Prize-winning authors taking part in a discussion session at the 31st Abu Dhabi International Book Fair have emphasised the importance of research grants for Arabic literature in order to deepen knowledge, understanding and spread the Arabic language.

Dr. Salah Jarrar, Visiting Professor at the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, the University of Sharjah and Dr. Saad Eddin Kulaib, Professor at the Faculty of Arts, the University of Aleppo stressed the importance of grants to foster creativity, consolidate culture and expand knowledge and research horizons in literary critique and creative writing.

Speaking at a panel session discussing research grants hosted by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, which is part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, the authors discussed their work with Dr. Muhammad Abu Al-Fadl Badran.

Dr. Jarrar, a specialist in Andalusian literature and the author of (Araeis El Adab) Literary Enchantments, said that the importance of Arabic manuscripts and the necessity of pursuing them by specialists and experts from all fields is key. “They represent our identity and culture and the present is closely related to it, from which we can get to know ourselves. It also may answer many important questions raised about the Arabs being moving away from their culture and history, "he said.

Speaking about his book, The Beauty of the Arabic Language (Al Jamal Fi Allissan Al Arabi), Dr. Kulaib shared his writing journey. “In the beginning, I was looking for texts by authors, or visual customs and traditions to write about the beauty of the Arabic language, because I believed that it was simple as it was aesthetic,” he said. “Coincidentally I discovered, while attending a lecture, that the Arabic language contains 125,000 linguistic terms under this category, so it led to me to focus on the societies that use these words, and I found that they are distributed in colloquial Arabic at the level of countries throughout the Arab world, and have been used for over 120 years," he added.

Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre’s research grants programme is part of the cultural strategy of Abu Dhabi, which supports the pillars and foundations of the emirate’s cultural sector to enhance qualitative scientific research efforts in various fields of culture and knowledge. The grants programme strongly encourages the study and research of Arab heritage as a strong foundation to open up the culture to the world, and also aims to support researchers in studying the Arabic language and enhance its presence within the Arab region and the world.