Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

What Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies does

The Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies is a non-profit academic research center established in 2012 and housed within North Carolina State University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The center's core mission is to preserve, digitize, and disseminate the histories of Lebanese immigrants and their descendants in the United States and globally. It serves academic researchers, graduate students, K-12 educators, and the Arab American diaspora community through free access to its archives, databases, documentaries, publications, and educational resources.

The center's flagship technology product is Fihris.org, an AI-powered Arabic manuscript archive developed in-house over two years using proprietary Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) models trained on the Muharaf dataset — described as the largest Arabic HTR dataset — along with OpenAI's GPT for translation and summarization. Fihris enables the first-ever full-text searchable access to Arabic manuscripts across multiple languages. Supporting products include the Arab American Newspaper Database (~500,000 pages), the Nassour Archive of Lebanese Diaspora (Omeka-based), the Mashriq & Mahjar peer-reviewed journal, multiple documentary films, the Voices of the Mahjar podcast, traveling and virtual exhibits, and the world's first graduate program in Middle East Public History.

The center operates on institutional funding from NC State University and competitive grants (NHPRC, NC Humanities Council). All products, archives, and services are provided free of charge; there is no commercial pricing model. Go-to-market is hybrid: community-driven archive collection via Lebanese and Arab American community donations, event-driven engagement through conferences and documentary screenings, and API-style digital distribution via web platforms and YouTube. The center maintains global distribution of its digital archives while concentrating physical operations in Raleigh, NC.

Name

Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

Legal name

Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies

Website

https://lebanesestudies.ncsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Khayrallah Center is a non-profit academic research center at NC State University that preserves and digitizes the histories of Lebanese immigrants and their descendants. It serves researchers, students, educators, and the Arab American diaspora through free AI-powered Arabic manuscript archives, documentaries, and a graduate program in Middle East Public History.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. University Funding and Grants: As an academic center at NC State University, the Khayrallah Center receives institutional funding from the university and operates on grant funding from organizations such as the NHPRC (National Historical Publications and Records Commission) and NC Humanities Council.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Khayrallah Center is a non-profit university research center that preserves, digitizes, and provides public access to historical archives documenting Lebanese and Arab American diaspora experiences. It develops AI-powered tools (including the Fihris.org platform) for transcribing and translating Arabic manuscripts, produces documentaries and podcasts, publishes a peer-reviewed academic journal, and offers graduate education in Middle East Public History.

Product overview

The Khayrallah Center operates as a digital humanities research center with multiple interconnected products and services. Its flagship technological product is Fihris.org, an AI-powered Arabic manuscript archive that transcribes, translates, and enables full-text search of historical Arabic documents. This core platform is supported by the Arab American Newspaper Database (nearly 500,000 pages of historical texts) and the Nassour Archive of Lebanese Diaspora (Omeka-based digital archive). The Center also produces documentary films (Cedars in the Pines, Herbert Nassour: The People's Doctor, WE NEVER LEFT), the Voices of the Mahjar podcast, and numerous digital humanities mapping and research projects. Academic offerings include the Mashriq & Mahjar peer-reviewed journal and the Middle East Public History graduate program at NC State. The Center maintains virtual and traveling exhibits (Turath, The Lebanese in America) and conducts research surveys on Lebanese diaspora philanthropy and public opinion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fihris.org: AI-powered Arabic manuscript archive that transcribes, summarizes, and translates Arabic manuscripts into searchable digital text
• Mashriq & Mahjar
• Voices of the Mahjar
• Arab American Newspaper Database
• Nassour Archive of Lebanese Diaspora

