About Us

The Instituto Cervantes is a public institution created in 1991 by the Spanish government in order to universally promote the teaching, study and use of the Spanish language and to contribute to the dissemination of Hispanic cultures abroad. The activities carried out by the Instituto Cervantes focus mainly on the linguistic and cultural heritage which is common to the countries and people of the Spanish speaking communities. At present there are 45 countries across the five continents linked by a network of 88 centres. In addition, there are two offices in Spain: the head office in Madrid and a further office in Alcalá de Henares.

Aims and objectives

• Organise general and special Spanish courses, including the co-official languages of Spain.
• Organise on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training the administration and issuing of the official diplomas for the DELE exams.
• Keep up to date with teaching methods and teaching training.
• Support the work of Hispanists.
• Participate in programmes to promote Spanish language and Spanish culture.
• Take part in cultural activities in collaboration with other Spanish and Hispanic American organisations and with organisations from the host countries.
• Manage the largest network of Spanish libraries in the world.
• Publish numerous digital resources through the Cervantes Virtual Center and make an electronic library available to the interested public.

In Egypt it is present in two cities: Cairo and Alexandria.

The Instituto Cervantes in Cairo is the last link in a chain of Spanish cultural institutions whose starting point goes back to the 1930s, to the Spanish School in Cairo, which would eventually become a Hispanic Cultural Center later the Spanish Cultural Center, and whom the Cervantes Institute took over in 1993.