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Well-known Sudanese singer and percussionist Asia Madani, who lived in Cairo, passed away on Sunday, the Sudanese Artists Union in Egypt reported.
Madani was born in Wad Madani, the capital of the Gezira State in central Sudan.
She started her career in her early years, moving to Egypt in the early 2000s, and quickly found her place in the country’s music scene.
Her initial breakthrough was on the Cairo Opera House stage.
Later, she became best known for presenting Sudanese folk music mixed with modern musical rhythms.
Madani performed with her troupe and joined many ensembles that focused on traditional and folkloric music of the south, earning herself the title of Messenger of Sudanese Folklore.
The star often spoke about her deep love for Sudanese rhythms, explaining that her journey in music began at a young age.
She highlighted how she learned diverse musical and vocal rhythms from different regions of Sudan — from the south to the north and the central areas — which greatly influenced her artistic style.
The singer was deeply influenced by the works of iconic Egyptian singers like Mohamed Abdel-Wahab and Abdel-Halim Hafez and even reinterpreted some of Sayed Darwish’s songs in her unique voice.
Moreover, Madani participated in the Nile Project, which she co-founded and which brought together African musicians from the Nile basin countries.
She was also featured in the documentary Far From the Nile presenting the project. The film was screened in the main competition of the Cairo International Film Festival (2022), winning awards.
Among her best-known songs were Jibal Al-Nuba (Mountains of Nubia), Al-Qamar Badawi (The Moon Shines), and Al-Zul (The Man).
Additionally, Madani participated in many international festivals and founded a children’s choir for Sudanese children in Egypt.
Numerous artists have expressed their sorrow after Madani’s sudden death.
“May God have mercy on you, forgive you, and grant you eternal rest. You were a true artist who loved her country and lived in her second country, Egypt. You were a strong person, never afraid to speak the truth, kind, pure-hearted, and a true artist who sang for the people everything she felt in a genuine way. Goodbye,” singer and songwriter Hani Adel wrote on Facebook.
Sudanese director Amjad Abu Al-Alaa wrote on his Facebook account: “A great loss, Asia.”
“To be an artist with a beautiful voice and a following is a normal thing, but what is extraordinary is to have a message in what you present, to have your own artistic project based on Sudanese identity, the unity of the Sudanese people, its uniqueness, enriching and renewing its heritage, presenting it in an attractive way, and touring the world proudly and persistently,” Sudanese media personality Dalia Al-Tahir wrote on her X account.
“This is what the true artist, the revolutionary soul from the heart of the country, Asia Madani, excelled in,” she expressed.
The activities of the International Eazees International Women’s Theatre Festival have kicked off in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, with Arab and international participation. ‘The festival organizers announced the honoring of the esteemed Iraqi artist Awatef Naeem, within its second edition, which is being held from May 16 to 22 in Cairo, as reported by the Iraqi News Agency-INA. “Actress Awatif Naim is one of the most prominent stars in the Arab world,” festival chairwoman Abeer Lotfi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA), noting that “Naim’s talent did not limit her to a specific role, but unleashed her to fly in the sky of art through acting, writing, directing and scientific research, which reflects the ability of women and their ability to prove themselves in difficult fields that require great effort.” She pointed out that “the artist is scheduled to be honored for the play “I am my face”, which was written and directed by her, and co-starring artists and artists (Shatha Salem, Samar Mohammed, Shaima Jaafar and Ali Al-Sudani),” explaining that “the events of the play revolve around three women who embody the suffering that women endure in family, social and political life, to reach their essence and their true face.” It’s to be mentioned, Awatif Naim, an Iraqi actress, director and academic researcher, was born in 1949. She obtained a doctorate in theater directing, and began her artistic career by writing and directing many programs and series for Iraqi radio and television, in parallel with her work in the field of criticism and academic research in theater, and she is a founding member of the Theater Critics Association in Iraq.
She was awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2022 by the French Ministry of Culture. She founded the Children’s Theater Department at the Department of Cinema and Theater in 1996 and held its first festival in 2002.
In medieval times, Arab craftsmen led the world with their sublime, sophisticated building skills. As Paris’s Notre-Dame prepares to reopen, that tradition continues.
Only once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,” declared French President Emmanuel Macron in his 2024 New Year speech.
On 8 December, all eyes will turn once more to France’s iconic landmark Notre-Dame de Paris as it officially reopens to the public following the fire of April 2019 that nearly destroyed it.
