Honoring the Life of Dr. Adel Sulieman Gamal
In Memory
Adel Sulieman Gamal
عادل سليمان جمال
(1937-2025)
With great sadness, the academic community at the University of Arizona mourns the passing of Professor Adel S. Gamal, a renowned scholar of Arabic language & literature and Middle East Studies. Professor Gamal passed away on February the 13th, 2025 at the age of close to 88, leaving behind a legacy of dedication, scholarship, and mentorship.
Professor Gamal received a Bachelor of Arts with Honor in Arabic Language and Literature from Cairo University in 1959. He also received an M.A. with Honor in ancient Arab literature, in Al-ḥwaṣ al-Anṣāri’s poetry, from Cairo University in 1964 under the supervision of Professor Shawqi Dayf. In 1970, Professor Gamal obtained a PhD with First Class Honor in Old Arab Literature from Cairo University with a masterwork thesis titled Poems of Fortitude in Arab Literature (500-1100), under the supervision of his mentor Shawqi Dayf. Professor Gamal was trained and intellectually shaped by Sheikh Mahmoud Shaker, a long-time mentor. After Shaker’s death, Professor Gamal collected his published poetry in a collection that commemorates his mentor.
At the University of Arizona, Dr. Gamal held the position of Distinguished Professor of Arabic Studies in the School of Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENAS). He was also Director of the Center for Middle East Studies from 1981-1982 and Director of Graduate Studies from 1990-2000. His long-standing career at UA reflects the administrative trajectory from Oriental Studies to Near Eastern Studies to MENAS. Before joining Arizona in 1975, he taught at the American University in Cairo and the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2001 and upon the invitation of the United Arab Emirates, he took a leave from University of Arizona to found and head the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies and the Center of Arabic Language at Zayed University in Dubai. During the time from 2001 to 2004, he shaped the foundations of Arabic studies in what is now one of the best public universities in the region.
Dr. Gamal received over 50 research scholarships from the United States Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Research Center in Egypt, the Fulbright-Hayes, and the Fulbright Commission, among others. As a talented and passionate educator, he received seven teaching awards at the American University in Cairo and the University of Arizona, including the Berlington Northern Foundation Award for Academic Achievements and the Distinguished Teaching award from the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Dr. Gamal authored 11 books, two of which were granted the International Academy of Arabic award in 1996 and 2003. In addition, Dr. Gamal published over 35 chapters and papers in journals in the Arab world, Europe and the United States.
Dr. Gamal energetically participated in several national and international councils, including the Egyptian National Library, the National Archive, the Arab Manuscript Section in Egypt and the Egyptian National Center for Translation.
He also served as an academic external reviewer at universities in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Due to his dedication to the local community of Tucson AZ, he was awarded the 1983 Honorary Citizen of the City of Tucson, by the Mayor of Tucson, Lew Murphy.
Please refer to Dr. Gamal’s official webpage at the University of Arizona for more information about his unique career and legacy.
To honor his legacy, MENAS created an award in Dr. Gamal’s name some years ago to support student of advanced Arabic. Please use this link to donate to the Adel Gamal Advanced Arabic Award endowment.
Dr. Gamal will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and students, whose lives he touched through his teaching, research, and mentorship. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, kind heart, and giving chocolate to kids!!!
Professor Gamal is survived by his two daughters, Sahar and Randa, and four grandkids.
May he rest in peace!!!
With Love and Gratitude,
The Academic Community of Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies
University of Arizona