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Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan on Saturday, February 26th, received the 2022 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.
In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi, the award, presented during a ceremony hosted by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity at the Founders Memorial in Abu Dhabi, was granted in appreciation of Their Majesties’ efforts to promote human fraternity, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. The award was also presented to Haitian humanitarian organisation FOKAL.
Attending the ceremony virtually, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al Tayyib and His Holiness Pope Francis congratulated Their Majesties, describing them as role models for fraternity and coexistence.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, also delivered a speech during the ceremony.
The award is organised by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, an independent international committee instituted to promote human fraternity values in communities around the world and to fulfil the aspirations of the Document on Human Fraternity, signed by Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al Tayyib and Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
Kuwait National Day is always celebrated on 25th February. This holiday marks the day when Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah ascended to the throne in 1950.
To commemorate the day , Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense held a show of military vehicles and equipment
NATIONAL DAY KUWAIT – Timeline
1613
Kuwait City is Founded
Kuwait City is founded as a fishing village.
1792
The East India Company Arrives
The East India Company secures the sea routes between Kuwait, India, and the east coasts of Africa.
1946 — 1982
Golden Era of Kuwait
Kuwait experiences a period of prosperity driven by oil and its liberal atmosphere.
2006 — 2009
The Peak of Prosperity
Kuwait has the highest Human Development Index ranking in the Arab world
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KUWAIT LIBERATION DAY
Kuwait Liberation Day is observed annually on February 26.
This holiday remembers the day Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.
The Liberation was the U.S. marshaled military operation — Operation Iraqi Freedom, to recoup Kuwait from Iraq after the 1991 bombing of Iraq. U.S. troops arrived to find the Iraqis surrendering as a whole, although pockets of resistance prevailed, especially at Kuwait International Airport where Iraqi troops, supposedly clueless that a retreat order had already been given, proceeded with fighting, which only resulted in an intense battle over the airport itself. Most of the fight happened in Iraq instead of Kuwait. The military operation is also commonly referred to as the Gulf War.
source/content : nationaltoday.com
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On February 25, Kuwait celebrates 61 years since it gained its independence from the British mandate. While the treaty was signed in June, Kuwait’s National Day was changed to February 25 in 1963 to coincide with the date that Abdullah Al Salem became ruler of Kuwait back in 1950. / Image Credit: Supplied / www.gulfnews.com
The Kingdom’s new Founding Day celebrates the true birthday of the First Saudi State in 1727
A 1946 photograph of Shada Palace in Abha, built in 1820.
For generations, historians and writers have unwittingly perpetuated the myth that the First Saudi State, forerunner of the modern-day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was founded in the year 1744.
In fact, as a new reappraisal of the origins of the Kingdom reveals, they were 17 years out.
There is no doubt that the events of 1744, the year in which Imam Mohammed ibn Saud of Diriyah offered sanctuary to the religious reformer Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abdulwahhab, were hugely significant.
In this ‘Carte de Dreiye,’ the oldest-known map of Diriyah, drawn by a French diplomat in 1808, the historic UNESCO-listed district of At-Turaif on the Wadi Hanifah is recorded as ‘El Tereif.’
But over time the importance of that admittedly historic moment of common cause between state and faith came to obscure the far more complex and deeper-rooted origins of the First Saudi State.
It is to correct this neglect of the Kingdom’s crucial embryonic years that Founding Day has been created, to celebrate 1727 as the true moment of birth and to give Saudis a deeper appreciation of a past far richer than many realize.
The original Makkah Gate in Jeddah.
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula.
This resetting of the clock from 1744 to 1727 is the outcome of extensive historical research that has been carried out studying the historical resources held by the new Saudi Historical School.
Ibn Saud’s warriors on the move in the early 20th century as the future founder of Saudi Arabia fought to bring the Najd and the Hejaz together.
“Many historians have linked the rise of the state to the arrival of Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab, and have neglected the initial period of Imam Mohammed ibn Saud’s rule and the preceding era, even though this was the foundational period of the state,” said Dr. Badran Al Honaihen, associate director of historical research and studies at Diriyah Gate Development Authority.