How have the French succeeded in completing what had seemed like mission impossible, this gargantuan task, on time and on budget within the five years that Macron first promised on that fateful night of 15 April?
The answer is the same as throughout history. Money and leadership are essential, but the most important thing of all in any prestige building project is the quality of the labour. Top people work fast and produce top results. Mediocre craftsmen, no matter how much time they are given, can only ever produce mediocre results.
At the Notre-Dame rebuilding, great care was taken by the leadership to cast far and wide for the absolute creme de la creme of craftsmen, wherever they were to be found.
As a result, among the 250 companies and hundreds of engineers, masons, carpenters, stained glass specialists and other professionals enlisted to work on the rebuilding, there were people from all over the world.
The master carpenters, for example, working to recreate the wooden beams of the cathedral’s roof trusses, were from the United States, the UK, Spain, Denmark, Bosnia and India, as well as France.
They included Christians, Jews, Hindus and Muslims, all chosen because of their high level of skill in using the traditional medieval methods of craftsmanship, skills now in retreat under the onslaught of computer precision, mass production and the relentless advance of industrial technology.
Deep understanding of geometry
When Europe’s great cathedrals were built over a thousand years ago, they, too, were at the forefront of science. Their size, their height and their sheer complexity were the very embodiment of the latest engineering technology.
Nothing comparable had been seen on the European continent before except in modern Spain and Portugal, where Arab Muslims, originally from Syria, had been ruling for nearly 800 years, and in Sicily, where Arab Muslims originally from Egypt and North Africa, had been ruling for over 250 years.
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These men had a deep understanding of geometry, building stresses and vaulting techniques, knowledge that had been widespread across the Islamic world since the eighth and ninth centuries
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In both the caliphate of Cordoba and the emirate of Sicily, the construction world was dominated by Arab Muslim structural engineers and craftsmen, men who were both literate and numerate, unlike their European Christian counterparts.
These men had a deep understanding of geometry, building stresses and vaulting techniques, knowledge that had been widespread across the Islamic world since the eighth and ninth centuries when the great Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) centre of learning in Baghdad was at its peak.
It is no accident that the first stone vaulted structures appeared in Latin Christendom just 10 years after the fall of Toledo, where the 10th-century ribbed vaulted mosque dome of Bab al-Mardum – today the church of Cristo de la Luz – is still extant and visitable.
Likewise, in Pisa, where there was no pre-existing local building tradition or school of architecture, Pisa Cathedral (1064) and then the Leaning Tower appeared suddenly on Italian soil soon after the Pisans’ successful military campaigns against the Arab rulers in Sicily.
People walk past the leaning tower of Pisa and the cathedral at night on March 16, 2014 in Pisa. AFP PHOTO / FABIO MUZZI (Photo by FABIO MUZZI / AFP)
Pisa’s original cathedral dome was supported on Islamic-style squinches and slender pointed-arch windows, while the engineering challenges of the tower would have required advanced geometrical knowledge – the famous lean is the result of subsidence, not faulty construction.
Advanced geometrical knowledge
More proof of Arab involvement in churchbuilding comes in the Arabic numerals, with their distinctive cursive shapes, carved as assembly marks, found by chance in the roof timbers at Salisbury Cathedral (1220s) during a dendrochronology study sponsored by English Heritage. They were also an accidental find, carved as position markers on the stone sculptures, on the famous Wells Cathedral West Front (1175).
Since English craftsmen at that time could only manage the simple straight lines of Roman numerals, and Arabic numerals did not enter general use in Britain till several centuries later in the 1500s, the carpenters and masons employing them as early as the 12th and 13th centuries were clearly highly educated foreigners, brought in by wealthy bishops and abbots keen to sponsor the absolute top level of construction money could buy.
Cursive freehand Arabic numerals (4 and 5) carved by the original carpenters in the roof timbers of West Court Farm in Wiltshire, England dated to 1316. [photo by Diana Darke taken 6 June 2019
At Wells Cathedral, construction was halted when the funds allocated for the building were diverted, following the death of the bishop, to pay the huge litigation costs between rival claimants to his bishopric of a court case in Rome at the papal curia.
The masons, no longer being paid, simply marked up their final sculptures with Arabic numbers to indicate their correct niches on the West Front, then moved on to their next commission.
When the dispute was finally resolved 15 years later, local masons were the only ones on the scene to erect the sculptures.