Products and services

• Fihris.org AI-Powered Arabic Manuscript Archive AI-powered platform that hosts Arabic manuscript images, transcribes them into digital text using proprietary Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) models, summarizes content, and translates from Arabic into English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Provides free public access globally via web and mobile app.
• Arab American Newspaper Database Digital database containing nearly 500,000 pages of historical Arabic-language newspapers and texts, helping fill a digital gap in Arab American archival material that is challenging to digitize with common OCR software.
• Nassour Archive of Lebanese Diaspora Omeka-based digital archive preserving Arabic archives reimagined with artificial intelligence, housing digitized materials chronicling Lebanese migrants and their descendants.
• Mashriq & Mahjar Academic Journal Peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to disseminating original research on migration from, to, and within the Middle East region, accessible online through OJS platform.
• Middle East Public History Graduate Studies Graduate program at NC State combining rigorous training in Middle East history with hands-on experience in public history, digital humanities, and archival work, including funded internships at the Khayrallah Center.
• Cedars in the Pines Documentary Full-length documentary narrating the lives of Lebanese immigrants in North Carolina from 1890 to the present, telling the story of their legacy of accomplishments.
• Voices of the Mahjar Podcast Podcast-style series of interviews bringing to life the histories of the Lebanese diaspora and discussing issues diasporic communities face across the world today.
• Turath Virtual Exhibit Multimedia virtual exhibit displaying early Arab American cultural life through the work of Arab American artists, writers, poets, performers, musicians, and journalists.
• Digital Humanities Projects Portfolio Collection of digital humanities projects covering Lebanese-American immigration, mapping, business records, family albums, and archival collections, accessible through the center's website.
• Index of Arab American Archives A singular gateway for researchers to access Arab American history collections across US institutions, featuring an interactive map and links to finding guides.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 500,000 pages of historical texts now searchable online through the Arab American Newspaper Database
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• OpenAIcoreTechnology or Integration · 9 February 2026Used OpenAI's GPT for generating translations and summaries in the Fihris platform.
• NC State University (Department of Public History)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2025Partnered with NC State's groundbreaking graduate program in Middle East Public History, providing funded internships at the Khayrallah Center for students.
• Qatar National Library's Heritage LibraryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025Co-organizers of the conference 'Public History in the Middle East' scheduled for October 19-20, 2026 at Qatar National Library. The conference aims to map the current state of public history in the Middle East and foster dialogue on its challenges and opportunities.
• Arab American National MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2023Collaborated on the Index of Arab American Archives project, which offers a gateway for researchers to access various collections of Arab American histories housed in US institutions.
• Dr. Maria Curtis at The University of Houston-Clear LakecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2023Collaborator on the Index of Arab American Archives project alongside the Arab American National Museum and Khayrallah Center.
• Arab American National MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2023Worked closely with the museum on the Arab American Labor Project, including access to archival materials and historical collections.
• NC State Graduate StudentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2023Developed by a team of NC State Graduate Students and Dr. Akram Khater for the Arab American Labor Project.
• Josh Sabey (Award-winning film producer)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2023Collaborated on the Arab American Labor digital exhibit as film producer.
• NC State's Institute for NonprofitscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016Joint preliminary study of Lebanese-American philanthropy in Fall 2016, a collaborative project to understand what motivates Lebanese-Americans to donate their time and resources.
• North Carolina Museum of HistorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2012Hosted the premiere of Cedars in the Pines documentary and collaborated on museum exhibit development.
• NC State Language and Life ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2012Co-produced Cedars in the Pines documentary with Danica Cullinan and Neal Hutones of the NC State Language and Life Project.
• Triangle Lebanese-American CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on screening of WE NEVER LEFT documentary.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Internet Archive: Digital library and archive offering free public access to digitized books, newspapers, and historical materials. Broad incumbent in the digital archive space with overlapping functionality on newspaper digitization and public access.
• Adam Matthew Digital: Publisher of curated primary source databases for academic libraries, including extensive Middle East and migration-themed collections. Broad incumbent in academic digital archive publishing with overlapping customer base (university researchers).
• ProQuest: Major academic information provider hosting digitized historical newspapers and primary source collections accessed by universities worldwide. Broad incumbent with overlapping academic customer base and newspaper archive product.
• Library of Congress (African and Middle Eastern Division): Large incumbent institution that holds and digitizes Arabic-language newspaper collections and manuscripts. Broadly comparable in archival mission but operates at vastly larger scale and across many languages and regions.

Direct peers

• Qatar National Library: Flagship cultural heritage institution operating Heritage Library collections of Arabic and Middle Eastern manuscripts. Direct peer in Arabic manuscript digitization, public history convening, and co-organizer of the 2026 Public History conference.
• Arab American National Museum: Dearborn-based museum and cultural institution dedicated to preserving and presenting Arab American history. Direct peer on mission, audience (Arab American diaspora), and ongoing co-development partner on the Index of Arab American Archives.
• Aga Khan Documentation and Information Services: Operates archives, libraries, and digitization programs focused on Islamic and Muslim-world manuscripts, including handwritten Arabic. Comparable in mission to preserve and provide access to Arabic manuscript heritage through digital tools.

Others

• J. Paul Getty Trust / Getty Research Institute: Cultural heritage research institution with digital scholarship programs and archives. Adjacent peer on the model of an endowed research organization producing digital humanities outputs, though focused on visual arts rather than diaspora studies.

Emerging players

• Sakhr Software: Historical Arabic NLP and OCR company with deep experience in Arabic text recognition and language technologies. Emerging/commercial peer on the underlying HTR and Arabic language technology stack that powers manuscript digitization.
• Transkribus: European cooperative platform providing AI-based handwritten text recognition services for historical documents, including some Arabic support. Comparable on HTR technology and academic/research user base, though broader in language coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KhayrallahNCSU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/LebaneseNC
• Facebookfacebook.com/KhayrallahCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/khayrallah-center-for-lebanese-diaspora-studies
• Instagraminstagram.com/khayrallahcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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