“The revision and reinterpretation of historical events is an intellectual phenomenon found in every part of the world. Previous writings can be considered judgments and opinions that do not prevent revisions or the reaching of new conclusions.”
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula. (Supplied)
Today, no one can pinpoint exactly when the long journey toward statehood began. The first certain waypoint on the path is the year 430 when the Banu Hanifah tribe migrated to Al-Yamamah in the lower Najd from their home in the Hejaz on the Red Sea coast.
Here, at the junction of several important caravan routes, the tribe to which the ruling house of Al-Saud belongs settled and thrived, founding Hajr — modern-day Riyadh — trading, and growing crops in the fertile valley that in time would take their name — Wadi Hanifah.
With the coming of Islam the Banu Hanifah stepped on to the stage of world history for the first time.
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula. (Supplied)
In 628, six years after the hijra, the flight of Mohammed and his persecuted followers from Makkah to Madinah, the Prophet sent letters to various Arabian rulers, inviting them to embrace “Islam,” submission to the will of God.
The ruler of the Banu Hanifah at this time was Thumamah ibn Uthal, whose spiritual journey from initial rejection to heartfelt acceptance of Islam is celebrated in the Hadiths.
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IMAM MOHAMMED IBN SAUD’S MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS
• Unified Diriyah under his rule and contributed to its stability.
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• Managed internal affairs and strengthened Diriyah’s community.
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• Ensured regional stability.
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• Built the Diriyah wall to counter external attacks.
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• Began unification campaigns.
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• Political independence from any external influence.
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• Organized the country’s resources.
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• Unified the majority of Najd.
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• Secured Hajj and trade routes.
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In Hadith number 189, he is recorded as telling Mohammed: “There was no face on the face of the Earth that was more hateful to me than your face, but now your face has become the most beloved of all faces to me.”
In historical terms, Al-Yamamah would lay dormant for much of the next 800 years. This was a dark age of neglect and widespread emigration to escape the economic hardship endured under the oppressive Ukhaidhir dynasty, which rose to temporary prominence in the Najd in the ninth century.
Destiny, however, is a patient force, and by the 15th century the stage was finally set for the return to influence of the Banu Hanifah.
Generations earlier, part of the tribe had migrated eastwards to settle on the shores of the Arabian Gulf. But in 1446, Manaa’ Al-Muraide, leader of the Marada clan of the Al-Duru tribe of the Banu Hanifah, led his people back to the heart of Arabia, at the invitation of his cousin, Ibn Dira’, the ruler of Hajr.
The settlement they had founded on the coast they had named Diriyah after their tribal name, Al-Duru. Now they established a new Diriyah on the fertile banks of the Wadi Hanifah.
In the words of historian Dr. Badran Al-Honaihen, Al-Muraide’s arrival “laid the building blocks for the establishment of the greatest state in the history of the Arabian Peninsula, after the Prophetic State and the Rashidun Caliphate.”
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula. (Supplied)
Another 300 years would pass before the next momentous steps were taken. In 1720, Saud ibn Mohammed assumed the leadership of Diriyah, who the Saudi Royal Family named after him.
Today, historians date the origin of the First Saudi State to 1727, when Saud’s son, Mohammed, became the ruler of the city state.
He had, said Al-Honaihen, “assumed power in exceptional circumstances.” Diriyah had been rent by internal divisions, and a plague that had spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula had claimed many lives in the Najd. Nevertheless, “Imam Mohammed was able to unite Diriyah under his rule, and to contribute to the spread of security and peace at the regional level and on the level of the Arabian Peninsula.
“The project of the first Saudi state began in 1727, and then his sons took it on after him. What we need to remember from this story is unity, security and peace after centuries of lack of unity.”
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula. (Supplied)
At last, here was a leader with a vision that extended beyond his immediate horizon, and who was determined to found a new state, based on education, culture and security and allegiance to the true faith of Islam.
It was to this dynamic and politically and economically increasingly powerful new state that the religious reformer Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab was drawn.
