Dubai: Renowned Arabic literature professor and Egypt’s former minister of culture Gaber Asfour passed away on Friday, after a battle with illness. He was 77.
Dr. Asfour was admitted to ICU a few days ago after his health condition deteriorated.
Dr. Asfour, who is regarded as one of the most prominent Arab critics and cultural figures, left an imprint on Egyptian and Arab cultural scene.
Asfour was a professor of Arabic Literature at Cairo University.
One of the most prominent contemporary pioneers of literature wrote the book “Enlightenment Facing Darkness”.
Several Arab cultural figures and thinkers paid tribute to the writer, intellectual, researcher and academician who enriched the Arab cultural landscape for several decades.
“Egyptian and Arab culture has lost one of its solid pillars,” Egypt’s Culture Minister Enas Abdul Dayem said in a statement. She added that the late “made prominent fingerprints in the field of enlightenment and achieved many immortal achievements in it,” referring to his leading role in academic research and the management of cultural sites that he undertook.
The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation paid rich tributes to Asfour who departed the world after leaving behind a legacy of books and rich contributions to the Arab cultural scene.
Born on March 25, 1944, Dr. Asfour obtained a BA degree with honours from the Department of Arabic Language at Cairo University’s Faculty of Arts in 1965, and a master’s degree in 1969, and crowned his scientific career. with a PhD with first honours in 1973.
