Arabian Days festival puts Arabic language and artists in Abu Dhabi spotlight

New event being billed as a key date in capital's annual cultural calendar

The Arabian Days festival, organised by Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, runs at Manarat Al Saadiyat until December 18. All photos: Vidhyaa Chandramohan for The National

The main exhibition features paintings by Iraqi abstract artist Mahmoud Shubbar

His works are inspired by the life of historic Arab poet Antarah Ibn Shaddad

Shubbar's paintings capture the pre-Islamic Arab knight's adventurous life and poetry with a modern twist

Visitors can also check out the shortlisted works for the Kanz Al Jeel Award at Arabian Days

Inside the Loophole, an immersive cylinder installation, is part of the festival

Visitors explore an interactive sound wall at the festival

From language and art to scents, Arabian Days celebrates all elements of Arabic culture

The festival also features daily musical performances from prominent and up-and-coming artists

The festival coincides with World Arabic Language Day on December 18

Colourful, almost quirky, depictions of the life of pre-Islamic Arab knight and poet Antarah Ibn Shaddad line the exhibition walls of Manarat Al Saadiyat's main gallery.

The paintings, by Iraqi abstract artist Mahmoud Shubbar, pay homage to the historic figure, whose work has had a major impact on Arabic literature through the years.

The exhibition is part of the Arabian Days festival, which began on Friday and is now being billed as a key event in Abu Dhabi's annual cultural calendar.

The event, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, celebrates the Arabic language and promotes its preservation and cross-cultural understanding. It will aptly conclude on World Arabic Language Day on Monday.

Aside from the selection of paintings by Shubbar, the festival has a daily programme of musical performances, film screenings and literary talks. On opening night, Lebanese singer and musicologist Abeer Nehme performed a set on folk music, Islamic devotional songs and age-old lullabies.

Other regional musicians have also taken to the stage, including oud player and singer Anwar Abu Dragh and Palestinian singer Noel Kharman, who made a debut Abu Dhabi performance at the festival. Lebanese singer Marwan Khoury will close the festival at 9.30pm on Monday.

Also displayed are works shortlisted by this year’s Kanz Al Jeel Award, a competition by the language centre that recognises visual art works inspired by Arabic literature.

There have also been screenings of Arabic-language films, hosted by Cinema Akil at a pop-up on site. Festivalgoers can catch a screening of In Fields of Words – Conversations with Samar Yazbek on Sunday, and Algerian period drama The Last Queen on Monday, both at 6pm.

The films are screened with English subtitles, as the festival encourages even those who don't speak Arabic to participate. There are literary workshops for both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers, as well as panel discussions featuring regional poets, artists and writers.

The free festival also features a conference that tackles more pressing issues concerning the language, such as the shifts and challenges in the Arabic curriculum in schools.

More information is available at alc.ae