Meet the winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2015-2016

Source: SZBA.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) has announced the names of the winners of its tenth cycle (2015-2016). The award ceremony will take place on May 1, 2016 alongside the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, where the winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year award will receive a prize of AED 1,000,000, a medal, and a certificate of merit. Each of the winners of the Award’s other categories will receive AED 750,000, a gold medal and a certificate of merit:

Contribution to the Development of Nations Award: Al-Sarab (The Mirage) by Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi from UAE, published by The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, 2015. 

The study focuses on the emergence of politicised religious groups and conducts a multilevel analysis of their religious thought and political ideologies The study also seeks to provide an understanding of the obstacles hindering development, modernisation, and progress in the Arab World.

Literature Award: Ma Wara’a al-Kitaba (Beyond Writing) by Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Abdelmeguid, published in 2014 by Al-Dar Al-Masriyah Al-Lubnaniyah, Cairo. 

The book narrates the author’s experiences on which his novels were based and provides a creative view of the political, social and cultural contexts within which the books were written.

Literary and Art Criticism Award went to Al-Fikr al-Adabi al-‘Arabi (Arabic Literary Thought) by the Moroccan writer Said Yaktine, published in 2014 by Difaf Publishing, Beirut. 

The study combines between theory and practice in contemporary criticism in Arabic and is both comprehensive in coverage and innovative in approach.

Translation Award: the translation by the Iraqi Keyan Yahya of The Meaning of Meaning by Ogden and Richards. The translation was published in 2015 by Dar al-Kitab al-Jadeed, Beirut. 

This is the first translation of the book in Arabic after more than ninety years of its publication. The study is a landmark in the philosophy of language.

Arab Culture in Other Languages Award: Angles et Grandeur by Egyptian author Roshdi Rashed, published in 2015 by the Walter De Gruyter, Berlin. 

The study discusses the concept of angle and its relation to Archimedean and non-Archimedean theories of measurement, tracing the history of discussions from Euclid to Kamal al-Din al-Farisi. The volume presents first editions of over twenty texts, either in Arabic or Greek by the greatest mathematicians and philosophers of the time. The texts are translated into French and supplemented with extensive commentary.

Publishing and Technology Award: Dar Al-Saqi. 

This UK-based publishing house has adopted a broad-minded cultural project approach. It has published non-fiction in thought, science, and art. Several of its publications have won awards in various categories covered by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

There were no awards given out for the Children’s Literature or Young Author categories as judges felt the shortlist did not meet the Award’s standards. 

The Cultural Personality of the Year remains to be announced.

There were 1,169 nominations from 33 countries for the current cycle, 120 of which made it to the long list. 

Interested?

Read the Suroor Asia blog posts about the SZBA shortlists for:
Arab Culture and Publishing;
Literary and Arts Studies;
Literature and Children's Literature; and
Development of Nations and Translation

Sheikh Zayed Book Award unveils 2016 contenders in Arab Culture and Publishing Categories

Source: Sheikh Zayed Book
Award website.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) has revealed the last nominations for its tenth cycle.

One English title has been nominated under Arab Culture in Other Languages, The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letter, Arabic Knowledge Construction by Iraqi writer Muhsin J Al-Musawi, published by University of Notre Dame Press, 2015. The book is a deeply learned work of literary history. It presents a a compelling argument against the commonly-held opinion that Arabic literature, since the glorious peak of the Abbasids, has somehow failed to be modern, and instead became locked in conventions that were stultifying and rarefied, created only for a small circle of initiates who were themselves censored and censuring. Musawi reviews this misconception and demonstrates, through his readings how this generally accepted account is mistaken.

Two French works were also shortlisted. Angles et Grandeur by Egyptian author Roshdi Rashed, published by the Walter De Gruyter, Berlin 2015 discusses the concept of the angle and its relation to Archimedean and non-Archimedean theories of measurement, tracing the history of discussions from Euclid to Kamal al-Din al-Farisi, after whom the discussion was not resumed until Newton and Euler. The volume presents first editions of over twenty texts, either in Arabic or Greek of the greatest mathematicians and philosophers of the time. The texts are translated into French and supplemented with extensive commentary.

