Her influence and image continue to resonate, inspiring musicians and artists alike. Nouakchott is the westernmost capital of the arab world and the thirdwesternmost in africa, and sits on the atlantic fringe of the southwestern sahara. The city is keeping its heritage alive through the artwork and history displayed at several museums and exhibitions. Luxorthe culture capital of the arab world arts exhibition to be officially opened to the masses on wednesday, in presence of, khaled soror, head of the fine arts sector. Sharjah also hosts a prestigious art biennial, book fair and more than 20 museums of various specialties. Egypt is often popularly known as the cultural capital of the arab world for its host of egyptian theatre, cinema halls, operas and a huge variety of modern cultural institutions. Apr 30, 2018 public art and heritage museums followed, and in 1998 unesco named sharjah the cultural capital of the arab world. Discover sharjah, the uaes capital of culture sponsored.
Lebanese literary heritage, particularly that of the early 20th century, is inseparable from the works of the diaspora writers that founded the new york pen league or almahjar group, as they are known in the arab speaking world. It is hoped, therefore, that this study can benefit a cademic and industrial readers as well as policy makers wh o are concerned in the management of human. A practical cross cultural guide to working in the arab world. Sharjah, perhaps kicking off this eastwardly gravitational shift, became the first gulf city to be designated the cultural capital of the arab world by unesco in 1998, the very same year the emirate inaugurated the reputable american university of sharjah. The standing committee on arab culture has unanimously appointed the city of oujda as the capital of arab culture for 2018. It is a wellknown fact that sharjah was named as the cultural capital of the arab world by unesco in 1998. A view from a ceremony on tuesday to honour sharjah as unescos world book capital. Unesco has named sharjah the world book capital for 2019. Under the wise leadership of his highness dr shaikh sultan bin mohammad al qasimi, member of the supreme council and ruler of sharjah, the emirate was also promoted as the cultural capital of the arab world by unesco in 1998.
With a unique cultural radiance supporting both heritage and contemporary progression, it is unsurprising that sharjah was crowned the islamic culture capital 2014. The arab world has never recovered from the loss of 1967 fifty years after the sixday war, the intellectualism that once lit up the middle east has been all. The parisbased organisation named sharjah arab cultural capital after cairo and tunisia in january a title the emirate richly deserves for hosting the regions only annual book fair, art biennial, myriad exhibitions and museums. Manama named capital of arab tourism for 2020 arab news. The arab capital of culture is an initiative taken by the arab league under the unesco cultural capitals program to promote and celebrate arab culture and encourage cooperation in the arab region. Events bethlehem to be the capital of arab culture for. From investigations of consumerism and islam on the internet to changing attitudes toward sex, gender, and homosexuality, this collection challenges stereotypes and assesses the impact of increasingly global and mobile lifestyles. Sharjah wraps up yearlong stint as world book capital. Arab american writer and political activist ameen rihani, born in 1876 in the mount lebanon hill town of freika, was one of the groups founders.
Michael sansour, chairman of the bethlehem university committee for the bethlehem 2020 celebrations, gave a brief speech on the cultural significance of this event to enhance the palestinian a. Sep 25, 2010 and yet, as the capital of one of the world s great empires, this was the richest, proudest, most supercilious city on the planet for half a millennium. Egyptian theatre cultural capital arab world ritual practices. Bokova, al qasimi certify sharjah as unesco world book. Cibf celebrates cairos selection as capital of islamic. Isesco initiated the capital of islamic culture programme along the lines of a programme launched by the arab organisation for education, culture and science alesco for choosing the capital of arab culture, and decided to assign it annually to three ancient islamic cities, representing the arab, african and asian islamic regions. Sharjah was first recognised in 1998 by unesco for the emirates role in the cultural environment of the arab world.
Capital, which, in its objectified or embodied forms, takes time to accumulate and which, as a potential capacity to produce profits and to reproduce itself in identical or expanded form, contains a tendency to persist in its being, is a force inscribed in the objectivity of things so that everything is not equally possible or impossible. It has been and continues to be one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the muslim world. Oujda named capital of arab culture for 2018 morocco world news. Halim barakat, an expatriate syrian who is both scholar and novelist, emphasizes the dynamic changes and diverse patterns that have characterized the middle east since the midnineteenth century. Luxor culture capital of the arab world exhibit opens. These are books that i and others at alfanar media have enjoyed and written about, or that have been brought to our attention. Sharjah it has become a major cultural hub, drawing in huge crowds to its literary festivals, and on tuesday sharjah achieved global recognition as it was named world book capital by unesco. Sharjah has kept the spirit of its history alive by indicatively incorporating tradition into every aspect of contemporary development. South in recent decades, as country singers and southern cooking have become part of broader pop culture. Each year, we publish a list of books of interest from and about the arab world.
