Education/News/February 2026/Cairo University Spanish Language Volunteers document Madrid’s Historic and Contemporary Palaces

Cairo University Spanish Language Volunteers document Madrid’s Historic and Contemporary Palaces

Author: Walaa Abdel Manaem & Amr Fathy Nagy

Summary: As part of the Egypt Wikimedians User Group’s celebrations of the 25th Wikipedia Day, the group’s “Wikipedian Light of Knowledge (WLK)” initiative organized an edit-a-thon to translate articles about historic and modern palaces in Madrid from Spanish into Arabic.

Social Media channels or hashtags: Wikimedia Egypt

Wikipedian Light of Knowledge (WLK) is a volunteer initiative that emerged from the Egypt Wikimedians User Group (EWUG). It seeks to contribute to strengthening the educational ecosystem and enhancing the presence of Arabic knowledge online. The initiative is grounded in the firm belief that shared knowledge is one of the most powerful drivers of progress. Accordingly, it works to expand Arabic content on Wikipedia by engaging Arab Wikipedians—whether university students at various stages of their studies or graduates seeking to employ their knowledge in the service of open knowledge.

The WLK’s mission goes beyond merely increasing the number of Arabic articles. It also aims to develop the participants’ skills and refine their linguistic and scholarly abilities. In particular, it focuses on training them in accurate translation from foreign languages into Arabic and strengthening their ability to produce clear, well-structured Arabic prose that combines academic precision with an accessible and polished style. Through these efforts, the WLK seeks to empower researchers and students to carry out comprehensive research or encyclopedic translation projects with ease, within a collaborative environment that encourages continuous learning and the exchange of expertise.

The WLK is led by Dr. Walaa Abdel Manaem, Lecturer & Researcher in the Department of Spanish Language at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, Egypt & Board Chair of Egypt Wikimedians UG. She is also an administrator on the Arabic Wikipedia and the chairperson of the EWUG. Under her academic and intellectual supervision, the WLK has successfully brought together volunteer work and the spirit of scholarly research, creating a space where passion for knowledge meets the values of collaborative work.

Members of the WLK regularly take part in several knowledge- and culture-related occasions associated with the free-knowledge movement, such as Wikipedia Day, International Women's Day, Arabic Wikipedia Day, and World Arabic Language Day. These occasions provide valuable opportunities to strengthen community participation in building and enriching open knowledge content.

During the group’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia, both long-standing and new volunteers from the WLK participated in an edit-a-thon dedicated to writing and translating articles about historic and modern palaces in the city of Madrid]]. The event ran from 20 January to 6 February 2026 and involved 18 volunteers, most of whom were students from the Department of Spanish Language at Cairo University. Their collective efforts resulted in the creation of 119 new articles on the Arabic Wikipedia—an achievement that reflects the collaborative academic and volunteer spirit upon which the initiative is founded. Check Dashboard.

In recognition of these efforts, the participants were honored during the group’s annual conference, held on 5 February 2026 at the Misr Public Library. This recognition served as a celebration of volunteer knowledge work and as encouragement for further initiatives that contribute to enriching Arabic content on the internet. Also, during the conference itself, 11 students created 23 articles about urban design of streets and public squares in Madrid; Check Dashboard.