Les Èlites Bagdadiennes au Temps des Seldjoukides by researcher Vanessa Van Renterghem from France, is published by Presses de l’Ifpo, 2015. The study examines the history of Baghdad in social terms, during a period rarely addressed by scholars; under the Seljuks. The study features two-volumes; the first being a study of the social theory and the second featuring appendices and pictorial analysis.

The nominated publishing houses for the Publishing and Technology award are Asala Publishing, from Lebanon, Obeikan Publishing from Saudi, Dar Al-Saqi, from Lebanon and Dar Toubqal from Morocco.

The SZBA will announce the winners in the next couple of weeks followed by the announcement of Cultural Personality of the Year.

Interested?

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the SZBA short list for Literary and Arts Studies

Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2016 shortlists shared for Literary and Arts Studies categories

Source: Sheikh Zayed Book
Award website.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has revealed the three titles short listed in the Literary and Arts Studies category for the 2016 cycle.

The Typography and Urban Evolution of Cairo by Egyptian historian Ayman F’uad Sayyid, published by the General Egyptian Book Organization, 2015, is a study of the evolution of urban planning in the city of Cairo since the Islamic Ages till the present day. The author connects urban planning to the development of political, religious, social, economic trends of the people who ruled Egypt. The study uncovers the impact of the rulers and politicians who played a major role in the development plans for Cairo, and includes a photo album and a number of historical maps illustrating the urban development process.

Tahadiyat al Naqed al Mo’aser (Challenges of the Contemporary Critic) by Gaber Asfour, from Egypt, is published by Dar Al Tanweer, Beirut 2014. The book provides an accessible introduction to Arab contemporary literary theory and criticism. It offers modes of criticism within their historical and intellectual contexts in addition to close readings of the major European and Anglo-American critical texts and their impact of Arab criticism movement.

Al fikr al ‘Adabi al Arabi (Arabic Literary Thought) by Said Yaktine from Morocco and published by Difaf Publishing, Beirut 2014, combines the history of the Arab contemporary criticism, Arabic literature and Arab literary thought. The study aims to introduce literary and critical practice in areas of study related to linguistics include semiotics.

More shortlists will be shared in the lead-up to the announcement of the winners.

Interested?

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the 2016 shortlists for Development of Nations and Translation

Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces 2016 shortlists for Development of Nations and Translation

Source: Sheikh Zayed Book
Award website.

The organisers of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) have announced the shortlisted contenders for the Contribution to the Development of Nations and Translation categories.

The shortlist for Contribution to the Development of Nations consists of:

Sosiologia al ‘unf wal ‘irahb (Sociology of Violence and Terrorism) by Iraqi author Ibrahim Al-Haidari, published by Dar Al-Saqi, Lebanon 2015.

In the book, the concept of terrorism and its consequences are addressed on the individual and social levels. Evidence is provided on the foundation of the fundamentalist and Salafist movements, and the roots of jihadist ideology and principles.

Al Sarab (The Mirage) by Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi from UAE, published by The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, 2015.

This study tackles the phenomena of politicised religious groups and addresses the religious thoughts and the political successors of those groups. The study also seeks to provide an understanding of the obstacles hindering the development, modernity and progress, in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Al qurban al badeel (The alternative communion) by Fathy Abdelsamie from Egypt, published by Al Dar Al Massriah Al Lubnaniah, 2015

This sociological study analyses non-violent approaches in popular culture in southern Egypt, specifically when resolving conflict and revenge.

The shortlist for the Translation category includes two translations from English to Arabic and one translation from Arabic to French:

The Meaning of Meaning by Ogden and Richards, translated from English to Arabic by Keyan Yahya from Iraq, published by Dar al Kitab Al Jadeed, Lebanon 2015. 

