“I believe that you will enjoy GILS’ location in Germany. We understand that students are cost conscious throughout the world. These days, Idar-Oberstein compares favorably to the Arabic world in terms of cost and is superior to anywhere in the Arabic speaking world in terms of safety.”
Sabri Saleem, Founder.
Who We Are
GILS is the German division of the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies (YCMES). YCMES is a fully accredited institution of higher education. For three decades, YCMES was the leading Arabic language program in the Middle East. Started 1988 as the Yemen Language Center, it grew into a program of humanities graduate courses in Middle Eastern Studies along with an Arabic Language School.
Our location
GILS is located in the Rheinland Pfalz, Birkenfeld district, in Idar-Oberstein. For students who are interested in weekend excursions, the Rheinland Pfalz is nicely placed near Belgium, France, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands. The Birkenfeld district, as well as the rest of Rheinland Pfalz, contains scenic beauty, historic buildings, and fine museums.
Join Our Team 
Dr. Annelies Glander
University of Vienna
Dr. Mahmoud Al- Batal
American University of Beirut
Ms. Beverly I. Moran
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee
Amaal Dahaan
Arabic instructor
Prof. Dr. Stefan Reichmuth
Ruhr Universität Bochum
Ms. Susanne Hvezda
University of Wuerzburg
Prof. Dr. Eckehard Schultz
Leipzig University
Ahmed Mustafa Al Absi
Treasurer
Dr. Thomas Stevenson
Ohio University
Sabri Saleem
Director and Founder of GILS
Abdulkawi Abdulrazzaq
Arabic instructor
Ijad Al-Shaybani
Arabic instructor