ABOUT BALASSI INSTITUTE 

Egypt was the first non-European country where Hungary opened a cultural institute. The Hungarian Scientific and Cultural Centre started its activities in 1974. At the request of the Egyptian government, in 1977 the institute was transformed into The Office of the Cultural Counsellor, functioning as part of the Hungarian Embassy in Cairo. In spite of this change in the name, the new Office could maintain a continuous Hungarian cultural presence in Cairo.

In 1980 the cultural representation shifted from the villa serving as its previous location to a rented property in the heart of the downtown, used earlier by the Embassy as a Press Office. The Office at the Gawad Hosni Street, in the middle of the commercial and banking quarter of Cairo, occupies the second floor of a three-storey building.

The Office of the Hungarian Cultural Counsellor in Cairo now fulfils mainly cultural diplomatic tasks, i.e. takes part in the implementation of the Hungarian-Egyptian cultural working programme, the bilateral Scientific and Technological Agreement, the agreement between the two Science Academies and the direct agreements between several universities.

The Cultural Office has always considered one of its main tasks to support the work of Hungarian Egyptologists and scholars of Arabic language and culture. The cultural mission frequently organizes scientific conferences and lectures in co-operation with Egyptian universities and scientific research institutes. It also helps the scientific research work of those Hungarian scholarship-holders, who travel to Egypt in the frameworks of bilateral agreements.

ABOUT BALASSI INSTITUTE 'S LIBRARY

At the Office there is a library consisting of four thousand volumes, a reading room and exhibition hall and an auditorium suitable for screening movies.

The Section of Egyptology provides office and store-room for the Hungarian archaeological missions working in Egypt.

Reference books, lexicons, dictionaries in Hungarian Hungarian language on foreign languages (mainly in English and French) Reference books on Hungary, Hungarian history and culture in English and French Hungarian newspapers, weeklies, cultural periodicals.

The library of the Balassi Institute is open to the public in opening hours. In line with the profile of the Institute, it is a library which specializes in Hungarian language and culture. It also houses books from the fields Law, Religion, Literature, Music, Sport, Cultural periodicals, History, Social, Philosophy, Education, Economy, etc.