Huge response to Arabic calligraphy exhibition

The  Dubai International Exhibition for Arabic Calligraphy, running at the Scientific and Cultural Association headquarters in Al-Mamzar, takes the visitors to the rich glory of Arabic calligraphy with several  beautiful displays. The exhibition features 42 selected works of 22 calligraphers from 12 countries, including  the UK, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and Iran. The event includes workshops and seminars on the original art of Arabic calligraphy and the latest trends and experiments by calligraphers in different parts of the world. The exhibition's Director General Khalid A. bin Sulayem  said 33 of the 42 works on display at the exhibition were sold out within days of the start of the show on Feb. 16, reflecting the importance and popularity of the exhibition among the art-lovers. The show,  which will run through Thursday,  explains how the age-old art has evolved over the years. The UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development,  Abdul Rahman Al-Owais, and the Federal National Council (FNC) Speaker, Mohammed Al-Murr, attended one of the seminars which discussed the latest trends in Arabic calligraphy and the launch of a new book on Arabic calligraphy. Addressing a seminar,  Majid Abdul Rahman Al-Bastaki, media director of the Office of the Crown Prince of Dubai, said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum accords significant importance to promoting and preserving Arabic calligraphy which was a strong element of the Arab and Islamic identity. The exhibition is being organized under the support of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and chairman of Dubai Executive Council, and with the cooperation of Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), the Istanbul-based cultural arm of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The educational seminars and technical workshops will deal with the history and evolution of Arabic calligraphy and different schools of Arabic calligraphy in the Islamic and Muslim communities around the world.