Scholars and authors from across the Arab world were honoured for their contributions at the 20th Sheikh Zayed Book Award on Wednesday.
Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed highlighted the award’s importance as a global platform expanding the presence of Arab creativity. The event is held during Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which runs until Friday.
Sheikh Theyab, who is Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, handed awards to the winners across all categories, including:
- Egyptian author Ashraf Al Elashmawy in the Literature category
- Moroccan researcher Mustapha Rajouane in the Young Author category
- Iraqi-American researcher Nawal Nasrallah in the Translation category
- Jordanian author Zuhair Tawfiq in the Literary and Art Criticism category
- German scholar and translator Stefan Weidner in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category
- and Egyptian Prof Dr Mohamed Elkhosht in the Manuscripts, Encyclopaedias, and Lexicons category.
A special award was presented to Egyptian artist Najat Al Saghira, winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year award.
Al Saghira is a legend of Egyptian cinema and music, hailing from the golden age of Arab music in the 1940s to the 1960s.
In the UAE, she holds the distinction of having sung the national anthem on the UAE's first National Day on December 2, 1972, a year after the nation was born.
She was gifted the honour for her "significant contributions to the Arabic language through her songs, which have become an enduring part of Arab cultural memory", Abu Dhabi Government Media Office said.
"Her career reflects the vital role of the arts in strengthening communication between peoples and cultures, while contributing to preserving cultural identity and reinforcing its presence among generations."