The sheikh, a religious scholar from the nearby village of Al-Uyayna, had become increasingly concerned that many in the Arab world were forsaking the teachings of the Prophet and returning to heretical pre-Islamic ways. His attempts to introduce reforms were met with hostility in Al-Uyayna, but he would find sanctuary in Diriyah.
“The migration to Diriyah of Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahab came as a natural result of Imam Mohammed ibn Saud’s policies,” said Al-Honaihen. “The Imam was known to be religious, and his two brothers, Thunayan and Mishari, and his son Abdulaziz were among those in contact with Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abdulwahhab in Al-Uyayna.
“Sheikh Mohammed did not leave al-Uyayna until after Imam Mohammed invited him to come to Diriyah, and there was a state capable of protecting the Sheikh’s religious mission.”
For his part, “in supporting this reformist mission, Imam Mohammed saw that it was in agreement with the principles of the state he was working to establish, especially its religious aspect.”
In short, it was not the alliance of Sheikh and Imam that made possible the foundation of the First Saudi State, but rather it was the existence of that state, already politically and economically strong, that made possible the spread of the message of reform.
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula. (Supplied)
Al-Honaihen stressed that the decision to officially recognize 1727 as the year of founding should in no way be interpreted as undermining religion as the cornerstone of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“That’s not correct,” he said. “The objective is merely to put a precise political date to the founding of the state, namely Imam Mohammed ibn Saud’s accession to power in Diriyah, since a number of erroneous policies and opinions had arisen concerning the rise and establishment of the state.
“Moreover, the state in its constitution stipulates that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Arab Islamic state whose religion is Islam and whose constitution is the Book of God and the Sunna of His Prophet.”
It was in 1727 that Imam Mohammed ibn Saud came to the throne, carrying with him the dream of transforming the city state founded by his forebears three centuries earlier into the capital of a nation which, at its height, would bring peace and stability to most of the Arabian Peninsula. (Supplied)
He is also clear that Founding Day is not an alternative to National Day, celebrated on Sept. 23, but complementary to it.
“Founding Day is not intended to replace Saudi National Day, which celebrates the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, but rather to recognize the beginning of the Saudi state’s history with a new event that celebrates the deep historical roots of the Kingdom.”
Although there is no doubt about the year, 1727, the precise date of the start of Imam Mohammed’s reign is lost to history, according to Al-Honaihen.
Feb. 22 was selected as Founding Day simply because a number of important events are known to have taken place in the first months of Imam Mohammed’s reign, at the start of 1727.
Sammy Clark (aka) Sami Clark (aka) Sammy Hobeika. .
Clark is most recognised for singing the opening credits for the children’s cartoon Grendizer which was popular in late ’70s to ’90s.
In 2018, Clark performed a rearranged version of the song with Emirati composer Ihab Darwish alongside the Beethoven Academy Orchestra.
“To celebrate 40 years since Grendizer aired in the Arab World, I dedicate this special rearranged medley to all who enjoyed this iconic animation. Together with Sammy Clark with his heroic voice and timeless performance, with his words cheering for our Space Robot Grendizer defending Earth from attacks by intergalactic invaders, I give you this masterpiece to enjoy your childhood memories,” Darwish wrote at the time of sharing the new musical arrangement of the track.
Sammy Clark passed away in Lebanon, on Sunday, February 20th, 2022.
source/content: thenationalnews.com (edited for space)
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Photo: Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi / thenationalnews.com
Tunisia bid a final farewell on June 1 to the prominent historian and scholar of Islam – Hichem Djait, whose input was seminal to research on critical periods of Islamic history. From sociological, philosophical and anthropological perspectives, Djait’s publications offer insight into key issues facing the interpretation of Islamic history and the interaction of Islam with modernity.
Born in 1935 in Tunis to an erudite family in Islamic jurisprudence, Djait received a conservative education in his immediate milieu before attending the Sadiki high school in Tunis, which opened the gates for him to French and Western culture in general. He received an advanced degree in history in France in 1962. Afterwards, he obtained a Ph.D. in Islamic history from the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1981.
