In a historic milestone, acclaimed national hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s seminal novel Noli Me Tangere has been translated into Arabic for the first time, the Philippine Embassy in Iraq announced. The project marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Iraq.

The embassy spearheaded the translation initiative to make Rizal’s 19th-century work accessible to Arabic-speaking audiences, recognizing the shared cultural and historical ties between the two nations.

Arabic, spoken by over 400 million people worldwide, now joins the list of languages in which the Philippine national hero’s work is available.

The translation was led by Reyadh Mahdi Jasim Al-Najjar of the University of Baghdad, with support from the Philippine Embassy and other government agencies.

Officials confirmed that copies of the Arabic version of Noli Me Tangere are expected to be available to the public later this year.