To them, the Arabic symbols were just incomprehensible hieroglyphs, so they put them in the wrong niches, even adjusting the niches to make them fit.
Researchers in the most recent restoration have now established that, had the sculptures been put back in accordance with their original Arabic sequencing, they would have fitted perfectly.
Sophisticated society
The masons’ marks on display on the back wall of the Cordoba Mezquita are overwhelmingly Arab names written in Arabic script, showing how the 10th-century craftsmen were literate centuries ahead of their European Christian counterparts.
They were the products of a sophisticated society where learning was encouraged by the ruler and enjoyed by all, thanks to free education offered by mosque schools. In Christian Europe, only the clergy and a handful of the upper classes could read and write.
Cursive masons’ marks from the 10th century extension of the Cordoba Mezquita, found during restoration, now on display near the mihrab. [photo by Diana Darke taken October 2022]
Names in themselves can be misleading. In the town of Corleone, for example, inland from Palermo, there were Christians called Muhammad, Abdullah, Ahmad and Ali, living alongside Muslims with Greek names, who could pass for Sicilian Christians.
Donation records in Greek during the Norman period in Sicily use phrases like “Roger who was once called Ahmad”, showing how local Muslims adapted their names to fit in better to the new environment and new masters, just as foreign workers arriving in Britain today might adapt their names or be given nicknames that are easier to remember and pronounce. Jews have done the same thing across Europe and America for centuries.
When the names of craftsmen first started to appear in the Latin chronicles, like William of Sens, thought to have worked on Notre-Dame, and much vaunted for introducing six-part rib vaulting to England at Canterbury Cathedral in 1174-77, we cannot assume he was Christian. He might have been Muslim, or Mozarab (an Arabised Christian).
Either way, in order to have had the requisite mathematical and geometrical knowledge for rib vaulting at that time, he must have been schooled in the Islamic tradition.
Great pride
At the recent Notre-Dame rebuilding, a traditional carpentry company called Atelier de la Grande Oye, founded by French Muslim Paul Zahnd, was among those chosen to build the wooden frames supporting the new roof.
In an email to me, he expressed great pride at this honour, a pride likely to have been felt in equal measure by the top Muslim craftsmen working on Christian buildings in medieval times.
“As French Muslims,” he wrote, “we are very proud and happy … to communicate our beautiful crafts and our faith, which are of course perfectly compatible, feeding one another … we prayed all along the work, to bless the trees, our craft, our friendship, the Almighty who allowed us to be part of the project, to bless all the people who work with us, to celebrate the beauty and majesty of our creator … some of us are affirmed Muslims claiming our faith and our joy to rebuild a cathedral.”
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What an irony that across Europe, at the time of writing, there are increasingly loud calls from far-right parties to rid their country of immigrants, especially Muslims, in order to save the “purity” of their own race and culture, evidently unaware that their very civilisation was built on the superior skill of immigrants.
All the evidence has shown that it is not necessary to be a Christian in order to create Christian art, just as people of all faiths and none can enjoy and appreciate church music, church architecture, Islamic decorative styles and mosque architecture.
Muslims could put their expertise to use in churches, just as Christians could build mosques, and indeed have done, throughout history.
The important consideration was not their religion but their skill.
Diana Darke’s new book Islamesque: The Forgotten Craftsmen Who Built Europe’s Medieval Monuments, was published on 21 November 2024, as a sister volume to her earlier Stealing from the Saracens (2020).
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
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Diana Darke is a Middle East cultural expert with special focus on Syria. A graduate in Arabic from Oxford University, she has spent over 30 years specialising in the Middle East and Turkey, working for both government and commercial sectors. She is the author of several books on Turkey, including Eastern Turkey (2014) and The Ottomans (2022) as well as on Middle East society, including My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis (2016), The Merchant of Syria (2018), a socio-economic history and “Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe” (2020).
179 participants from 32 Islamic countries to compete, promote moderate Islamic values.
The 10th International Military Qur’an Memorization Competition launched on Saturday in Makkah, attracting 179 participants from 32 countries.
Organized by the General Administration of Religious Affairs of the Armed Forces under the patronage of Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, the event promotes the significance of the Qur’an, encourages its memorization, and highlights Saudi Arabia’s role in serving Islam’s holy book and as the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites.
The competition features six categories: full Qur’an memorization; 20-part, 10-part, five-part, and three-part memorization; and a special category for recitation and tajweed (proper pronunciation).
