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Billboard Arabia granted famed Egyptian singer Sherine Abdelwahab Global Force Award.
“I hope that my work reaches the entire world. That’s always been a dream of mine” AbdelWahab said.
The Egyptian star added that she is thrilled and proud that there is a music award specifically for women.
Billboard Arabia in partnership with Billboard Women In Music 2024, granted AbdelWahab this prestigious award to be the first Arab Artist to receive it.
Abdelwahab released her latest song titled “Dahab” on February, 2024.
The song is written by Tamer Hussein and composed by Madin.
Abdelwahab makes her debut performance in Dubai in 2023. Abdel Wahab has captivated thousands of audiences around the Arab world with her melodious voice, charismatic stage presence and managed to establish herself as one of the most popular and beloved singers in the Middle East. She is a popular Egyptian singer who was born in 1980. She started her career in 2000.
Two years later, the music producer Nasr Mahrous who strongly believed in Abdelwahab paired her with Tamer Hosny on the same music album.
The album achieved booming success; Abdelwahab and Hosny became mega stars. She released a lot of successful songs such as “Masha’aer’’ (Emotions), “Albi Leek” (My heart is for you), “Garh Tany” (Another wound), “Lazem Ayesh” (I have to survive), “Batmenak” (I am Reassuring you) among others. She acted in one movie along with the Egyptian mega star Ahmed Helmy entitled “Mido Mashakel” (Mido always makes problems).
Her soap opera “Tare’y” (My path), released in 2015, achieved great success. Abdelwahab is famous for her emotional, melodious voice that has a significant touch of intimacy. She is consistently hailed as one of the most talented and successful singers of her era, being dubbed as “The Queen of Emotions” for her popular romantic ballads.
Khaled Noby, CEO of Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE), was selected as an impact maker for the COP29 Global Communications Campaign. This nomination recognizes NCE’s pioneering work in safeguarding biodiversity in Egypt.
NCE announced that Noby was selected on 19 November as one of the 50 impact makers in a global communications campaign launched by Nigar Arpadarai, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29.
The Impact Makers campaign seeks to amplify the voices of leaders significantly impacting how to address the climate crisis. Through his leadership, Noby has played a crucial role in shaping Egypt’s dialogue around nature conservation and renewable energy. His nomination is part of a more significant effort to ensure that global climate strategies include biodiversity conservation as a fundamental element of the transition to renewable energy.
NCE is dedicated to integrating biodiversity conservation into the renewable energy sector. It aims to balance the country’s growing energy needs with the urgent necessity of protecting its rich and diverse wildlife and biodiversity.
NCE is witnessing the ambitious expansion in renewable energy production in Egypt, driven by the growing domestic demand and the need to cut climate change emissions from fossil fuels. However, this transition to renewable energy production negatively impacts habitats and wildlife. Renewable energy infrastructure has been reported to cause significant fatalities in various wildlife forms, particularly migratory birds.
While most conservation efforts have focused on mitigating the impacts within wind farms, NCE has been paying attention to another significant threat that needs to be adequately acknowledged: bird collisions with overhead transmission lines (OHTLs).
Moreover, NCE has effectively advocated adding local biodiversity loss to national and international agendas. Nonmigratory wildlife faces equally severe threats from poorly planned renewable energy infrastructure, yet the lack of data on local species often diverts conservation efforts towards migratory wildlife. NCE has led a successful national effort to translocate the threatened native reptile, the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia), in collaboration with the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and SafeSoar. Thirteen individuals of this endangered lizard species were safely translocated from the AMUNET Wind Farm site before construction, exemplifying effective conservation action.
“I am truly humbled to be recognized as an Impact Maker by the High-Level Champions team. This honour belongs equally to my dedicated colleagues at NCE, whose unwavering commitment to nature conservation in Egypt inspires me every day. This is a celebration of our collective efforts — I’m simply privileged to represent such a sincere and hardworking team,” said Noby.
“This recognition of Khaled Noby is very well deserved and reflects his commitment and dedication to advancing the conservation of nature in Egypt; it also represents the collective effort of the NCE team and their success, under the stewardship of Khaled, in becoming a leader in the conservation field in the Middle East and North Africa. Congratulations to Khaled, NCE, and Egypt for this recognition,” said Sherif Baha El Din, NCE board chairman.
