SHARJAH // Depending on one's point of view, Arabic calligraphy can be a work of art, a spiritual medium of communication or an expression of an evolving identity.
Ali al Doury, master calligrapher, artist and head of the Sharjah Centre for Arabic Calligraphy and Ornamentation, describes the relationship he has cultivated with the script over the past 40 years as a romantic one.
"Arabic calligraphy art is like loving a woman," said Mr al Doury. "It needs patience, dedication and imagination."
Since the centre opened in the emirate's heritage area in 1999, under the patronage of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed, Ruler of Sharjah, more than 10,000 students have had a lesson with the 61-year-old calligraphy master from Iraq. They come from all walks of life and all nationalities, signing up for a month-long course of three sessions a week at a cost of Dh100, with the option of renewing.
"Initially, there was more interest from non-Arabs to learn this art, with only recently Arabs are going back to their roots and learning the art and script of their ancestors," Mr al Doury said.
Before heading the centre, Mr al Doury helped draft textbooks on Arabic writing for schools in Sharjah back in the 1980s. They helped to address what is becoming a lost art.
"You would be surprised at how many Arabs can't even write regular Arabic script," he said.
The books, as with most such teaching manuals in use throughout the Arab world, focused on teaching two types of fonts or styles. They are Naskh, a soft, cursive style, and Ruq'ah, a bare version that is more commonly used.
Following the oral tradition of the language, Arabic calligraphy emerged in the first century of Islam, about 622, and has continued to evolve throughout the ensuing centuries.
"Calligraphers would compete among themselves and use the most beautiful and creative form of calligraphy when writing and copying the Holy Quran," Mr al Doury said. "It is one of the most revered and spiritual art forms."
Through teaching, Mr al Doury has acquired an expertise in understanding the personalities of his students. "How someone expresses themselves in calligraphy tells me a lot about their personality and psychology," he said. "In some ways, calligraphy is a mirror of the soul."
He noted that some of the best amateur calligraphers to pass through his doors were among a group of Japanese students last year. They seemed to be more patient than most, helping to create some of the centre's best pieces.
During a session inside the master's classroom, three very different students worked at copying Arabic script. And just as Mr al Doury said calligraphy requires dedication, imagination and patience, these students respectively personified each of those virtues.
For Sabiha Muzaffar, 31, a housewife from Saudi Arabia, the sessions provide a valuable link to her religion and language. She is learning to write in Deewani Jalee, one of the more difficult classical styles, restricted in the past to the royal court.
"I like the prestige and beauty associated with this style," she said.
Melinda Mesbah, 50, a teacher from the US living in Dubai, is married to an Iranian. The relationship has sparked years of admiration for the art form as well as a yearning to practise it.
"They always cost so much, and so, I thought why not learn how to make it myself and add my personal touch to the pieces?" she said.
The most determined of the group, and the fastest at copying her lines, was also the youngest: nine-year-old Khadijah Nur, an American Muslim who lives with her family in Sharjah and comes to class in a bus provided by the centre.
"I want to be able to win calligraphy competitions and make my family proud," she said.
rghazal@thenational.ae
The history
Derived from the Greek word kallos (beauty), calligraphy means “the art of beautiful handwriting”.
Kufi, used to write the first copies of the Holy Quran, is the oldest form of calligraphy, dating to the early 7th century.
Many modern Qurans are written in Naskh, a more cursive style dating to the late 8th century that is easier to read.
Thuluth is a script that appeared in the late 9th century and mainly used in ornamental scripts like titles, headings and colophons.
Thuluth al Jely is a classical script and one of the most important and difficult to write and read.
Ruq’ah, which means small sheet, has been revised over the centuries and simplified to become the most commonly used font in the Arab world.
Source: Sharjah Calligraphy Museum
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Tips for job-seekers
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
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Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
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