11th Century Manuscript of Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi Restored . 16th Century Omani Navigator & Cartographer.

Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi (aka) Ibn Majid (aka) Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”. Poet and Writer of 44 books. Inventor of the Magnetic needle.

The manuscript is loaned from the Al Assad National Library in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The manuscript was loaned to the National Museum-Oman, for two years under the purpose of preservation and conservation and coordination was maintained with the National Records and Archives Authority, Oman – to restore this document to its original state, through the implementation of an integrated program for preservation, conservation, indexing and revision.

This manuscript was written in the 11th century AH / 16th century CE, under the ruling of Al Nabhani dynasty. It is compiled (175) sheets, (350) pages and (23) lines per page. Texts were written by “Naskh” script using black ink and headlines in red. The body of the manuscript is surrounded by two red frames.

This manuscript is one of few preserved copies of the manuscripts of Ahmed bin Majid Al Sa’adi around the world, the oldest among them is the one which is preserved in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St. Petersburg Russia”.

This compiled collection includes the most important and best known of the works by Ahmad bin Majid`s. It is divided into three parts: al-Fawāid fī ilm al-bahr wa-alqawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), completed on 17 Rabi al-Thani 984 AH/ 13 July 1576. This part is dedicated to 18 benefits related to marine sciences and some proverbs.
The second collections: Hāwīyat al-ikhtisār fī usūl ilm al-bihār, it is the longest section and includes 11 chapters.


The third collection consists of 14 proses, in addition to eight chapters in marine sciences.


Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi was an Omani navigator and cartographer. Born in Julfar, he was educated in his early years by his father Majid bin Mohammed al-Sa’adi, who was a renowned marine captain and navigator.


Ibn Majid is one of the best-known navigators in the Indian Ocean and among the finest scholars of the art of navigation and its history among the Arabs.

He was the inventor of the magnetic needle (magnetic compass), which is used for navigation and orientation at sea.

He was also the author of nearly forty works of poetry and prose. Among his many books on oceanography, Fawā’id fī-Usūl Ilm al-Bahr wa-al-Qawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), which was compiled in the year (880-895 AH / 1475-1490 CE) at the end of his life, which is considered as one of his best.

He is remembered as Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”.

source: contents – www.timesofoman.com

_______________

pix: timesofoman.com

________________

SYRIA / OMAN

Winners of Princess Seetah Award : Saudi Arabia

The winners of ‘ The Princess Seetah bint Abdul Aziz Award ‘ – were as follows: 

Excellence in national achievement: Health ministry’s volunteering program and education ministry’s distance learning digital platform ‘Madrasti’ (my school)

Excellence in Islamic endowment: General Authority for Endowments for mitigating the effects of the virus on people through its humanitarian initiatives. 

Excellence in social work: The Madinah Al-Munawarah’s NGO for its ‘The good city initiative.’

Excellence for social work entrepreneurs: Sheikh Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Subeai for setting up a charitable institution and donating money to various causes in the Kingdom during the pandemic.

Corporate social responsibility: Advanced Petrochemical Company for its initiatives during the pandemic and Sadara Chemical Company for its work with the health sector in tackling COVID-19.

Established in April of 2012 by royal decree, the Princess Seetah bint Abdul Aziz Foundation for Excellence in Social Work is an independent nonprofit organization.

The late Princess Seetah was famous for her piety, devotion and benevolence. Known as “the mother of the needy” and “the mother of goodness,” her charitable efforts made her a household name over the course of her life.

Her house was open to all types of Saudi people. She would meet with them, listen to their problems and try to find solutions either by following up on their issues, helping them financially or presenting their problems to those in charge if she was unable to do so herself.

During her life, she served as president of the National Family Safety Program, as an honorary member of the Saudi Historical Society, president of Safat Al-Khair Project and president of Al-Saud Women’s Forum.

www.seetahaward.org

_____________

The Seventh Princess Seetah Awards’ gala dinner was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh. (AN Photo) / pix: arabnews.com

_________________

SAUDI ARABIA

Sarah Malallah: Youngest Kuwaiti to Win International Piano Competitions

Sarah Maitham Malallah , youngest Kuwaiti pianist to win major competitions outside Kuwait.

The six-year-old girl won four competitions from Sept 2020 till Feb 2021.