Noby’s inclusion in the campaign places a spotlight on Egypt’s unique position at the intersection of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, highlighting how the country can serve as a model for other regions facing similar challenges.
The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has named renowned Algerian author and novelist Ahlam Mosteghanemi as the ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’ for the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2024) in recognition of her remarkable contribution to Arabic literature over five decades. Her novels have captivated readers across the Arab world, establishing her as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Arabic writing.
Ahlam Mosteghanemi is one of the most influential contemporary Arab authors, acclaimed for her ability to merge profound social commentary with pan-Arab themes. Her works critically explore the relationship between society and women while reflecting on pivotal historical events that have shaped modern Arab culture. The late Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella famously described her as a ‘shining Algerian sun in Arabic literature,’ commending her dedication to the Arabic language and the nation’s rich history.
As part of SIBF’s annual programme, SBA selects a ‘Cultural Personality’ to showcase influential figures whose work has enriched both the Arab and global cultural landscapes, reflecting the authority’s commitment to honouring those who have made lasting contribution in fields such as literature, poetry, and philosophy. By highlighting these figures, SBA seeks to inspire future generations and reinforce the region’s cultural identity.
Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA, emphasised that the annual selection of a cultural personality reflects the vision of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. “His Highness believes that people are at the heart of every achievement, particularly in knowledge, culture, and thought. These are the domains where nations’ experiences are preserved, thanks to the literary and intellectual contributions of individuals whose works have been a staple in homes and libraries worldwide.”
In 2009, she published Nessyane.com and Their Hearts with Us and Their Bombs on Us, addressing the US invasion of Iraq, followed by Al Aswad Yalikou Biki in 2012. Her voice, marked by themes of freedom and authenticity, has deeply resonated with Arab readers.
He added: “Ahlam Mosteghanemi holds a unique place in Arabic literature. Her novels resonate with readers of all ages and intellectual backgrounds across the Arab world, a rare achievement for any author. By celebrating her journey and other remarkable literary experiences, we expand the horizons of Arabic literature, strengthen the relationship between societies and their creative leaders, and contribute to elevating the quality of published content.”
A thoughtful presence
Spanning more than five decades, Mosteghanemi’s literary career began with In the Harbour of Days (1971) and continues with her latest work, I Became You. Her celebrated trilogy – Zakirat Al Jasad (1993), Fawda el Hawas (1997), and Aber Sareer (2003) – remains a landmark in contemporary Arabic literature. In 2009, she published Nessyane.com and Their Hearts with Us and Their Bombs on Us, addressing the US invasion of Iraq, followed by Al Aswad Yalikou Biki in 2012. Her voice, marked by themes of freedom and authenticity, has deeply resonated with Arab readers.
Throughout her illustrious career, Mosteghanemi has earned numerous accolades, including the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature and the Best Arabic Writer award during the Beirut International Award Festival (BIAF). Arabian Business and Forbes have recognised her as one of the most influential Arab women in literature and culture.
Additionally, Mosteghanemi served as a UNESCO Ambassador for eight years and was awarded the 2015 Arab Woman of the Year Award in London under the patronage of the Mayor of London and Regent’s University. In 2009, she received the Beirut Shield.
Mosteghanemi earned her doctorate in sociology from the Sorbonne University in 1982 before moving to Lebanon in the early 1990s. There, she published Zakirat Al Jasad, a novel that significantly impacted the literary world. The book sold over three million copies and was awarded the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 1998. It is also recognised as one of the top 100 Arabic novels of the 20th century.
source/content: gulftoday.ae (headline edited)
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Ahlam Mosteghanemi poses for a photograph. File photo
Hissein Mahamoud Barkai won France’s Lebey Prize for best artisan in 2022. A member of the Toques françaises association of chefs, he’s become an ambassador for Chadian gastronomy around the world, with hallmark creations like the “Paris-N’Djamena”.
Barkai was born in Chad and after training in France as a pastry chef now spends his time between Paris and N’Djamena.
His cuisine is a delicate fusion of locally sourced ingredients such as dates, almonds and sorghum flour married with French savoir faire.
In October this year he was awarded the 2022 Lebey Prize for best artisan, but earning recognition in his native Chad, where cooking is reserved to women, was a slog.
“Being a Chadian man and cooking is near impossible, even Utopian,” he told RFI’s Nathalie Amar. “I was lucky to live in France and be able to do what I wanted to do, but it’s not easy to be able to cook here in Chad.”
