Sharjah Ruler opens 18th Nabati Poetry Festival

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, opened the 18th edition of the Sharjah Nabati Poetry Festival, on Monday, which is organised by the Department of Culture from February 5 to 11, with the participation of 40 poets, at the Cultural Palace.

Sheikh Sultan directed the Department of Culture to create "Al Hira Award for Nabati Poetry” in recognition and encouragement of the most prominent poems published in Al Hira magazine. A poem will be selected from each issue of the magazine issued by the department monthly, bringing the number of winning texts to 12 poems, starting in January 2024.

Honouring poets constitutes an incentive to encourage and promote the writing of Nabati poetry, which enjoys a large audience at the local and Arab levels.

His Highness and the audience watched a video at the beginning of the ceremony that covered the biographies of the honoured poets, namely: Saleh Bin Aziz Al Mansouri, and Naima Bin Thalith, showcasing their journey in Nabati poetry, and the most prominent stations in their literary life. The video also included poetic readings of a number of their most famous poems.

The poet Butti Al Mazloum, Director of Al Hira Literary Council, then presented poetry on the occasion of the launch of the festival, in which he expressed the feelings of citizens towards the initiatives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and His Highness’s insightful vision that reflects the advancement of society.

On the first evening of the festival, both poets: Abdulaziz Suleiman Al Fadghoush from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Mohammed Bin Hammad Al Kaabi from the United Arab Emirates, presented poetry readings, in which they discussed the achievements of the Emirate of Sharjah and the directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah that provide a great standard of living.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah honoured the poets of the 18th edition of the festival, namely: Saleh Bin Ali Al Mansouri and Naima Khalifa Bin Thalith, presenting them with certificates of appreciation and commemorative shields, and His Highness took group photos with them.

The event witnessed the presence of Sheikh Salem Bin Abdulrahman Bin Salem Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Ruler’s Office, Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Department of Culture, Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Nassar, Chairman of Sharjah Government Legal Department, Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Chairman of Protocol Department, and a number of officials, poets and poetry lovers.

WAM