ReferencesUnited Arab Emirates

The Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language: a goal of more than 80 years, reached

For the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah we built the research platform in which more than 300 researchers from across the Arab world wrote the history of the Arabic language, word by word: its core and every interface they worked in.

The dictionary online More libraries to open

The project

Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language

The first attempt to write the history of Arabic words began in 1936 and stalled after part of the first letter. For more than 80 years the goal stayed out of reach. In 2018 the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah took it on again, under the Union of Arab Scientific Language Academies, and MediaINFO built the platform the work would be done in.

We built its core and every interface the researchers worked in. First came a digital library of the sources: by 2020, nearly 20,000 Arabic books, sources and historical documents, among them inscriptions from the third century before Islam, quick to search, with results shown in their historical context and text read from the scanned pages. On top of it came the interfaces in which more than 300 researchers, linguists and editors from across the Arab world traced each word from its first known use and recorded how its meanings changed. MediaINFO Digital Library was the base it all ran on; Forefront Technologies, our distributor in the Middle East, co-designed and supplied the technology infrastructure.

In November 2020 the first eight volumes were launched at a ceremony in Khor Fakkan, before heads of Arabic language academies; our chief executive was among the speakers. The first 17 volumes and the dictionary's website followed in 2021, and in December 2024 Guinness World Records named the finished dictionary, at 127 volumes, the largest Arabic language dictionary series. With the dictionary complete, the Academy no longer needs the platform: it was built for one objective, and the objective was met.

In pictures

From the platform to the printed volumes.

  • The sign-in page of the research platform, titled in Arabic and in English: The Arabic Language Historical Corpus.
    The research platform we built for the Academy: its sign-in page, 2019.
  • A long ceremonial table in a hall, with the guests seated and the dictionary's banner on the screen at the end.
    The launch of the first eight volumes, Khor Fakkan, November 2020.
  • MediaINFO's chief executive speaking into a microphone at the launch table, his name plate in Arabic in front of him.
    Our chief executive among the speakers at the launch, November 2020.
  • The first printed volumes of the dictionary, open and stacked in a lit display case.
    The first printed volumes, 2020.
  • A volume of the dictionary lying open on a table, with a handwritten dedication in Arabic on the first page.
    The first volume, signed by the Ruler of Sharjah at its release, 2020.
  • The Guinness World Records certificate in a frame, standing in front of shelves of the dictionary's volumes.
    The Guinness World Records certificate for the finished dictionary, December 2024.

Timeline

Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language, year by year.

  1. The first attempt to write the history of Arabic words begins, and stalls after part of the first letter. MediaINFO

  2. The Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah chooses MediaINFO Digital Library for the project's digital library, and the first phase begins. MediaINFO

  3. The first phase is complete, with thousands of Arabic books searchable; the work turns to the interfaces the researchers write in. MediaINFO

  4. The first eight volumes are launched at a ceremony in Khor Fakkan, before heads of Arabic language academies. Oman Daily

  5. The first 17 volumes and the dictionary's website are launched at the Sharjah International Book Fair. The National

  6. Guinness World Records names the finished dictionary, 127 volumes in seven years, the largest Arabic language dictionary series. Guinness World Records

Written about it

In the press

Open them yourself

More libraries anyone can open.

  1. Scriptorium

    Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire - LausanneSwitzerland

    Open since 2012

    about9 million pagesBCU Lausanne, August 2026

    The press of the canton of Vaud from 1674 to this year: more than 120 newspaper and magazine titles, with gazettes, almanacs and the Encyclopédie d'Yverdon.

    Open www.scriptorium.chThe story of Scriptorium

  2. ETERA

    Tallinn University Academic LibraryEstonia

    Open since 2015

    about7.4 million pagesETERA platform statistics, October 2026

    Books, periodicals and newspapers, theses since 2005, research collections and the Lotman and Mints archive, with photographs, maps, sheet music and video.

    Open www.etera.eeThe story of ETERA

  3. Digitálna knižnica UKB

    Univerzitná knižnica v BratislaveSlovakia

    Open since 2012

    more than1.6 million pagesUniversity Library in Bratislava, September 2026

    Newspapers, journals, books, sheet music and manuscripts from the 16th century to today, in Slovak, German, Hungarian and other languages, including the Bašagić collection of Islamic manuscripts.

    Open digitalna.kniznica.infoThe story of UKB

  4. TASR

    The News Agency of the Slovak RepublicSlovakia

    Open since 2017

    more than1.4 million objectsTASR object counter, October 2026

    The archive of the News Agency of the Slovak Republic: photographs, negatives, slides, microfiche, agency reports and newspaper articles.

    Open vtedy.tasr.skThe story of TASR

  5. Memory of Kuwait

    National Library of KuwaitKuwait

    Books, periodicals, documents, photographs, maps, stamps, coins, music, audio and video that record the history of the State of Kuwait.

    Open memoryofkuwait.nlk.gov.kw

  6. MBRL Digital Library

    Mohammed bin Rashid LibraryUnited Arab Emirates

    Manuscripts and rare books from the library's collections.

    Open dlibrary.mbrl.ae

  7. Dar Al Kutob Digital Archive

    Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture AuthorityUnited Arab Emirates

    A growing collection of Islamic manuscripts in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish and Persian, described by script, copy date and subject.

    Open digitalarchive.dctabudhabi.ae

  8. Digitálna knižnica CVTI SR

    The Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical InformationSlovakia

    University textbooks, scientific monographs and journals, and the manuscripts of the Lyceum Library in Bratislava, from universities and institutes across Slovakia.

    Open digitalnakniznica.cvtisr.sk

  9. Kuwait University Digital Library

    Kuwait UniversityKuwait

    Open since 2022

    Theses and dissertations of Kuwait University in Arabic and English, with books, periodicals, manuscripts, audio and film.

    Open onlinelibrary.ku.edu.kw

  10. Kunooz

    Sharjah City MunicipalityUnited Arab Emirates

    The municipality's own magazine, from 2009 to this year, and its video archive, in Arabic.

    Open kunooz.shjmun.gov.ae

  11. KCAC Archive

    Kurdistan Center for Arts & CultureIraq

    Books, manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and historical documents, in Kurdish, Arabic, Ottoman Turkish and Persian.

    Open archive.kcac.org

  12. ISDC E-Collection

    The Swiss Institute of Comparative LawSwitzerland

    Open since 2011

    Legal opinions, yearbooks and the publication series of the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, in French, German, English and Italian.

    Open www.e-collection.isdc.ch

See it on your own material.

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