Barkai hails from the north of Chad, where he was born into the Gorane ethnic group.
“In my village of birth only women can cook, so I was touching on a sensitive issue. They’re very welcoming people but they are proud of their traditions and dignity.”
So while Barkai, like many chefs, enjoyed showing off photos of his creations on social media, he used a pseudonym in the early days.
“I was in Montpellier and rather than calling myself Mahamoud, I used Al Hussein. It was close to my real name, but meant that people wouldn’t know straightaway that it was me,” he explains.
After a while he understood he couldn’t spend his life hiding. He made a short video, “a sort of culinary coming out” and posted it on YouTube.
It allowed Barkai to publicly embrace his passion.
“I received countless positive messages from people encouraging me and saying they’d like their son to do the same thing and so on. That’s how the doors opened and it was a psychological relief. A weight had been lifted.”
Feast your eyes on some of Barkai’s creations by clicking on the slideshow below.
Pastries by Hissein Mahamoud Barkai, aka the Desert Pastry Chef
A culinary journey
To the naked eye Barkai’s pastries look like any high-end French patisseries.
“You’d never suspect they’d be part of African or Chadian gastronomy,” he says.
But once you see it on your plate and taste it, “that’s when you start travelling, when you’re in something completely unique: African, Chadian, the land of the Sahel”.
He reels off a few of the many regional ingredients that go into his recipes: balamites, dates, black tamarind, hibiscus, moringa.
One of his specialties is a cup cake made with red or white sorghum flour. Not only is it locally sourced in Chad, it’s naturally gluten-free.
When cooking in N’Djamena, he avoids importing expensive products from France wherever possible – replacing butter with shea butter, wheat flour with sorghum or ground pea flour.
From Brest to N’Djamena
His hallmark patisserie is the Paris-N’Djamena – a version of the famed praline cream-filled cake known as Paris-Brest.
However, the only thing he’s kept from the classic French recipe is the choux pastry.
He replaced the praline cream with almonds and the fruit of the balanite tree (Balanites aegyptiaca), known more commonly as wild date in English and “savonnier” (soap tree) in French because its bark produces a soapy effect.
The tree’s oval fruits resemble dates, though their taste is far more acidic, Barkai explains.
Chadians traditionally suck on the fruit to cleanse the stomach, help with breast-feeding, strengthen hair and boost their immune system.
Replacing the hazelnut-based praline cream with almonds is a challenge, he says, because of their bitter edge.
“We have people here who are specialised in cracking the hard nut, removing the bitter centre and blanching it several times to reduce the bitterness.”
But he remains attached to the slightly tart twist the almonds and balanites give his dessert.
Passing on the passion
Paris is a pastry chef’s dream location but N’Djamena is still largely unexplored culinary territory.
Barkai has trained “at least 150 women in the profession” since he’s been travelling between the two capital cities. Trainees include young mothers and housewives who’ve been able to build up small micro-entreprises to support their families.
“I’m very proud, I’ve seen there are plenty of women who are now managing to live off what I’ve taught them.”
Then an ancient 14.5 kilometer-long wall was discovered at the site
When Al-Natah was built, cities were flourishing in the Levant region along the Mediterranean Sea from present-day Syria to Jordan
The discovery of a 4,000-year-old fortified town hidden in an oasis in modern-day Saudi Arabia reveals how life at the time was slowly changing from a nomadic to an urban existence, archaeologists said on Wednesday.
The remains of the town, dubbed Al-Natah, were long concealed by the walled oasis of Khaybar, a green and fertile speck surrounded by desert in the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula.
Then an ancient 14.5 kilometer-long wall was discovered at the site, according to research led by French archaeologist Guillaume Charloux published earlier this year.
For a new study published in the journal PLOS One, a French-Saudi team of researchers have provided “proof that these ramparts are organized around a habitat,” Charloux told AFP.
The large town, which was home to up to 500 residents, was built around 2,400 BC during the early Bronze Age, the researchers said.
It was abandoned around a thousand years later. “No one knows why,” Charloux said.
When Al-Natah was built, cities were flourishing in the Levant region along the Mediterranean Sea from present-day Syria to Jordan.
Northwest Arabia at the time was thought to have been barren desert, crossed by pastoral nomads and dotted with burial sites.
