His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, gave a lecture on "The Roots of Arabic Literature" at the Majaz Amphitheatre on Tuesday evening, during which he met with a group of media professionals.

Tracing the history and etymology of the Arabic Literature, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah said that Arabic Literature did not come out of the blue, it must rather have had its deep roots, gathered to give all this wide diversity in form, meaning and content.

As for the Nabati poetry, His Highness traced the development of this kind of poetry from the times of Ibrahim in 1800 B.C. saying that the word “poetry’ means “news and science”, and the “Nabati poetry’ means: We have received a news or science, which the Nabataeans transferred that image thus forming the basis of the Nabataeans poetry, which spread widely is in Mecca and other areas.

His Highness then pointed out to the cities and other places that excelled in the industry of culture highlighting the great role of kings in encouraging and motivating poets since the time of Al-Mundhir, King of Al-Hira, who made Al Hira’s capital a permanent assembly place for poets at the time.

Concluding his lecture, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah said: "Culture is never temporary, nor is it imported; culture is derived from the human who dwells on this Earth; culture is derived from man to whom it gives its keys.”

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah announced the imminent publication of a new book containing the valuable lectures presented by His Highness during the past years, which dealt with the history, language, heritage and literature of the Arabic nation, along with the history of ancient cities until the date of the promulgation of Islam.

The announcement came while His Highness responded to a question presented by one of the attendees, in which he pointed to the importance of printing and publishing His Highness’ lectures for their great benefit, rarity and high scientific and academic value. 

Underlining the significance of documentation and history, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah stressed the importance of paying attention to the documentation centres and specialised manuscripts because of their importance in preserving the history, geography, heritage and literature of the peoples. He pointed out that he has engaged in research for more than 30 years and that span of time gave him the opportunity to review lots of authentic information through research centres.

Answering a question related to his interest in research in history and the importance of studying and reading the history of the younger generation, His Highness stressed that the most important thing is not to focus on history, but rather to focus on what history holds and the facts it assures, calling for re-writing history as it is sometimes written according to the existing authority. His Highness added, in this context, that the falsification of history is still there.