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Emirati book of proverbs launched at Abu Dhabi book fair

Abu Dhabi - The Al Mtwassef book of proverbs now contains 534 epigrams of Emirati origin.

The second edition of Al Mtwassef, a collection of 534 Emirati proverbs, was launched at the 30th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) on Friday. The book has been published by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC).

The latest edition of the book is a broader version of UAE’s colloquial proverbs, according to HHC. The first edition carried 440 epigrams and 91 more were added to the latest edition. “An additional 91 Emirati proverbs were included to enrich the book, now counting to a grand total of 534 Emirati proverbs,” said HHC CEO Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook.

The centre investigated the genesis of each proverb and only those that had a clear Emirati origin were published in the book. “The interesting thing is that we had a popular proverb, but after investigation, we found out it is a general Arabian proverb without a clear trace of Emirati origin. Detecting the truth about the origin of the proverbs is more important than adding more proverbs to the book, which is all based on collecting proverbs and wisdom quotes from UAE’s colloquial memory,” explained Dalmook.

He added, “Moreover, this edition is also written in Emirati Arabic using simple language. We hope that people can enjoy a rich Emirati heritage content.”

The signing of the second edition of Al Mtawssef’s took place at HHC’s stand. Two new publications saw their debut at the stand and all of the Center’s publications were on display totalling 29 books. The HHC also displayed old manuscripts under its Wathiqati initiative that was launched in 2014 aimed at collecting documents from individuals to preserve UAE’s heritage. The old documents from establishments, institutions and individuals were restored and archived professionally.