That was until 15 years ago, when archaeologists discovered ramparts dating back to the Bronze Age in the oasis of Tayma, to Khaybar’s north.
This “first essential discovery” led scientists to look closer at these oases, Charloux said.
Black volcanic rocks called basalt concealed the walls of Al-Natah so well that it “protected the site from illegal excavations,” Charloux said.
But observing the site from above revealed potential paths and the foundations of houses, suggesting where the archaeologists needed to dig. They discovered foundations “strong enough to easily support at least one- or two-story” homes, Charloux said, emphasising that there was much more work to be done to understand the site. But their preliminary findings paint a picture of a 2.6-hectare town with around 50 houses perched on a hill, equipped with a wall of its own.
Tombs inside a necropolis there contained metal weapons like axes and daggers as well as stones such as agate, indicating a relatively advanced society for so long ago. Pieces of pottery “suggest a relatively egalitarian society,” the study said. They are “very pretty but very simple ceramics,” added Charloux.
The size of the ramparts — which could reach around five meters (16 feet) high — suggests that Al-Natah was the seat of some kind of powerful local authority. These discoveries reveal a process of “slow urbanism” during the transition between nomadic and more settled village life, the study said.
For example, fortified oases could have been in contact with each other in an area still largely populated by pastoral nomadic groups. Such exchanges could have even laid the foundations for the “incense route” which saw spices, frankincense and myrrh traded from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean.
Al-Natah was still small compared to cities in Mesopotamia or Egypt during the period.
But in these vast expanses of desert, it appears there was “another path toward urbanization” than such city-states, one “more modest, much slower, and quite specific to the northwest of Arabia,” Charloux said.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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This picture taken on December 12, 2022 shows an aerial view of an old fort in the Khaybar oasis in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Khaybar, best known for a 7th-century fierce battle between the Islam’s Prophet Mohamed and local Jewish tribes is remodelling itself as an upscale tourist draw in line with the kingdom’s rebranding efforts. Situated in an oasis amid a volcanic field north of Medina, it was once home to thousands of Jews, who were defeated in a decisive seventh-century battle with the Prophet’s army as Islam expanded across the Arabian peninsula. (Photo by Mohammad QASIM / AFP)
A highlight of the exhibition is an immersive recreation of the Cave of Hira, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation.
The Hira Cultural District in Makkah is currently hosting the Revelation Exhibition, drawing visitors from all walks of life.
The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to delve into the stories of the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad.
A highlight of the exhibition is an immersive recreation of the Cave of Hira, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation.
Visitors can go back in time to experience the historic moment through state-of-the-art technology and interactive displays.
The exhibition also features a range of artifacts, including a photographed copy of the Qur’an that belonged to the esteemed companion Uthman ibn Affan, and ancient stone inscriptions bearing verses from the Qur’an.
The Hira Cultural District is a cultural and tourism destination which is committed to enriching the visitor experience.
Its Autumn Vacation series of events offers a diverse range of experiences, including equestrian skills demonstrations, a display of traditional caravans, and engaging challenges.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The Hira Cultural District is a cultural and tourism destination which is committed to enriching the visitor experience. (SPA)
The 7th El-Gouna Film Festival ended with the awards announced during the closing ceremony on 1 November.
El-Gouna Golden Star award went to Ghost Trail, a thriller about a Syrian refugee in France. Check all awards below.
International competition
El-Gouna Golden Star award for best narrative film Ghost Trail (France) by Jonathan Millet
The film follows Hamid, who “joins a secret group tracking Syrian regime leaders on the run. His mission takes him to France, pursuing his former torturer for a fateful confrontation,” reads the synopsis on IMDb.
El-Gouna Silver Star The Kingdom (France) by Julien Colonna
El-Gouna Bronze Star Girls Will be Girls (India) by Shuchi Talati won the Fipresci Award.