Parallel activities include a Qur’anic forum for religious affairs directors and imams, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s efforts in Qur’an printing, translation, and distribution.
The forum also discusses the Qur’an’s moral values, the Kingdom’s contributions through its ministries, and the impact of tajweed on understanding the Qur’an.
Additionally, the General Administration of Religious Affairs offers training programs for religious affairs personnel across the armed forces, focusing on Qur’anic teaching methods and enhancing the skills of instructors and competition judges.
Maj. Gen. Mesfer Al-Issa, director of the General Administration of Religious Affairs and competition supervisor, described the event as a significant initiative to honor the Qur’an.
Al-Issa emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to hosting this event, reflecting the leadership’s dedication to serving the Qur’an.
In an interview with Arab News, he highlighted the event’s profound impact on participants, especially as it takes place in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Al-Issa said that the Qur’an guides soldiers, shaping their character and values, and encouraging psychological, behavioral, and spiritual stability.
Soldiers grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah are more balanced and resilient, contributing to the development of morally and spiritually strong armed forces, he said.
The 14-day event will include 10 days in Makkah before moving to Madinah for four days, where participants will visit the Prophet’s Mosque and other Islamic landmarks.
Judges, including imams from the Two Holy Mosques and Qur’anic scholars, use an advanced electronic evaluation system called “Insaf” (Fairness) for transparent scoring.
Contestants receive immediate feedback on memorization, pronunciation, tajweed, and error rates.
Al-Issa said that soldiers are selected through year-long national competitions to identify top military memorizers.
The competition also serves as a platform for military personnel from Islamic nations to promote moderate Islamic values and a proper understanding of the Qur’an through scientific forums.
Al-Issa said that the competition strengthens the Qur’an’s role in Islamic armed forces, supporting efforts to memorize, recite, and reflect on its teachings.
This helps build a generation of soldiers rooted in Islamic knowledge and guided by noble values, he added.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Contestants arrive to participate in the 10th International Military Qur’an Memorization Competition in Makkah.
KSU professors, Canadian and Japanese scientists achieving breakthroughs in cellular therapy and carbon nanotubes win coveted prize
Selection committees held meetings at King Faisal Prize headquarters to select winners in Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and science
The King Faisal Prize 2025 laureates were announced at a ceremony in Riyadh on Wednesday night.
Two King Saud University professors, a Canadian scientist who achieved a breakthrough in cellular therapy and a Japanese scientist doing pioneering work in carbon nanotubes were winners of the most coveted prize in the Arab world.
Announcing the KFP 2025 winners, Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail, secretary-general of the King Faisal Prize said: “The selection committees of the King Faisal Prize 2025, after meticulous deliberations that were held from Monday to Wednesday, have reached decisions for the prize’s four categories: Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and science. As for the fifth category, the King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam, the announcement will be made at the end of this month.”
The King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies for 2025 (Topic: Studies of Archaeology in the Arabian Peninsula), was awarded jointly to Professor Saad Abdulaziz Alrashid and Professor Said Faiz Alsaid. Both are Saudi nationals and professors at King Saud University.
Alrashid was awarded the prize for his contribution to the study of Islamic archaeological sites and inscriptions of the Arabian Peninsula, which laid the scientific and methodological groundwork for scholars in this field. His work has enriched scientific knowledge about Islamic civilization and has become an empirical source for future generations of researchers.
Alsaid was awarded the prize for the originality of his scientific studies, which are based on rich literature and published in several languages. His adaptation of a comparative methodology in studies of inscriptions and ancient writings of the Arabian Peninsula has had a profound impact on understanding the history of the Arabian Peninsula’s civilizations before Islam. His studies are an important scientific reference for scholars of the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the ancient Near East.
The King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature (Topic: Studies of Identity in Arabic Literature), was withheld due to the nominated works not reaching the criteria for the prize.
The King Faisal Prize for Medicine (Topic: Cellular Therapy), has been awarded to Michel Sadelain (Canada), Stephen and Barbara Friedman chair and director, Center for Cell Engineering at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Sadelain has been awarded the prize for his pioneering work in cellular therapy, and in particular for the genetic engineering of immune cells with “chimeric antigen receptors” (CAR-T). Dr. Sadelain led the team that designed and tested clinically effective and novel CAR-T agents for the treatment of blood cancers. His group identified CD19 as an effective CAR target and included a CD28 domain in the CAR construct, resulting in strikingly effective clinical responses. Dr. Sadelain continues to improve CAR-T cell efficacy by devising strategies to overcome treatment resistance. This approach also shows promise in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and solid tumors.
