Sharjah Ruler launches endowment to support Arabic language academies

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, on Tuesday announced a charity endowment dedicated to support Arabic language academies.

Sheikh Sultan was attending a function to release 19 new volumes of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language at the Arabic Language Academy (ALA) in Sharjah. Representatives from 14 leading Arabic language academies from 12 countries were also present.

The 19 new volumes of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language cover four Arabic letters; haa, khaa, dal and thal, which have been added to the existing 17 volumes that focus on 9 letters starting from hamza up until thal.

The Corpus, a first-of-its kind project to chronicle 17 centuries of development in the Arabic language, now has 36 volumes in all, each designed and published by Al Qasimi Publications. This unprecedented historical feat translates the efforts of the Sharjah Ruler in supporting and fostering the growth of the Arabic language.

Sheikh Sultan lauded the efforts of the representatives of the Arabic academies in producing the Historical Corpus, asserting that it is one of the critical tools that nations should build on to promote the language. He highlighted the importance of language academies in protecting, preserving and promoting the Arabic language and granting Arabic its rightful place in studies, research, education and learning.

Sheikh Sultan emphasised the importance of establishing special centres managed by their respective academies, as a sustainable resource for bolstering the presence of Arabic language across the Arab world.

He also spoke about the unparalleled efforts to support the learning of the Arabic language in Sharjah that led to the founding of the Al Qasimia University in Sharjah.

“We established Al Qasimia University here in Sharjah. Students from around the world graduate here each year including from Japan and the Americas,” said Sheikh Sultan.

“We have established institutions dedicated to the Arabic language and issued decrees and laws to protect and ensure that these institutions will not be in vain, and to also engage the lovers of this language in promoting it,” He added.

The Sharjah Ruler concluded by elaborating on the rich and authentic history of Sharjah as mentioned in a report written by a statesman sent by Alexander the Great to Persia in 331 BCE. He pointed out the enduring role of Sharjah and its people in enriching the Arabic language, literature, and poetry and supporting and disseminating knowledge over the centuries.

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A number of attendees from Arabic language academies expressed their appreciation to Sheikh Sultan for the ongoing efforts to reinforce and elevate the role of the Arabic language. They stated that through the vision and close follow up and under the directives of the Sharjah Ruler, the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language came into fruition after being just a dream for decades and has enriched Sharjah’s status as a world-class destination of culture and language.

Sheikh Sultan unveiled the first 17 volumes of the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language last year at the opening ceremony of the Sharjah International Book Fair, along with the official website of the Corpus which facilitates easy access for users to a variety of its resources.

Researchers can read the volumes, look up entries and roots of each word, browse the digital platform that was created to access the online Historical Corpus, explore the bibliography of books that were consulted to write the initial set of volumes, and also refer to the list of editors, linguists, experts and the heads of the Arabic language academies in the region who worked on this important project.

• Sharjah