritania hailed the roles of ICESCO and its remarkable achievements in recent years, especially in safeguarding and promoting the Islamic world heritage, praising the inscription of the Mauritanian Mahdara on the Islamic World Heritage List, and calling on ICESCO to pay special attention to the promotion of the Mahdara as a unique human heritage.

Dr. AlMalik welcomed this call, indicating that Mauritania is one of the countries that has inscribed most historical sites and cultural elements on ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage List. Besides, he reiterated the Organization’s willingness to further develop the outstanding partnership with the Mauritanian parties in the fields of education, science and culture.

The meeting saw the presence of Mr. Mokhtar Ould Ajay, Minister in charge of the Cabinet of the Presidency, Mr. Ahmed Sid Ahmed Dié, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament, and Mr. Mohamed Sidi Abdallah, Secretary-General of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, as well as Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO Culture and Communication Sector, and Dr. Nami Salehi, Supervisor of ICESCO Center of Heritage in the Islamic World.