In a comment on his learning journey from Tunis to Paris, he said: “My discovery of philosophy was decisive. It was a conquest and a spiritual awakening, and I do not mean that only in a metaphysical sense, but also at the level of psychology, ethics and logic. It was then that preconceived certainties began to melt away and I discovered biology and the theory of evolution, and all of this amazed me and astonished me at the same time.” (See a related article, “Do Human Evolution and Islam Conflict in the Classroom?”)
Djait, who died at age 86, spent nearly half a century investigating Islamic history and Arab culture. He was an emeritus professor at the University of Tunis and a visiting professor in several renowned higher education institutions, including McGill University, in Montreal, and the University of California at Berkeley. He was also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, chairman of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, and a member of the International Scientific Committee that produced Unesco’s eight-volume General History of Africa.
His stay in the West inspired him to write Europe and Islam, a book that sheds light on the interplay between Islam and Western civilization. His magnum opus remains The Great Fitna (La Grande Discorde), a groundbreaking work in the study of a major period of Islamic history in line with a rigorous academic approach.
His focus shifted more towards writing the biography of the Prophet Muhammad using scientific lenses in what has been described as a bold approach to Islamic history that breaks away from the sacralization that permeates the work of many Arab scholars on the subject. His goal was to rewrite prophetic tradition in a scientific way that combines comparative history with anthropological insight.
In this respect, he made it clear that a distinction should be made between historical thought, historiography and the philosophy of history. This book was written in three parts and puts the genesis of Islam in its historical context. (See a related article, “A New Perspective on the Last Days of the Prophet.”)
Djait received a constellation of distinctions and prizes, including being named Arab Cultural Personality of the Year by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing in Beirut in 2016, and being honored in 2018 by a group of Arab researchers who dedicated to him a book that sheds light on his rich academic and intellectual journey.
source/content: www.al-fanarmedia.org (edited for length)
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Hichem Djait died June 2021 at age 86. The Tunisian scholar spent nearly half a century investigating Islam’s place in history and in the modern world (Photo: from Facebook).
In 1851, the Great Exhibition set out to bring culture, history and innovations together in one place — London — for the world to see. Since this inaugural world expo, however, more than 85 percent of the global events have been hosted by either European or North American cities.
Some notable exceptions are the expos held in Asia, including Osaka in 1970, Aichi in 2005 and Shanghai in 2010, almost all of which set attendance records. But to date, these major events have been predominantly northern and western hemisphere affairs.
That is why Expo 2020 Dubai has been such a big deal, not just for world expos but also for the Middle East and North Africa region as a whole, with the Arab world occupying center stage for the first time.
As host, the UAE has offered the very essence of Arab hospitality, first by dedicating a pavilion to every participating nation, and, second, by giving every nation its own “national day” throughout the event. Saudi Arabia’s day fell on Jan. 7.
Expo 2020 Dubai has also had a distinctly Arab feel. The site is peppered with traditional Arabic design features, on its sunshades, water fountains and even public seating.
It is a well-known expo fact that pavilion positioning is everything, often indicating a nation’s global significance and its relationship with the host. With masterful design planning, the UAE was able to place participating Arab countries at the heart of the action, giving them greater visibility and prominence.
Naturally, the UAE pavilion is the largest, occupying the prime position. Its immediate neighbor is the impressive, world record-setting Saudi Arabian pavilion, and close by are Morocco, Palestine, Egypt, Kuwait and other Arab countries.
The Saudi pavilion achieved three Guinness World Records for the largest interactive light floor, the longest interactive water curtain and the largest interactive digital screen mirror. But it is not alone in showcasing avant-garde architecture ideas.
While the expo lives up to its theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” it also offers a visible celebration of Arab cultures and nations on a global stage.
Themes celebrating the past are normally divided between the ancient past, such as the Bronze Age settlements of Failaka Island in Kuwait, and the more recent past, before the rapid urbanization of the last half-century.
Indeed, the Arab pavilions go to great lengths to pay homage to the feats and wisdom of past generations. For example, the first exhibit in the UAE pavilion features a stylized desert, with the soft, fine sand of Emirati dunes used as a projection surface for old film reels paying tribute to Sheikh Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father.