The King Faisal Prize for Science for this year was awarded in physics to Sumio Iijima, a professor at Meijo University, Japan.
Iijima has been awarded the prize for establishing the field of carbon nanotubes, following his pioneering discovery of carbon nanotubes using electron microscopy. This new class of one-dimensional carbon materials has had a powerful impact on fundamental solid-state physics and material science. His work has opened new avenues for developing wide-ranging, practical applications in nanotechnology, ranging from electronics to energy storage systems and biomedicine.
The General Secretariat of the King Faisal Prize commended the 2025 laureates and offered thanks to the distinguished members of the selection committees and the experts for their valued contributions.
The selection committees for the prize’s four categories — Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and science — convened at the prize’s headquarters from Monday to Wednesday.
The selection committees included prominent experts, scholars and specialists from 16 countries.
The KFP was established in 1977, and was awarded for the first time in 1979 in three categories — service to Islam, Islamic studies, and Arabic language and literature. Two additional categories were introduced in 1981 — medicine and science. The first medicine prize was awarded in 1982, and in science two years later.
Since 1979, the KFP in its different categories has awarded about 300 laureates to those who have made distinguished contributions to different sciences and causes. Each prize laureate is endowed with $200,000, a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a certificate inscribed with the laureate’s name and a summary of the work that qualified them for the prize.
Billboard Arabia granted famed Egyptian singer Sherine Abdelwahab Global Force Award.
“I hope that my work reaches the entire world. That’s always been a dream of mine” AbdelWahab said.
The Egyptian star added that she is thrilled and proud that there is a music award specifically for women.
Billboard Arabia in partnership with Billboard Women In Music 2024, granted AbdelWahab this prestigious award to be the first Arab Artist to receive it.
Abdelwahab released her latest song titled “Dahab” on February, 2024.
The song is written by Tamer Hussein and composed by Madin.
Abdelwahab makes her debut performance in Dubai in 2023. Abdel Wahab has captivated thousands of audiences around the Arab world with her melodious voice, charismatic stage presence and managed to establish herself as one of the most popular and beloved singers in the Middle East. She is a popular Egyptian singer who was born in 1980. She started her career in 2000.
Two years later, the music producer Nasr Mahrous who strongly believed in Abdelwahab paired her with Tamer Hosny on the same music album.
The album achieved booming success; Abdelwahab and Hosny became mega stars. She released a lot of successful songs such as “Masha’aer’’ (Emotions), “Albi Leek” (My heart is for you), “Garh Tany” (Another wound), “Lazem Ayesh” (I have to survive), “Batmenak” (I am Reassuring you) among others. She acted in one movie along with the Egyptian mega star Ahmed Helmy entitled “Mido Mashakel” (Mido always makes problems).
Her soap opera “Tare’y” (My path), released in 2015, achieved great success. Abdelwahab is famous for her emotional, melodious voice that has a significant touch of intimacy. She is consistently hailed as one of the most talented and successful singers of her era, being dubbed as “The Queen of Emotions” for her popular romantic ballads.
Othman Al Omeir was awarded the Legacy of Change Medal by the Parliamentary Society for Arts
Celebrated journalist and editor Othman Al Omeir was awarded the Legacy of Change Medal by the Parliamentary Society for Arts last week.
The ceremony, held in Committee Room 14, an esteemed space within the House of Parliament usually reserved for significant political announcements, acknowledged Al Omeir’s contributions to media and advocacy.
The assembly was organized by Rebeca Riofrio, chairwoman of the Parliamentary Society for Arts, and brought together leaders from the creative industries.
Among the distinguished guests was Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls Alex Davies-Jones, who delivered an impassioned speech underscoring the UK government’s commitment to addressing the issue of violence in the arts. Her speech highlighted the importance of advocacy for all artists, echoing the assembly’s overarching theme of resilience and protection within the creative sectors.
Other notable figures such as Joshua Kane and Marine Tanguy were also honored for their impactful contributions to arts and culture.
Born in Saudi Arabia and a British citizen for the past 40 years, Al Omeir has spent decades shaping the Arab world’s media.
He has been closely connected with the Parliamentary Society for the past five years and has long championed initiatives to protect creatives and uphold the integrity of journalism. His presence, alongside influential figures such as Minister Davies-Jones, Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia, Dame Tessy Antony de Nassau, and Lady Paris Smith, underscored his dedication to advancing a free and supportive media landscape.
