The 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF 2026) brings ‘Mu’jam al-Buldan’ (Dictionary of Countries) by renowned Abbasid-era scholar Yaqut al-Hamawi back into the spotlight as part of the ‘8:00 PM’ initiative, celebrating one of the greatest geographic dictionaries in Arab-Islamic heritage.
More than eight centuries after it was compiled, the work remains a testament to the sheer scope of geographic and historical knowledge in Arab-Islamic civilisation, and its ability to document places and trace the history of their inhabitants.
This year’s celebration of the book takes on a special significance at the Fair, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC). Written in the 7th century AH (13th century AD), ‘Mu’jam al-Buldan’ is presented as one of the most significant geographic works of Arab-Islamic heritage, placing it in a contemporary context that revisits the book’s journey. The presentation introduces audiences to its scholarly significance and its extensive coverage of the countries and regions of the Islamic world, which stretched as far west as Andalusia in Spain, and to the borders of China in the east. It also contains accounts, biographies, literary works, and cultural material related to the countries and places it covers.
The Libraries Department at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) prepared the critical edition of ‘Mu’jam al-Buldan’ under the direction of its Manuscripts and Research Section, as part of the department's efforts to preserve the UAE’s cultural and scholarly heritage and make it accessible to new generations.
The project has spanned more than a quarter of a century under the leadership of researcher Abdullah Al Suraihi. So far, six complete volumes have been published, comprising more than 3,500 pages. Al Suraihi adhered to a rigorous scholarly methodology that reflects the book’s importance and value as one of the most significant encyclopaedic works and an essential reference for researchers exploring Arab heritage across various fields.
Celebrating ‘Mu’jam al-Buldan’ at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair takes on a new significance this year, highlighting the event’s contribution to preserving Arab-Islamic heritage and making it accessible to new generations. Beyond the geographic and historical information it provides, the dictionary traces to the evolution of the places, countries, and cities it documents over time, including those that have disappeared and those that remain. This makes it a valuable and reliable source for studying how places, people, and societies have changed over time.
Spotlighted as part of the ‘8:00 PM’ initiative, ‘Mu’jam al-Buldan’ is presented as a living record of places and lands across the Arab and Islamic world. It is also presented as an enduring work that continues to offer today’s readers new ways to understand the world through the knowledge developed by scholars of Arab-Islamic civilisation.
The dictionary also reveals the encyclopaedic nature of the knowledge attained by scholars and thinkers of that civilisation, as well as the rigorous methods they used to collect, classify, and document information. This ensured that their works remained essential scholarly references, passed down through generations for people to benefit from across the centuries.
By selecting it to be featured this year, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair places the ‘Mu’jam al-Buldan’ encyclopaedia at the heart of a contemporary cultural experience, reaffirming that the value of great books and works is not defined by when they were written, but by the knowledge and new perspectives they continue to offer, enabling readers to explore the past and better understand the present.