Nov 07, 2019 swc condemns sharjah unesco world book capital of the year as world book capital of antisemitic hate november 7, 2019 stand after stand of hitlers mein kampf, the protocols of the elders of zion forgery and countless antisemitic conspiracy theories. Bethlehem university held a press conference on wednesday, 16 october 2019, to announce its projects for the celebrations of bethlehem as the capital of arab culture for 2020. Sharjah world book 2019 a string of conferences, exhibits and book fairs are set to take place throughout the year, according to the official website. Cairo named capital of islamic culture in arab world for 2020 succeeding tunis, and confirming the historic status of egypt, cairo will serve as a capital of islamic culture. Arabic culture and the impact of globalization cultural. Arab novel booms as beirut named world book capital. Why invest in sharjah sharjah investment and development. Visit sharjah, the cultural capital of the arab world. The international committee of the world book capitals at the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization unesco named sharjah the world book capital 2019 in appreciation of. In 1998 sharjah was designated as unescos cultural capital of the arab world and today it is home to nearly a quarter of all of the u. The uae city of sharjah took up the mantle as unescos world book capital for 2019. Gulf culture emerges as new voice of arab world the new.
Swc condemns sharjah unesco world book capital of the year. It was by far the most important arab province in the ottoman empire. The city was selected because of the very innovative, comprehensive and inclusive nature of the application, with a. In december, the islamic educational, scientific, and cultural organisation isesco chose cairo as the islamic capital of culture in the arab world, alongside uzbek capital, bukhara, in the asian region, and bamako, mali, as the capital of the africa region in 2020. Unesco and sharjah signed a memorandum of understanding that confirmed sharjahs designation as world book capital for 2019. The emirate has a number of wonderful attractions for the tourists of all ages and from all walks of life. The influential blogger and journalist tells us why theres so much misinformation about the arab world, and suggests what we should read to improve our understanding of the regions history and current turmoil.
Sharjah named world book capital for 2019 by unesco the. The best books on understanding the arab world five. The cultural capital objectified in material objects and media, such as writings, paintings, monuments, instruments, etc. The international publishers associations ipa and the international federation of library association and institutions ifla. Apr 24, 2019 on world book day, tuesday, april 23, the united arab emirate of sharjah launched a yearlong round of festivities in honor of its turn as unescos world book capital, which will carry on until. Today, arab refers to a large number of people whose native regions form the arab world due to the spread of arabs and the arabic language throughout the region during the early muslim conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries. You refer to your next book, taha husseins the future of culture in egypt, as a sombre book, but do you think it is one that is still worth reading. Sharjah was named world book capital for the year 2019 by united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization unesco under the recommendation of the two advisory committee members. The kingdom of bahrains capital city, manama, has been declared as the capital of arab tourism for 2020. Queen rania meets experts in culture, art, and media to. The university is located in the city of fes and is arguably the oldest university in the world. The eastern part of the arab world is known as the mashriq, and the western part as the maghreb.
Bethlehem university held a press conference on wednesday, october 16, 2019, to announce its projects for the celebrations of bethlehem as the capital of arab culture for 2020. A practical cross cultural guide to working in the arab world alomari, j. The arabs forged the rashidun 632661, umayyad 661750 and the abbasid 7501258 caliphates. Aug 01, 2007 the cultural rise of the gulf is analogous to that of the u. This cultural capital session honors egyptian contralto singer and songwriter umm kulthum ca. Michael sansour, chairman of the bethlehem university committee for the bethlehem 2020 celebrations, gave a brief address on the cultural. The signing ceremony was conducted in the presence of unescos directorgeneral, irina bokova, her highness sheikha bodour bint sultan al qasimi, his excellency mr hussain al hammadi, minister of education in the uae, and president of the uae national commission, and. Sharjah named 2019 world book capital newspaper dawn.
The 2009 event was the 14th programme since its establishment in 1996. Sheikh sultan bin mohammad al qasimi, member of the supreme council and ruler of sharjah, the emirate was endorsed as the cultural capital of the arab world by unesco, and also named as the world book capital for the year 2019. Sharjah, the cultural capital of the uae society gulf news. Sharjah wraps up achievementfilled yearlong stint as. The arab world has never recovered from the loss of 1967. In 1998, sharjah was named the cultural capital of the arab world by unesco, an honour richly deserved.