As the founder of Elaph, the first independent Arabic e-newspaper, Al Omeir sought to break free from censorship and provide a space for liberal perspectives, promoting open dialogue on issues affecting the Arab region and beyond.
Nowadays, he serves as one of the advisers for the Parliament News Magazine, a publication that has gained recognition for addressing critical social issues since 2019.
In his ongoing work, Al Omeir uses his platforms to encourage the industry to work collectively to safeguard its talent, highlighting the pervasive challenges that creatives can face, such as violence and substance abuse.
Reflecting on the award, Al Omeir stated: “To receive this recognition in such a revered space as Committee Room 14 is deeply meaningful. Media is not just about information; it’s a powerful force for justice and societal progress. We must use this influence to protect those who bring creativity and truth into our world, ensuring they can express themselves without fear.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Born in Saudi Arabia and a British citizen for the past 40 years, Al Omeir has spent decades shaping the Arab world’s media. (Supplied)
Morocco has a total of 54 registered intangible cultural heritage elements on the ISESCO list.
The Islamic Heritage Committee, part of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), has approved the inclusion of eight intangible cultural heritage elements on behalf of Morocco.
According to a statement by the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, the newly added elements encompass the artistry of crafting bead jewelry, the weaving of Figuig’s hayek and burnous, traditional tanning techniques, Mata’s equestrian art, Safi pottery, Attalbi, Aouad d’Ait Baamrane songs and dances, and the traditional Ssig game.
This recognition celebrates Morocco’s rich tradition of skilled craftsmanship in the creation of bead jewelry.
The hayek and bernous are traditional Moroccan garments worn by women. They are especially worn in the country’s oriental region, notably in Figuig.
The traditional tanning process in Morocco, known as “Dbagha,” describes the centuries-old art of tanning animal hides, which has been practiced since the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century.
Meanwhile, Mata’s equestrian art showcases a blend of horsemanship and cultural expression.
Also on the list is the pottery tradition of the Moroccan coastal city of Safi, known for its intricate and colorful pottery art.
ISESCO also recognized Aouad d’Ait Baamrane’s songs and dances, which bring to life the rhythm and melodies of Amazigh culture.
Meanwhile, the traditional Ssig game, which is widely popular in Morocco’s southern regions, is a key part of Morocco’s culture that has endured through time.
With this latest inclusion that took place in the ISESCO committee’s 11th meeting in Rabat, Morocco now leads Muslim countries. The North African country boasts a total of 54 registered intangible cultural heritage elements on the ISESCO list.
During the meeting, the Committee also elected a new executive board for a four-year term, with Saudi Arabia assuming the presidency, Jordan as vice president, and Senegal as the rapporteur.
Arabic and French experts this week underlined the importance of learning languages to enhance intellectual and cultural communication.
At an event in France to mark Arabic Language Month, they noted how, without the Arabic language, the world would not have been able to access a significant portion of the intellectual heritage of Greek philosophers, as well as mathematics and sciences from ancient times.
Hamdi Al-Adawi, professor of linguistics at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, described the role of language in expressing a person’s inner thoughts and feelings, and described the historical interplay between Arabic and French.
“The Arabic language has played a vital role towards affirming the role of Islam in enhancing communication between different civilizations, blending civilizations, and fostering the exchange of cultures,” he told Arab News.
Al-Adawi noted that the convergence of certain words, concepts and meanings between languages is key to accepting other cultures and coexisting peacefully with them.
He also said that there are many shared terms among languages, which encourages leveraging these similarities to understand the commonalities between these languages and their cultural connotation.
Al-Adawi concluded that the cultural exchange between the Arabic and French languages is tangible and well documented.
Some examples include the Belgian orientalist Henri Lammens, who identified more than 700 Arabic words in his French-language writings in the early 20th century, and the French writer Pierre Giraud who acknowledged the influence of Arabic on the French language, providing a list of 280 Arabic words that were used in French during different periods.
Jack Lang, the secretary-general of the Arab World Institute, said that “the Arabic language is music, and it is a global language.” He noted that it ranks fifth among the most spoken languages in the world.
“We cannot ignore the fact that the Arabic language has served as a bridge for communication between peoples. Without the Arabic language, we would not have been able to access a significant portion of Greek philosophers, nor mathematics and sciences from ancient times,” he said.
