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Sharjah Museums Dept Celebrates
Arabic Language Day

SHARJAH — Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) celebrated Arabic Language Day, to coincide with UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day on Sunday to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

The initiative is part of SMD’s commitment to highlight the importance of Arabic language in the community, and to maintain national heritage, history and identity.

In celebration of Arabic Language Day, Sharjah Calligraphy Museum hosted artist Khalifa Al Sheimi who gave a lecture on the types of calligraphy and tools used.

The museum also organised an exhibition called “Calligraphy as an art” where tools used in calligraphy were
on display.

Al Eslah School Museum also displayed some of the writing tools used in the past in the UAE. “Celebrating Arabic Language Day confirms our commitment to respect and further promote our mother tongue, which is a symbol of national identity and belonging. Arabic language with its distinguished linguistics holds the strength to promote nation-building and strengthening cultural ties,” said Manal Ataya, Director
General, SMD.

“Arabic is also the language of the Holy Quran, the basis of our unity, and the mirror of our present and future,” she added.

“Calligraphy is part of Arabic language. If language is the link between civilisations, calligraphy documented it and passed it down over the generations. It also paved the way for fair competition among artists to excel in their work as can be witnessed at the Sharjah Calligraphy Museum,” said Buthaina Al Rasasi, Curator, Sharjah Calligraphy Museum.

Al Eslah School Museum was established in 1935 as the first formal educational institute to be opened
in Sharjah.

The mission of Al Eslah School Museum is to enable the generations of the past and of the present to meet and to maintain Emirati customs and traditions regarding Arabic language, religion and Islamic education.

Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, the only museum in the Arab world devoted entirely to calligraphy, aims to instill the art of calligraphy in the people and visitors of Sharjah and to set new standards both locally and
internationally.

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