This is the first translation of the book in Arabic after more than 90 years. The study is pioneer in its field of philosophy of language. Dr Keyan Yahya is a researcher in the Arabic language and a seasoned translator.

The Death of the Critic by Ronan McDonald. Translated from English to Arabic by Fakhri Saleh from Jordan, and published by the National Center for Translation, Egypt 2014. 

 The text highlights the importance of the critic, tracking the historical progress and the development of its role, leading to its “death” in the latter half of the 20th century. It defends evaluative criticism, and argues how its lack is a symptom of general moral relativism and anti-authoritarianism. Fakhri Saleh is a prominent critic and writer specialising in English literature and philosophy.

Sémaphores, Carnet II by late novelist Gamal El-Ghitani, translated from Arabic into French by Emmanuel Varlet from France, published by Èditions Du Seuil, Paris 2014. 

This biographical account of Gamal El-Ghitani’s life and experiences by way of light railway signals (or 'sémaphores' in French). Varlet specialises in literary Arabic translation and Arab culture. A fluent Arabic speaker, he has translated works for many Arab authors including Syrian novelist Rosa Yaseen Hasan, Egyptian author Mohamed Salah al-Azab, Kurdish-Syrian writer Salim Barakat and Saudi writer Yousef Al-Mohaimeed.

Interested?

Review the SZBA shortlists for Literature and Children's Literature

Sheikh Zayed Book Award unveils shortlists for Literature, Children's Literature

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced the shortlists for the Literature and Children’s Literature categories, comprising three titles per category.

Titles for the Literature shortlist include:

Bakhur ‘adani (Incense from Aden) by Yemeni Novelist Ali Al-Muqri (2014) published by Dar al-Saqi, Beirut.

The novel is inspired by the social and political history of the city of Aden, commonly known for its religious tolerance and ethnic diversity. The novel narrates the journey of a French soldier upon reaching the port of Aden during World War II. The soldier learns Arabic and engages in Yemeni public life in a tolerant environment which soon erupts into intense conflict zone where suffrage and migration begins; turning Aden into a place of human misery. The author contemplates the meaning of home and what constitutes it.

Thi’bat al hob wal kutub (The she-wolf of love and books), by Muhsin al-Ramli from Iraq. The novel is published by Dar Al-Mada, Baghdad 2015.

The novel addresses the human suffering of the Iraqi diaspora in exile after the US invasion of Iraq. Muhsen (the main character) escapes to Jordan and when accessing his email account, accidentally accesses his brother’s and finds letters from Hyam, an Iraqi woman residing in Spain. The author takes the reader through an intricate journey of emails between Hyam and Muhsen posing as his brother, Hassan. Eventually, Muhsen develops mounting affection towards Hyam and decides to travel to Spain to meet her.

Ma wara’a al kitaba (Beyond Writing) by Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Abdelmeguid and published by Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah, Cairo 2014.

This biography of a literary author is a meta-narrative. The author narrates his life, experiences, knowledge and relationships in what seems to be a literary testimony. In his book, the author seeks to expose the political, social and cultural contexts that accompanied his work as a literary writer.

For Children’s Literature, three titles were selected:

Ta’er al warwar’(The bee-eater) by Lebanese author Hassan Abdallah, published by Academia International, Lebanon 2015.

The story focuses on a group of school-aged children chasing a small bird with a broken wing, which hides behind the bushes to avoid getting caught. The children start a fire to force the bird out of the bushes leading to a serious spread of flames everywhere. The story educates children about the value of humane treatment of animals, love of nature and preservation of the environment.

Al bahth ‘an al saqr ghannam (Looking for Ghannam, the Falcon) by Lina Al Hassan Hawyan from Syria and published by Dar Al Adab, Lebanon 2015.