Lang, who is a former French minister of education, highlighted the efforts being made by Saudi Arabia to preserve the Arabic language, saying that the Kingdom was “moving towards exerting a considerable cultural effort.”
He added that he currently observes “large cultural events happening throughout Saudi Arabia.”
He also praised Saudi Arabia’s role in assisting other countries in their commitment to the Arabic language through the Arab World Institute, which is based in Paris.
Lang noted the intention to establish a House of the Arabic Language in France, in collaboration with King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language.
KSGAAL launched Arabic Language Month in France on Oct. 7, in collaboration with the Arab World Institute.
Events included a seminar, a panel discussion and a scientific competition focused on the art of diction, with participation from several contestants.
Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of KSGAAL, said that the academy is active in various fields to promote the Arabic language, locally and globally.
The academy launched the Arabic Language Month program in France, which aimed to display KSGAAL activities related to teaching Arabic to non-native speakers and to highlight the Kingdom’s efforts in serving the Arabic language and its sciences worldwide.
Additionally, the academy is working to offer training programs to enhance teachers’ competencies and improve Arabic language learning outcomes for students, in line with the objectives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of the initiatives under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by interested individuals and intellectuals, led by the Kingdom’s ambassador to France, Fahad Al-Ruwaili.
KSGAAL will continue the activities of Arabic Language Month in France on Nov. 1, featuring tours in several French cities in collaboration with French and international educational institutions.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The Arabic Language Month in France featured several linguistic competitions. The awards were presented by Fahad Al-Ruwaili, Saudi Ambassador to France, Jack Lang, Secretary-General of the Arab Institute in France, and Abdullah Al-Washmi, Secretary-General of King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (from the right: the first, the third and fourth respectively)A group photo of the participants in the Arabic Language Month in France, which commenced on Monday, shows the Saudi ambassador in the second row from the left, sixth from the group
The works consist of 19 volumes, encompassing the writings of the historian as well as his summaries and correspondences, shedding light on his time.
Prince Faisal bin Salman, chairman of the board of directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, inaugurated the launch ceremony of the complete works of Saudi historian Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Issa on Wednesday at Darah headquarters.
These works consist of 19 volumes, encompassing the writings of the historian as well as his summaries and correspondences, shedding light on his time.
Speaking on behalf of his family Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, expressed the family’s gratitude and appreciation to Darah (the foundation) for this honor, which celebrates their ancestor’s scholarly legacy.
He said that the publication documents the historian’s long academic journey, characterized by precision and objectivity in various scientific fields.
He also expressed the family’s pride that this work will serve as an important reference for researchers and those interested in Saudi history and culture.
Furthermore, he praised the tremendous efforts made by Darah in realizing this monumental project, noting that this recognition reflects the significance of knowledge in strengthening national identity.
The work on the project took several years and went through numerous stages, involving a team of about 20 people, said Dr. Fahd Al-Samari, secretary-general of Darah.
Al-Samari told Arab News: “The project followed a clear methodology, where we gathered as much of the heritage of historian Ibrahim bin Issa as possible and conducted a thorough investigation.”
Given the project’s scale and the diversity of fields covered, which include religious, historical, linguistic and geographical arts, several specialized committees were formed for the project, including the supervisory committee, the text editing and verification committee, and the manuscript and document collection committee, Al-Samari added.
Bin Issa relied on more than 700 sources for his work, including 570 manuscripts and documents from across the Kingdom, while the remaining sources were distributed between Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, and the US.
Bin Issa was born in 1854 in Ushaiger town, 200 kilometers northwest of Riyadh, and lived for about 71 years. He was a scholar, historian and genealogist, and one of the most prominent historians of the Najd region.
Al-Samari pointed out that Darah was established to fulfill a noble mission, which is to serve the history of Saudi Arabia, its geography, and its intellectual literature, as well as to collect various historical sources, including documents related to the Kingdom, classify them, and enrich the historical library with scientific research.
Darah has devoted special attention to the prominent figures of the Kingdom, honoring their rights, highlighting achievements, celebrating contributions, appreciating efforts, and acknowledging their glory.
“Since establishment, Saudi Arabia has sought to make knowledge the foundation for building the state. Under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom has witnessed a comprehensive renaissance in all fields, with the most significant being in the areas of national heritage,” Al-Samari concluded.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Prince Faisal bin Salman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Darah, is seen in a group photo with several descendants of historian Ibn Issa on Wednesday evening in Riyadh.
