Bridge among cultures and worlds

Abstract

The history of relations between the Arab world and Hungary dates back a very long time, and the role of influential personalities like István Zimonyi is of paramount importance in it. Speaking of two distant cultures, among which there is no common ground for effective communication, these people can make the missing bridges and construct links. Prof. Dr. István Zimonyi is the head of the Department of Medieval Studies at the University of Szeged, a well-known researcher of Hungarian early history and the medieval Turkic speaking nomads living in Eastern Europe, as well as the former director of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Cairo between 2007 and 2011. Nevertheless, Zimonyi is also an Orientalist who has a deep knowledge of the Arab world, language, and culture. In his works as a researcher the collection and translation of Arabic sources with commentary has an important role. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the diplomatic and cultural relations between the Arab world and Hungary with a special focus on Egypt, as well asto demonstrate the role of István Zimonyi's work in it.