In the nearby Vision Pavilion, dedicated to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, a guided video tour begins with the story of his stay with a Bedouin leader in the desert as a child, and the lasting impact that connection with the land made on him as a leader.
In the Saudi pavilion, ancient cultural sites, such as the tombs in Al-Hijr, At-Turaif District and the AlUla valley, are featured in a striking visual tour of the rich cultural history and natural beauty of the Kingdom.
In the Oman pavilion, meanwhile, a focus on frankincense highlights the sultanate’s eye-catching landscape and long trading history.
Far from focusing exclusively on their glorious past, Arab pavilions look to the future. Many have a concrete vision that highlights targets set in order to achieve desired development outcomes.
Saudi Arabia has put sustainability at the heart of its vision for the future, Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify its economy, alongside a pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
Egypt has its own Vision 2030 plan, announced in 2016, which sets out eight national targets aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on an inclusive economy, education and the environment.
In this vein, Kuwait’s pavilion addresses the resilience of its earliest settlements, while a stylized water tower at the pavilion’s center highlights the ways in which humans have carefully managed its natural resources in order to flourish there.
Although Lebanon’s pavilion is much more austere compared with other Arab offerings, its message is a strong reminder of the resilience of its people.
Taken together, Arab participants in Expo 2020 Dubai have made good use of this global stage to highlight their achievements, heritage, ambitions and fortitude. In this sense, the expo can be considered an Arab triumph.
source/content: arabnews.com
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Expo 2020 Dubai has been such a big deal, not just for world expos but also for the Middle East and North Africa region as a whole, with the Arab world occupying center stage for the first time. (AFP/AN Photo)
After the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a near-two-year closure, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, has finally reopened its doors to visitors.
Founded in 2005, AANM bills itself as America’s first and only museum devoted to telling the stories of Arab-American history and culture. Its location is apt; Dearborn is home to the largest Arab community in the US — around 40 percent of the city’s population is of Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni, Iraqi, or Palestinian origin.
eaturing a courtyard, a fountain, and thematic spaces, the interior of AANM pays homage to Middle Eastern and North African design and architectural aesthetics. Through its galleries, the museum details Arabs’ varied contributions to humanity, and the phases of Arab immigration: the challenges of coming to America, the challenges of establishing a life there, and the impact of Arab-Americans in the public and private spheres.
It tells the stories of peddlers, entrepreneurs, scholars, military men and women, artists, and entertainers. There are some important but relatively unknown names highlighted. Take Ruth Joyce Essad, a fashion designer born in 1908, for example. She became one of Detroit’s first couturiers — dressing socialists and singers, including big-band vocalist Dinah Shore. Another interesting personality is the Syrian business owner Leon B. Holwey, who claimed to have co-invented the ice-cream cone in the early 1900s.
On a national level, the profile of Arab-Americans was raised last year by President Joe Biden, who made history by establishing National Arab American Heritage Month, which will take place in April every year.
source/content: arabnews.com
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The Arab American National Museum is in Dearborn. (Supplied) / arabnews.com
Russian tribute to Yehia Abdel-Tawab, first ballet dancer in Egypt
Yehia Abdel-Tawab, one of the pioneers of ballet in Egypt and the recipient of the Medal of Merit from late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, has been honored by the Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities (EAGRSU) and the Russian House in Cairo for his contribution in strengthening Egyptian-Russian relations through his artistic career.
The EAGRSU and the Russian House held a seminar titled ‘The Ballet in Egypt and Russian Experiences’ earlier this week in honour of Abdel-Tawab, who is a professor of ballet at the Academy of Arts.
The seminar, held at the Russian Cultural Centre in Dokki, was moderated by President of the Association Sherif Gad and attended by director of the Russian Cultural Centres in Egypt Marat Gatin, dean of the Ballet Institute in Cairo Atef Awad, former dean of the Ballet Institute Sherif Bahader, member of the board of directors of the association Samia Tawfik, and Ballet Institute professor Tahani Hassan.