Sheikha bodour bint sultan al qasimi, head of the sharjah world book capital advisory committee and vice president of international publishers association, announced the opening date for the project, being developed by the sharjah investment and development. Most of the arab world and the islamic nations are turning towards things western. The lebanese capital was chosen as the world s literary centre this year in the light of its focus on cultural diversity, dialogue and tolerance, according to the unesco selection committee. Sharjah is building cultural bridges with the world news. Sharjah plans house of wisdom after being named world book. Damascus has been recognised by unescos cultural capitals programme which first included the arab world in 1998 for its ancient, islamic and cultural heritage. In postclassical history, the arab world was synonymous with the historic arab empires and caliphates. While sharjah stands as the cultural capital of the uae and the gulf countries, it represents the countrys essence of arabian lifestyle and islamic culture through its restored heritage sites. Apr 24, 2019 shurooq started developing the monument after the world book capital s international committee, an affiliate of the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation unesco named sharjah world book capital 2019. The best books on the arab world five books expert. Sharjah is one of the seven emirates that form united arab emirates uae.
Cibf celebrates cairos selection as capital of islamic culture in arab world. Cultural capital, in the objectified state, has a number of properties which are defined only in the relationship with cultural capital in its embodied form. When baghdad was centre of the scientific world books the. Ahmad mardini abu dhabi, mar 17 1998 ips tiny sharjah, the tiny arab emirate sandwiched between its bigger and wealthier neighbours abu dhabi and dubai, is the acknowledged cultural capital of the gulf according to the united nations education, scientific and cultural organisation unesco. It is worth mentioning that the islamic educational, scientific and cultural organization isesco adopted the program of the capital of islamic culture, which is assigned annually to three ancient islamic cities and one for each of the three islamic regions of the arab world, africa and asia. Next south along the coast from mauritania is senegal, whose abrupt border belies the gradient in culture from arab to indigenous african that historically characterizes this part of west africa.
The programme, organised by unesco and the arab league, is designed to promote arab culture and encourage cooperation in the arab world. You can see the glimpses of arab world here through several museums and cultural spaces. Sharjahs new library, cultural hub set to open in april. Ancient egyptian theatre emerged from ritual practices. Unesco announces sharjah as world book capital 2019 news. Sharjah publishing city, right in the heart of the cultural capital of the arab world under the wise leadership of his highness dr. Sharjah was declared the cultural capital of the arab world by the united. The only thing that will stand this effect is the holy koran which is not vulnerable because it is kept by god. The announcement was made during the 22nd session of the arab ministerial council. While the list gives a sense of the breadth and diversity of literary and scholarly production in the region, it is by no means exhaustive. Signalling a groundbreaking achievement for the uae and the arab world, sharjah has been crowned with the prestigious world book capital title for 2019 by unesco.
Sharjah, the world book capital for this year, was invited as the guest city at the moscow international book fair. Cairo named capital of islamic culture in arab world for. The city of sharjah is the capital of an emirate by the same name, one of seven that make up the united arab emirates. The international committee of the world book capitals at the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization unesco named sharjah the world book capital 2019 in appreciation of its vital role in supporting books, promoting reading and adopting knowledge in crosscultural communication.
Amman culture capital of the arab world for the year 2002 is envisioned as a springboard promoting jordan culturally on the local, arab and international levels said her majesty queen rania al abdullah on monday, stressing that the momentum created by the event for the kingdoms cultural movement should be sustained in the years and decades to come. Sharjah the third largest emirate of the 7 emirates of uae is also its cultural capital. Since then the emirate has maintained its commitment to. Arab society and culture provides wideranging essays and supplementary readings that examine recent social and cultural change in arab societies. Frequently referred to as the voice of egypt or the star of the east, kulthum remains an unprecedented icon of the arab world. Each year, unesco and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry publishers. This wideranging examination of arab society and culture offers a unique opportunity to know the arab world from an arab point of view. Stranded in beirut, the arab literary world takes wing after four days of literary exchange in beirut, the writers and editors still grounded by the volcano are forging links that will open up the. For their efforts, doha was designated 2010 arab capital of culture by unesco, and sharjah has been named as both cultural capital of the arab world in 1998 and world book capital for 2019 by unesco. Vying to be cultural capital of arab world but soon, dubai will have some competition, right next door, in the city of abu dhabi, which is now the richest city in the world. Worlds richest city wants to be culture capital of arab. This book provides a compelling portrait of that rich diversity, as well as the commonalities that unite more than 350 million people in the arab world. Syria ushered in 2008 with its capital named the arab capital of culture by the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation unesco.
In 2001, madrid became the first city to call itself a world book capital, and the city now winding down its leadership in the role is athens. This will definitely affect arab culture and the arabic language. Feb, 2020 sharjahs new library and cultural centre project, the house of wisdom, is slated to open in april, it was revealed on wednesday. The isesco adopted the capitals of islamic culture programme, in which three ancient islamic cities are chosen annually to represent islamic culture in africa, asia, and the middle east. Recognized by unesco as the cultural capital of the uae in 1998, sharjah is wellknown for its efforts to preserve the history and heritage. Greece will be handing off to the uae in april as the sharjah program opens. Stranded in beirut, the arab literary world takes wing.