His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has announced the establishment of the “Sharjah Award for Literary Poetic Criticism”, devoted to studies on poetic criticism, in addition the award role in criticising the poems of young poets and their poetic creations. The award comes within the framework of His Highness’s keenness on serving the Arab poetry and upgrading poetic talents, especially the new generation.

This came during a meeting that gathered His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah with the guests of the eighteenth edition of the Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival on Tuesday, at Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi Centre for Gulf Studies (Dara)

His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, started the meeting by welcoming the guests of Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival, indicating that we can catch up with the civilised rides that we see in other countries in the fields of poetry and culture.

His Highness expressed his happiness that Arab poetry was not subjected to deformation or loss, because it was placed in the poetry houses in the Arab world, which sought to advance Arab poetry and serve poets and their literary creations.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah toured the corridors of the Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi Centre for Gulf Studies (Dara) with the guests, and reviewed the most important historical contents, documents and manuscripts, and the souvenirs of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah received from various heads of state, organisations and international universities.

Literary Cafe in Al Heera

Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, opened the Literary Café in the Al Heera area on Sharjah beach Tuesday morning, aimed at creating a free space for writers to exchange ideas, discuss their issues, and showcase their creations and intellectual achievements in a friendly atmosphere.

The Ruler of Sharjah visited the two-storey building, whose works were carried out by the Sharjah Directorate of Public Works. The Literary Café contains a number of halls and rooms, a café to provide drinks and food to literary cafe pioneers, in addition to a library equipped with specialised periodicals and references in various types of literature and a number of administrative offices.

Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad wanted the literary cafe, with its front facade overlooking a panoramic view of Sharjah Beach, to be an extension of what was common and known about the Heerat Al Numan, working to attract writers and preparing their books and issuing them. He also directed the Department of Culture to provide periodicals in the café, and instructed the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority to sponsor the café’s activities on the various channels of the authority.

His Highness praised the efforts of the officials of poetry houses in the Arab world in activating the role of these homes. For their part, the poetry house officials reviewed the successes of these houses in the Arab world under the care and support of the Ruler of Sharjah.

The inauguration was attended by a group of department heads in the Sharjah government and a number of officials and representatives of Arab poetry houses in the Arab world.

Recently, Sheikh Sultan witnessed the opening of the 18th edition of Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival.

Organised by the Department of Culture and Information, at the Sharjah Cultural Palace, with the participation of 40 poets from several Arab countries, the festival will run until Jan 10.

Poets at the event delivered several poems in which they highlighted Sharjah’s efforts in supporting Arabic literature in various fields and the influence poetry houses have had in different Arab cities.

Poets also deeply thanked His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for his support of poetry and poets in the Arab World.

Following poems’ recitals, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah honoured UAE poet Salem Al Sabri and Moroccan poet Ismael bin Omar, winners of the 18th edition of Sharjah Awards for Arabic Poetry during the event.

WAM