Abdel-Tawab also stressed that ballet in Egypt has a strong foundation, and with the efforts made by the state to build new opera houses, there will be many specialized ballet companies, and called for more cooperation with Russian experts in order to exchange experiences.
Former dean of the Ballet Institute Bahader said that Abdel-Tawab is considered one of Egypt’s first pioneers in the art of ballet, and one of the greatest ballet dancers in the entire world.
“He is also one of the first dancers in double dance in Egypt and the Arab world.”
Professor of ballet Tahani Hassan expressed her pride in her teacher at the Ballet Institute Abdel-Tawab, pointing out that all his students learned from him commitment, as he was accurate in timing and executing movements.
During the event, a documentary film on the history of the art of ballet in Egypt was shown, and Gad presented a certificate of honour on behalf of the association to Abdel-Tawab in appreciation of his great artistic career.
source/content: english.ahram.org.eg
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(L-r) Marat Gatin, Sherif Bahader, Tahani Hassan, Yehia Abdel-Tawab, Atef Awad, and Sherif Gad photo credit of the Russiaan Centre
50 countries to take part in Aqsa Week 2022 to promote love of mosque, raise awareness
A UK-based initiative to shed light on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem has gone global for the second year in a row, with more than 50 countries set to take part, according to organizers.
Aqsa Week 2022, which will run from Feb. 24 to March 2, is being organized by the British-based Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA) — a NGO concerned with defending the human rights of Palestinians and protecting the Al-Aqsa Sanctuary.
FOA said that during the week, which they anticipate to be the biggest one yet, mosques, universities, local councils and parliaments will hold talks, workshops and other activities and educational events to highlight the mosque’s heritage, and bring global focus to its issues.
Aqsa Week, which was launched by FOA in 2017, aims to inform people of Al-Aqsa and its history and significance, as well as the dangers faced by Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian people.
Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third holiest site and is in close proximity to religions sites significant to Jews and Christians, making the area a flashpoint in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Israeli government has on occasion prevented Muslim worshippers from accessing the mosque.
Several of the FAO events will be streamed live on their social media accounts, as well as TV and radio, and they have chosen #LoveAqsa as this year’s hashtag.
In her latest exhibiton, “My Silk Road,” the Algerian visual artist Salima Ayadi presents a tribute to her cultural heritage with 19 paintings and 30 scarves inspired by — among other things — Islamic architecture, ceramic and faience patterns, and calligraphy.
The exhibition opened at the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Art in Algiers on January 22 and runs until February 13.
Ayadi graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Algiers with a degree in visual communication in 1982. For more than 37 years, she has produced silk-painted works — a technique to which she was introduced by an artist friend while on a trip to Switzerland. She has created artworks and scarves for national institutions such as the Senate and the People’s National Assembly, or for large companies including Sonatrach, Sonelgaz, Air Algeria, to name a few.
“For national institutions, I have worked on the cultural and historical heritage of Algeria, which is particularly rich. My works represent landscapes and monuments of all regions of the Casbah of Algiers, the Tassili n’Ajjer in the South-East, or the Berber patterns of Kabylia,” Ayadi tells Arab News. “These creations have been exhibited and some of them have been offered to foreign partners.” Her work has been shown in numerous group and individual exhibitions both at home and in Libya, Morocco and Iran.
Her first solo exhibition, held in 2017 at the Palace of Culture Moufdi Zakaria in Kouba, was a great success. “This exhibition (was very important), because it allowed me interact and mingle with the public,” she says. Each painting is created over a series of stages, each with its own potential pitfalls. Ayadi says that her selection of colors — reds, blues and greens are particular favorites — is based on the idea behind each painting. Once the selection process is complete, she can get to work — an often-painstaking process.
Behind each piece lies her passionate love of her Algerian heritage and her country’s rich and diverse culture. Currently, besides the “My Silk Road” exhibition, she is focused on producing a book of her work, which she hopes to release in the next year or so.
source/content: arabnews.com
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Salima Ayadi is an Algerian visual artist. (Supplied)
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