Sharjah Ruler Inaugurates 18th Edition Of Nabati Poetry Festival

Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, a member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the Sharjah Nabati Poetry Festival's 18th edition on Monday.

The event was organized by the Department of Culture at the Cultural Palace from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11, with the participation of 40 poets. The ruler of Sharjah has directed the department to encourage and recognize the most prominent poems published in Al Hira magazine by creating the "Al Hira Award for Nabati Poetry" in their honor.

In order to award the poets, one poem from each issued magazine will be selected by the department and bring 12 poems together by the end of this year. Honoring the poet aims to promote Nabati poetry writing, which is popular among Arabs.

The ceremony begins with the audience and the Ruler of Sharjah watching a video featuring biographies of the honored poets Saleh bin Aziz Al Mansouri and Naima bin Thalith, who showed their journey in Nabati poetry. The video also featured many famous poems reading poems, as per WAM.

Director of Al Hira Literary Council Butti Al Mazloum, a poet, presented poetry during the launch event and expressed his joy regarding the 18th edition while praising the Ruler of Sharjah for his insightful vision.

On the first day of the event, they witnessed Abdulaziz Suleiman Al Fadghoush from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Hammad Al Kaabi from the United Arab Emirates presenting their poetries while discussing the achievements of the Emirate of Sharjah alongside the ruler, who provided a great living standard in the emirate.

During the event, Sheikh Sultan honored the poets of the 18th edition of the festival, including Saleh bin Ali Al Mansouri and Naima Khalifa bin Thalith, by providing them with certificates of appreciation and commemorative shields.

The event drew a notable crowd, including Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman bin Salem Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler's Office. Other attendees were Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture, Mansour bin Mohammed bin Nassar, Chairman of the Sharjah Government Legal Department, and Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Protocol Department. The gathering also attracted numerous government officials and poetry enthusiasts.