The King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh has revealed a rare millennia-old manuscript that delves into the science of Arabic grammar.
Written by Abu Al Fath Othman Bin Jinni Al Mawsili, also known as Bin Jinni, the book entitled Al Murib sharh kitab al-Qawafi lil-Akhfash explains one of the oldest manuscripts of Arabic grammar, Al-Qawafi by Al Akhfash Al Akbar.
The one-volume manuscript is comprised of 58 parchments made of goatskin, some of which needed treatment.
It dates back to the ninth century and is prized as a key reference tool for science, history and culture. It came to be because of Bin Jinni's reputation as an esteemed writer of poetry, rhetoric and grammar.
Among his notable books are ones that analyse the works of Abu Al Tayyib Al Mutanabbi, an influential figure in Abbasid poetry. Bin Jinni knew and respected Al Mutanabbi, meeting him in Aleppo and Shiraz. In turn, the poet valued Bin Jinni’s analyses of his writing.
Founded in 1999, the King Abdulaziz Public Library has a special collection of rare Arabic titles, along with rare photographs from around the world. Currently, the library has more than 5,200 titles in its catalogue and about 3,000 more books are in the process of being catalogued and added to the database.
Their photography collection is extensive, with more than 5,500 photographs originating from the Arab world and the East. The library also has a vast collection of manuscripts, coins, maps and other rare documents.
In addition, it hosts cultural projects across the kingdom, including the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Translation.
The library has also undertaken the Encyclopaedia of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia project, which brings together comprehensive documentation on the kingdom and its 13 regions, including details on the history of its land and people. The first edition in a series of 20 for the encyclopaediawas published, with about 900 to 1,000 pages.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
