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Thu, Nov 13, 2025 | Jumada al-Awwal 22, 1447 | Fajr 05:14 | DXB 
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Sharjah Ruler reveals Arabic Encyclopaedia title at book fair; says phase one complete
Speaking at the opening of the Sharjah International Book Fair, he said that the fourth phase of encyclopaedia will be complete by November 2028
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the 44th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025) on Wednesday. The 12-day event is organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme ‘Between You and a Book’, and runs until November 16 in Expo Centre Sharjah.
In his speech at the inauguration, the Sharjah Ruler said, "As we are speaking about the cultural projects in the Emirate of Sharjah — to which I have dedicated myself to serving, and devoted my life to culture, upholding its banner and elevating its status, and to promote the dissemination of knowledge, science, and literature among the sons and daughters of the nation, from East to West — we recount the beginning, a century ago, when the first library was established in Sharjah in 1925. And today after 100 years, the emirate is celebrating its centennial."
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He continued, "I would like to announce a major scientific and cultural achievement: the completion of the first phase of the Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopaedia. We have chosen to name it: 'The Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopaedia of Sciences, Literature, Arts and Eminent Figures'."
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"Through this encyclopaedia, we aim to define and document sciences, literature, and all academic branches related to the Arabic language, Islamic sciences, and the humanities. It presents biographies and accounts of all categories of scholars, philosophers, writers, poets, linguists, exegetes, caliphs, kings, and others. From the beginnings of Arab history, through the Islamic civilisation and its scholars, philosophers, and eminent figures, who enriched human knowledge with a wide array of works and books across disciplines, sciences and literature," he added.
Detailing the first phase, he said, "Under the supervision of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, the team has finalised all linguistic and Islamic sciences, which comprise 44 volumes. Specialised scholars defined each science and its terms, including grammar, creed, rhetoric, prosody, linguistics, lexicography, phonetics, and more. This also includes Islamic sciences, like creed, Quranic studies, jurisprudence and its principles, the purpose of Islamic law, biographical evaluation and authentication in Hadith, Islamic economics, and other specialised fields.”
His Highness shared details of the upcoming phases and completion timelines: “We are also pleased to inform you that, God willing, by this time next year, we will announce the completion of the second phase, covering the humanities, poets, linguists, exegetes, and experts of chains of narration, in November 2026. The academic work will continue through the completion of the third phase in November 2027, while the fourth phase will be complete in November 2028. By then, God willing, the largest scientific and cultural encyclopaedia defining sciences, arts, terms, and the biographies of eminent figures across disciplines will be complete. We undertake this work and uphold it to connect the present of our nation with its past, to introduce the current generation to the history and legacy of their ancestors — scholars, writers, poets, and people of culture — and to provide researchers and intellectuals with a well-documented encyclopaedia they can refer to, learn from, and draw upon.”
The Sharjah Ruler felicitated renowned Egyptian writer, poet, and playwright Mohamed Salmawy, as the 'Cultural Personality of the Year' for the 44th edition, in recognition of his contributions and body of work.
The Sharjah Ruler also honoured the winner of the 8th edition of the Sharjah Translation Award (Turjuman), which went to Dr. Ondřej Beránek for the Czech work Ibn Fadlan's Journey from Baghdad to the Volga Bulgars: 921-922, published by Academia Publishing House. Organised by SBA, the award is the largest of its kind globally, with a value of Dh1.4 million awarded for the best translation of an original Arabic book into a foreign language.
Following that, he also signed copies of his latest work, The Compendium of the Histories of the Arabian Peninsula and Persia 1622 CE – 1810 CE. The work provides detailed documentation of this significant historical period in the region, arranged chronologically. It is published in 33 volumes in Arabic and in English, comprising 1,473 documents. It is also available on a USB drive.
He based the publication on documents acquired from various archival centres, including English, Dutch, French and Ottoman sources. He also referenced Portuguese documents that were previously included in his work, The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman 1497 CE-1757 CE. The Ruler of Sharjah arranged and categorised the documents over nearly 40 years of work. He also translated them from their original languages into Arabic. The documents cover events in the Arabian Peninsula and Persia from diverse sources. Each volume includes a reference index at the end to help locate specific information, along with annotations for the documents.
For his part, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA, announced during his welcome address that SIBF 2025 is the world’s leading book fair in buying and selling copyrights for the fifth consecutive year. He noted that such milestones are the result of the vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, who ensured that no edition of the fair would ever be skipped.
He noted that the 44th edition welcomes over 2,500 publishers and exhibitors from 118 countries, marking a unique international gathering. It features the largest presence of African publishers outside Africa, the widest participation from India and East Asia, the most extensive European presence outside Europe, and a consistently strong turnout from Arab publishers, the ambassadors of the Arabic language to the world.
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