The Department of Arabic Language and Literature in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) recently organized an Arabic calligraphy exhibition in cooperation with the Emirates Arabic Calligraphy Society and the Arabic Language Club. The exhibition was held in the College of Information Technology on UAEU’s female campus and was attended by several Emirati calligraphers.

The exhibition was opened by Professor Saif Al Qaydi, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, in the presence of Dr. Saif Al Mahrouqi, Vice Dean for Humanities, and a number of faculty members and administrators. Professor Al Qaydi praised this collaborative effort to highlight the Arabic language (the language of the Holy Quran) and the importance of the language as a part of UAE national identity. The exhibition focused on the Arabic language as an expressive tool for the transfer of ideas from writer to reader.

Professor Al Qaydi pointed out that this exhibition helps in unearthing talented students who are interested in the language arts and literature. Such subjects are important pillars in helping to form Emirati and Arabic cultural identity. Among the Emirati calligraphers present were specialists Saeed Al-Amri, Ali Al Hammadi, Ali Al Amiri and Fatima Mohammed, whose contribution to the maintenance of the aesthetic beauty of Arabic calligraphy and promotion, via this medium, of Islamic ideals and values is invaluable. 

Dr. Ghaneimah Al Yammahi, Assistant Professor of Arabic Language in the college, said that this exhibition is the result of ideas put forward by students of the Arabic language and members of the Arabic Language Club. This club was founded in February 2013, in order to enhance the linguistic abilities of students through various activities and events and to create a cultural environment that fosters Arabic identity. This all helps to prepare graduates to be leaders in these fields of specialization by honing their skills and developing their creative ideas through project work.