Best actor Adam Bessa for his performance in Ghost Trail (France) by Jonathan Millet
Best actress Laura Weissmahr for her performance in Salve Maria (Spain) by Mar Coll
Best Arab narrative feature – shared award – Thank You For Banking With Us! (Palestine) by Laila Abbas – Who Do I Belong To (Tunisia) by Meryam Joobeur
Jury special mention Actor Charles Peccia Galletto for his performance in My Everything by Anne-Sophie Bailly
Documentary competition
El-Gouna Golden Star We Are Inside (Lebanon) by Farah Kassem
El-Gouna Silver Star Soundtrack To A Coup d’Etat (Belgium) by Johan Grimonprez
El-Gouna Bronze Star A New Kind Of Wilderness (Norway) by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
Best Arab documentary feature – shared award – The Brink Of Dreams (Egypt) by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir – My Memory Is Full Of Ghosts (Syria) by Anas Zawahri
Other awards
Fipresci award Girls Will be Girls (India) by Shuchi Talati Cinema for Humanity award Disorder (Lebanon) by Lucien Bourjeily, Bane Fakih, Wissam Charaf, and Areej Mahmoud.
The NetPac award We Are Inside (Lebanon) by Farah Kassem
El Gouna Green Star award The Battle For Laikipia (Kenya) by Peter Murimi and Daphne Matziaraki
The Saudi initiative “Arab Week at UNESCO” has enabled 22 participating Arab countries to showcase their rich cultural heritage in a welcoming platform that fosters Arab and international cultural and civilizational work. The initiative contributes to the development of education, culture, and science at both regional and global levels.
For Arab Week, which was organized for the first time in the history of Arab countries’ cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science exerted significant efforts to support the participants’ presentations and highlight the harmony between the diverse cultures of the Arab world. The event marks a celebration of the Arab world’s rich cultural heritage through various literature and art.
The participating countries expressed their gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for providing a broad platform for intercultural dialogue, which promotes global dialogue and peace and encourages the exchange of knowledge and expertise in various fields.
The event included several seminars: the Arabic language, Arabic calligraphy, Arabic literature, artificial intelligence (AI), education, visual arts, intangible cultural heritage, and world heritage. The activities also included four exhibitions: Arab culture, Arabic calligraphy, photographs of heritage sites in the Arab World, and Arab cultural products.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organising Committee (LOC) has received several awards for a historic edition of the continental championship.
Both Qatar Tourism and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognised the achievements made by Qatar in hosting the tournament earlier this year.
The LOC received two Qatar Tourism Awards for Premier Sports Events of the Year and Accessibility Initiative of the Year.
The awards were presented to the LOC by Qatar Tourism and Visit Qatar Chairman Saad bin Ali al-Kharji, UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona, and Regional Director (Middle East) Basma al-Mayman.
At the AFC Annual Awards, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) received the AFC Asian Cup Host Appreciation Award for the tremendous role they played in delivering a memorable tournament.
The Award was presented by Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifah, AFC President, to Jassim Rashid al-Buenain, QFA President.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 was hosted by Qatar in the beginning of 2024, having previously organised the competition twice before, in 1988 and 2011. The tournament, which saw Qatar defend its title on home soil, broke records for overall attendance, digital engagement and press coverage.
A total of 86,492 spectators made their way to the iconic Lusail Stadium for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 final.
With that, a record-breaking attendance of 1,509,496 fans was registered for the tournament, surpassing the previous attendance record of 1.04mn set during the 2004 edition hosted by China.
source/content: gulf-times.com (headline edited)
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The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Local Organising Committee received two Qatar Tourism Awards for Premier Sports Events of the Year and Accessibility Initiative of the Year. The awards were presented to the LOC by Qatar Tourism and Visit Qatar Chairman Saad bin Ali al-Kharji.
A Saudi has sent to the Guinness World Records what is believed to be the world’s largest stamps collection.
Reda Shaib, a philatelist, started the project two years ago in Al-Ahsa.
“Shaib’s collection contains 1.1 million different Saudi stamps,” Mohsin Hassan Al-Shaikh, adviser to the Saudi Philatelic and Numismatics Society (SPNS), said. The collection includes stamps issued since the Kingdom was founded, he said.
He said that Shaib took every opportunity to ask people he met to support the project, adding that It would be a matter of great pride for the Kingdom to enter into the Guinness World Records.
Part of Shaib’s collection was shown to visitors at the King Fahd Cultural Complex, where the Ministry of Culture and Information marked the Saudi National Day by organizing an exhibition of books and pictures about Saudi Arabia.
Al-Shaikh thanked Shaib for including SPNS members in his project, making them feel an increased sense of belonging to the organization.
He said that a US collector had earlier come up with a similar project consisting of 500,000 stamps.
