Sharjah's House of Wisdom has officially opened.
On Wednesday, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the library, marking the latest chapter in the emirate's influential role in spreading culture in the region.
The venue will be available to the public from Thursday, December 10, and open from 10am to 8pm, daily. But the lending of books will start at a later date.
The House of Wisdom, on Al Khawaneej Street and near Etihad Mall, has a collection of more than 300,000 books and the centre is spread across 1.2 hectares.
The building was designed by renowned British architectural firm Foster + Partners to commemorate Sharjah being named as the Unesco World Book Capital in 2019.
Where literature and technology meet
Once inside, book lovers will enter not so much a library, but a vibrant and multifaceted space home to state-of-the-art print and groundbreaking literature from the region and beyond.
Developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) the library is set on an elevated platform, spans 12,000 square metres and has up to 15 different lobbies and halls spread across two floors.
The main space is The Monumental Library, which will store up to 305,000 books, two thirds of which are in digital form and 11,000 are in various languages.
The children's library, The Little Reader, carries more than 5,000 titles for children and youths. A dedicated space for women is also on offer with a meeting spot called the Ladies Diwan, which also includes a library for the very young – aged 3 to 10.
Meanwhile, the Book Espresso Machine section allows visitors to print and bind books upon demand.
More book technology is found in Al Jazari Laboratory (also known as the Fabrication Lab) named after 12th century Mesopotamian inventor Badi Al Zaman Al Jazari.
On his visit, Sheikh Dr Al Qasimi examined the pavilion's features, which include cutting-edge 3D printers, lasers and vinyl cutting machines.
Dedicated arts and exhibition space
The House of Wisdom also offers numerous arts spaces with two current exhibitions by Iraqi-born New York artist Wafaa Bilal. The first is 168:01, which mourns the loss of 70,000 books in a 2013 fire in the University of Baghdad.
The second, The Ashes Series, is a display of press photographs capturing some of the destruction in Iraq caused by two decades worth of conflict.
In addition to lush and landscaped gardens, comprising more than 300 trees of 12 different species, the House of Wisdom also has dedicated auditorium to hold cultural events such as festivals and seminars.
Behold, The Scroll
Outside the area lies House of Wisdom’s key architectural landmark.
Dubbed The Scroll and designed by British sculptor Gerry Judah, it is a spiralling and modern sculpture inspired by Arabic scrolls.
It stands at about 36 metres tall and weighs 72 tonnes, and visitors can marvel at the structure as they walk around and underneath it.
Upon looking up, they will be met by rays of light gaping through steel folds, which will in turn form shifting puddles of light on the ground.
"The origin of the book is the scroll, it's where it all started," Judah said. "I thought the design also nodded to Arabian calligraphy."
It is that rich mixture of the region’s past and future that makes The House of Wisdom a library for the ages.
That universal message is also brought home by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, president of the International Publishers Association, on her official Instagram account.
“The House of Wisdom is finally open,” she said. “We hope this place of enlightenment will be a beacon of light and knowledge for generations to come."
For more information, call the House of Wisdom on 971 6 594 0000
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
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- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
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Alan Shearer 30
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Frank Lampard 29
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
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Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
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UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
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126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
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