The story revolves around a 14 year-old boy, Sabah, whose uncle Khalid loses his falcon, Ghannam. They set out to look for him in the desert accompanied by Sarhan, the hunting dog. On the first day of the journey, Sabah loses sight of his uncle and finds himself all alone with the dog and a bottle of water, some flour and ghee. The author takes us on a trip of seven long days into the mysterious and beautiful world of the Sahara as Sabah wanders alone through the desert.

Eed fi ibreeq (Fest in a Jug) by Saudi writer Nouf Alosaimi, published by Kadi and Ramadi, Saudi Arabia 2014.

The story is about the Eid al-Adha religious festival celebrated by Muslims and how a little girl experiences the traditions surrounding it. Sama lives in a big orphanage and usually carries a small jug/pitcher where she pretends to hide in when she’s in sorrow or overjoyed. She travels to her grandmother to celebrate Eid al-Adha and decides to bring back the feast in a jug to show her friends at the orphanage.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award will be announcing the rest of the shortlists in the coming days, followed by announcements of winners. The annual award presentation ceremony will be held during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (April 27 to May 3, 2016) at the International Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Interested?

Browse the longlists for the award

Sheikh Zayed Book Award long lists for 10th cycle unveiled

The organisers of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) have announced the long lists in six categories: Contribution to the Development of Nations; Children’s Literature [including adolescents’ books]; Young Author; Translation; Literature and Literary and Art Criticism, totalling some 70 works.

Each category has three judges who are appointed yearly to independently evaluate the nominations and submit their assessment results to the Scientific Committee for another round of assessment resulting in a short list, which then is presented to the Board of Trustees to decide on the winners.

With the conclusion of the reading panels’ work, the SZBA judging panels will commence assessment and evaluation of filtered works which will extend until February 2016. The judges submit their views to the Scientific Committee for a third round of evaluations to decide on the short list of the best nominations in this category, after which the winners are chosen.

The long list for the Young Author prize in the tenth cycle consists of 11 titles out of 335 nominations. The nominations came from 18 Arabic countries, mostly from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan. The successful nominations include Al bunyat al dalaliya fil lugha al arabiya  (The semantic structure of time in the Arabic language) by Abdel Kebir Elhassani of Morocco, published by Dar Konoz, Jordan in 2015.

The long list for the Translation category is also 11 titles long, chosen from 109 nominations. The nominations originated from 14 Arabic countries, mainly Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. History of Egypt in the middle ages by Stanley Lane-Poole is in the list. This English-to-Arabic text was translated by Ahmed Salem Salem of Egypt, and published by Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah, Egypt in 2014.

The Development for Nations category has six titles in its long list, chosen from 138 nominations. The nominations are from 14 Arabic countries, mostly from Egypt, UAE, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Representative is Azmat al fikr al Arabi (Arab Thought Crisis and Metaphysical Questions), by Aziz El Hadadi of Morocco, published by Afrique Orient, Morocco, 2014.

There are a dozen books in the long list for the Arts and Literary Criticism Award for its tenth cycle, selected from 151 nominations. The nominees are from 12 Arabic-speaking countries, predominantly Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq, in addition to nominees from three non-Arabic speaking countries; Australia, the UK and New Zealand. 

The list includes works covering a variety of topics, from studies in architecture and history to the arts, scientific research in linguistics and the novel. Al qudsi wal dunyawi fi al sard al Arabi (Sacred and earthly accounts in Arabic narrative) by Mustapha Ennahal of Morocco, published by Dar Bou Regreg of Morocco in 2014, is part of the list.

For the Literature category, 15 titles out of 270 nominations have made it to the long list. The nominations came from 19 Arabic-speaking countries, mainly Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in addition to six non-Arab countries: Germany, Sweden, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands and the US.