Awards:

  • 1st place : Karabakh International Culture and Art contest, Azerbaijan (2020)
  • 1st place : 2nd International Music Festival ‘Astana Stars’, Kazakhstan (2020)
  • 1st place : Star Bridge International Contest (in the under 6 category), Germany (Feb 2021)
  • 2nd place : Russian III International Competition ‘Ca Ave Musica’, Turkey
  • etc…

__________

Photo shows Kuwaiti pianist Sarah Maitham Malallah playing the piano at the Lina Bakir for Music and Art Consultancies Academy.—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat / kuwaittimes.net

__________

KUWAIT

‘LAQAH’ created by Oman’s Middle East College Students Wins Coveted ‘Injaz Oman’ Prize : November 2020

A group of students and alumni from Middle East College in Oman have developed a spray from palm pollen that helps protect trees and plants from pests, enabling them to thrive for longer.

Their product, named Laqah, (the Arabic word for ‘pollen’) recently won the Best Sustainable Prize at a competition organised by Injaz Oman, a company that provides training and resources to youths and encourages them to become entrepreneurs.

The team, consisting of MEC graduates Mouath Al Shuaili, as well as students Nasra Al Sawafi, Athari Al Hassani, Maysa Al Balushi, and Fatma Ali Rahbi, came up with the product to help Oman’s agricultural sector.

“This has helped us market our products and increase our customers’ confidence in us,” said Mouath Al Shuaili, who serves as the CEO of the company, which is also named Laqah

source: http://www.timesofoman.com

______________

pix: timesofoman.com

_________

OMAN

Abdul Jerri – Mathematician

Dr. Abdul Jerri (aka) Dr. Abdul Jabbar Hassoon Jerri – Mathematician

Academician:

  • Last position held : Professor Emeritus – Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York (1967-2002)

Editor:

  • Founding Editor – Sampling Theory in Signal and Image processing (STSIP- An International Journal)
  • Owner – Sampling Publishing

Books:

  • Introduction to Integral Equations with Applications (Pure & Applied Mathematics) – 1985
  • Integral and Discrete Transforms with Applications and Error Analysis (Chapman & Hall/ CRC Pure and Applied Mathematics) – 1992
  • Linear Difference Equation with Discrete Transform Methods (Mathematics and Its Applications) 363 – 1996
  • The Gibbs Phenomenon in Fourier Analysis, Splines and Wavelet Approximations (Mathematics and Its Applications ) 446 – 1998 ..
  • etc..

Education:

  • B.Sc – Physics – University of Baghdad (1955)
  • M.S. – Physics – Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (1960)
  • Ph.D – Mathematics, Oregon State University (1967)

____________

pix: en.wikpedia.org

____________________________________________________

AMERICAN / IRAQI AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN

A New Museum Dedicated to the Life of the Prophet (pbuh) inaugrated : February 02nd, 2021

The opening ceremony of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Life of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization took place in Madinah on February 02nd.

The International Exhibition and Museum of the Life of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization was launched under the supervision of the Muslim World League (MWL) and is the first in a series of Islamic museums scheduled to be constructed around the world under the organization’s umbrella.

Located next to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, the museum is open 24 hours a day, and is dedicated to the history of the Islamic world and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The exhibition features dozens of paintings and interactive displays. At the moment, there are seven languages available to visitors — Arabic, English, Spanish, Urdu, French, Turkish and Indonesian. It also includes a 4DX theater, which screens a series of films about the Prophet’s life.

________

FASTFACTS

The International Exhibition and Museum of the Life of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization

• Size: 5,000 square meters

• Location: Next to the Prophet’s Mosque, Madinah

• Number of floors: Two

• Exhibit and pavilion displays: 25 main pavilions

• 500 antique items from the Prophet’s era

• A main screen to feature the masterpieces found in the Qur’an and the Sunnah

• A movie theater showing a film about the Prophet’s life

• Virtual reality shows

• A special presentation of the Constitution of Madinah and the Makkah Document

• A presentation of the efforts of Saudi Arabia in serving the Qur’an and the Sunnah

• Languages: French, English, Urdu, Spanish, Turkish, Indonesian, Arabic

_______

source: arabnews.com

_____________

pix: arabnews.com

____________________________

Madinah , SAUDI ARABIA

Feb. 04 th – Birth Anniversary of Egyptian Geographer Gamal Hamdan

Gamal Hamdan was a scholar, writer, researcher and one of the pioneering Egyptian geographers.

He was a prolific author and published over 29 books both in Arabic and English and 79 research papers.

