His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday visited the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS), an institution dedicated to scholarly understanding of Islam and Islamic culture.

During the visit, OCIS Director Farhan Nizami briefed the King on the centre's role in building bridges of understanding and cooperation between Islamic and Western nations as well as work currently under way to complete building the centre.

In an interview with Petra, Nizami referred to the Amman Message, launched by King Abdullah in 2004, describing it as one of the most important initiatives in the Islamic world.

The OCIS, an academic centre associated with Oxford University was established in 1985 to encourage the scholarly study of Islam and the Islamic world. It has been working to promote the world's understanding of Islam through enhancing international cooperation and organizing specialized seminars, programmes and cultural conferences.