Three titles were published by Dar Al Saqi of Lebanon:

1. Salatun libidayat al Saqee (A Prayer for the Beginning of Frost) by Lebanese poet Abbas Beydoun (2015)
2. Ziryab (a person's name) by Saudi Arabian novelist Maqbul al-Alawi (2014)
3. Bakhur Adani (Incense from Aden) by Yemeni novelist Ali Al-Muqri (2014)

A further three titles were published by Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah of Egypt, which also has titles in the long list for Translation;

1. Al moriski al Akheer (The Last Moor), by Egyptian novelist Sobhi Moussa (2015)
2. Ma wara’a al kitaba (Beyond Writing) by Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Abdelmeguid (2014)
3. Yahdoth fee Baghdad (Happening in Baghdad) by Iraqi writer Rasool Mohammed Rasool (2014) 

The 12 books in the long list for the Children’s Literature category in its tenth cycle consists of eight children’s books and four for adolescents. 

The SZBA was established in memory of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of UAE for more than 30 years, and of his pioneering role in promoting national unity and development. It is presented every year to outstanding Arab writers, intellectuals, and publishers as well as young talents whose writing and translation in humanities have objectively enriched Arab scholarship and cultural, literary, and social life.

The independent cultural award is administered by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, and valued at AED7 million.

Interested?

View winners of the award in past years 

Taj Mahal, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre and Hagia Sofia Museum among top landmarks globally

TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice for the top 25 landmarks include three with Islamic history:

Source: Taj Mahal website.

Ranked no. 3 is the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The memorial, built by the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666) to house the grave of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (also named Arjumand Banu Begum, 1593 - 1631), is considered the best of example of Mughal architecture, which combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It received an 'excellent' rating from 8,807 TripAdvisor reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 1,329 reviewers, out of a total of 10,515 reviews.

Source: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre website.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi, the UAE is no. 4. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is visible from the three main bridges connecting Abu Dhabi island to the mainland, and aims to highlight the heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The late Sheikh, first President of the UAE, is buried beside the mosque. It received an 'excellent' rating from 7,269 TripAdvisor  reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 1,037 reviewers, out of a total of 8,476 reviews.

Source: Hagia Sophia Museum website.

At no. 15 is the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. This building was first used as a church for 916 years, then converted into a mosque following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed. The Hagia Sophia remained a mosque for 482 years and was turned into a museum by the order of Atatürk and the Council of Ministers in 1935. It received an 'excellent' rating from 1,302 TripAdvisor reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 3,821 reviewers, out of a total of 17,957 reviews.

Interested?

View TripAdvisor's top 25 landmarks

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cultural Centre officially open in Ningxia

The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cultural Centre and Mosque in Wuzhong city, Ningxia autonomous province, China, has been officially opened, WAM, the Emirates News Agency said.

At the ceremony Professor Zhou Yu Dong, Deputy Ruler of Ningxia, thanked the UAE, led by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for the donation to build the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cultural Centre and a mosque in province, pointing out that the project would contribute towards achieving stability and ensuring settlement of the region's displaced inhabitants, who are minority Muslims.

He also highlighted the level of the Chinese-UAE bilateral relations, extending an open invitation to the Emiratis to exchange visits and cooperate with Ningxia. He said that Ningxia, as per the strategy of the Chinese government, is deemed an important gateway for cooperation with Arab and Islamic countries.

In response, Omar Ahmed Adi Nasib Al Bitar, UAE Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, extended thanks to the Ningxia government for cooperation with the UAE citizens to contribute in providing for humanitarian projects in the province, stressing the UAE's keenness on enhancing cooperation in all domains with China in general and Ningxia in particular.

The mosque, which will provide services to Ningxia Muslims in particular and China in general, will accommodate more than 1,200 male and 300 female worshippers, school classrooms, housing apartments and other services. The construction of the mosque was completed in a record time of under nine months.

Dubai's Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) separately took delivery of the Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque at Safa (1) District, WAM added.

Mohammed Saeed Al Muhairi, Head of Mosque Affairs Committee, IACAD, said the mosque, built at the expense of Abdullah Rashid Al Suwaidi, will accommodate 630 including a prayer corner which can accommodate 97 ladies.