Education:

  • B.A. – Cairo, Egypt
  • M.A – University of Reading, U.K.
  • Ph.D – University of Reading, U.K.

Books :

In Arabic

  • Studies on the Arab World, Cairo, 1958.
  • Patterns of Environments, Cairo, 1958.
  • Study on Urban Geography, Cairo 1958.
  • The Arab City, Cairo 1964.
  • Arabs’Oil, Cairo, 1964.
  • Colonisation and Liberation in the Arab World, Cairo, 1964.
  • Anthropology of Jews, Dar el-Helal Publications, Cairo, 1967.
  • Egypt’s Identity, Dar el-Helal Publications, Cairo, 1967.
  • The Strategy of Colonisation and Liberation, Cairo, 1978.
  • Introduction to “Cairo” by Desmond Stewart, translated by Yehya Haqqi, 1969.
  • The Contemporary Islamic World, Cairo, 1971.
  • Between Europe and Aisa, A Study in the Geographic Counterparts, Cairo, 1972.
  • The Arab Republic of Libya, A Study in Geopolitics, Cairo 1973.
  • 6 October War in the International Strategy, Cairo, 1974.
  • The Suez Canal, Cairo, 1975.
  • New Africa, Cairo, 1975.
  • Egypt’s Identity, A Study in the Genius of the Place, four volumes, Cairo, 1975-84.

In English :

  • Population of the Nile Mid-Delta, Past and Present, Reading University, June 1953, 2 volumes.
  • Khartoum : Study of a City, Geog. Review, 1956.
  • Studies in Egyptian Urbanism, Cairo, 1960.
  • Evolution of Irrigation and Agriculture in Egypt. A History of Land Use in Arid Regions, Ed. L.
  • Dubley Stamp UNESCO, Paris, 1961.
  • Egypt : the Land and the People, A Guide Book to Geology, 1962.
  • Pattern of Medieval Urbanism in Arab World, Geog. Review, April 1962.
  • A Political Map of the New Africa, Geog. Review October 1963.
  • The Four Dimensions of Egypt
  • ‘The Personality of Egypt: A study of the ingenuity of the place (1967)
  • Jews Anthropology (1986)
  • Studies of the Arab World
  • The Contemporary Islamic World Geography

Awards:

  • State Encouragement Award in Social Sciences (1986)
  • Scientific Progress Award from Kuwait (1992)
  • Science Medal of First Class for his book ‘The Personality of Egypt’ (1988)

Born February 04th, 1928. Laid to rest on April 17th, 1993

_____________

pix: egypttoday.com

_________

EGYPT

Ibrahim Ishag. Novelist. Academic.

Ibrahim Ishag . Novelist. Short Story Writer. Narrator. Academic.

Taught English language both in Omdurman (Sudan) and Saudi Arabia.

Other Honours :

  • Chairperson – Sudanese Writers Union
  • Served as Jury Member – Tayeb Saleh Prize for Novelists

Novels:

  • An Event in the Village (1969), Night and Town Acts (1971), The Old School Festival (1976), and News about the Girl Miyakaya (1980), and The Scandal of the Norein Family (2004).

Short Stories:Short Stories :

  • Short stories collection People from Kafa (2006) published by Abdelkarim Mirghani Culture Centre

Passed away in January 2021

___________

pix: dabangasudan.org/en

_________

SUDAN

UAE to Host Permanent HQ of the Arab Parliament for Child : January 2021

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) and the Arab Parliament for the Child today signed an agreement to host the permanent headquarters of the Arab Parliament for the Child in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The agreement was signed by Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Jarman, Assistant Minister for Human Rights and International Law at MoFAIC, and Ayman Othman Al-Barut, Secretary-General of the Arab Parliament for the Child, at the Ministry’s headquarters, in the presence of Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of Sharjah’s Department of Government Relations.

______________

pix: wam.ae

__________________________________
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Ouahib Timoulali, First Moroccan to Win NY Academy of Sciences Cybersecurity Challenge : June 2020

Ouahib Timoulali claimed a win in the Global STEM Alliance competition.

Timoulali is an industrial engineer from the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA) in Kenitra.

He worked within a team of different nationalities. Their idea labeled the “Cybercastle,” won the “Cybersecurity in the Age of IoT” challenge.

First Moroccan national to win the competition in the history of the New York Academy of Sciences.

_____________

pix: moroccoworldnews.com

_____________

MOROCCO