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UAE: SZBA Announces Winners, Cultural Personality of Year for 19th Edition

Abu Dhabi Language Centre
Abu Dhabi Language Centre
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UAE: SZBA Announces Winners, Cultural Personality of Year for 19th Edition

Abu Dhabi Language Centre
Abu Dhabi Language Centre

Under the patronage of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced the winners and Cultural Personality of the year for the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA).

The announcement on Tuesday followed a meeting of the SZBA Board of Trustees, which discussed the final results of the evaluation process led by the judging panels and the award's Scientific Committee, based on the highest literary and cultural standards.

This year's winners hail from seven countries - the UK, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco and the UAE. The selection of the winners was based on objective, scientific criteria and rigorous governance upheld by the award.

The meeting was headed by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the SZBA Board of Trustees, and attended by Board members Dr. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to the UAE President; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi); Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the DCT Abu Dhabi; Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Director-General of the National Archives and Library; Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC and Secretary-General of the SZBA; and Abdulrahman Al Naqbi, Director of the ALC's Literary Awards Department.

"With its forward-looking vision and pledge to the highest standards of evaluation and governance, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award reinforces the UAE's position as a global center for creativity and knowledge,” said Al Mubarak.

“It has moved beyond being a simple act of recognition to become a strategic national initiative promoting the production of knowledge, and a catalyst for a cultural and scientific movement, reflecting our leadership's commitment to culture and knowledge as cornerstones of sustainable development and human prosperity."

Dr. Bin Tamim congratulated the winners for their outstanding achievements.

“Their works were inspiring, tackling new and distinguished topics that delve deep into the human condition and shed light on time and history, which made them stand out to the Award organizers and earn their admiration,” he said.

He also congratulated the Cultural Personality of the Year—Haruki Murakami—adding that the renowned Japanese novelist has truly merited this accolade for his body of literary work, characterized by its unique style between fantasy and extreme realism.

He noted that the author's literature and writings have made a profound influence far beyond Japan, and his selection this year reaffirms the award's determination to connect various cultures and civilizations through dialogue, literature, and intellectual thought.

Lebanese/French author Hoda Barakat won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Literature category for her novel 'Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World'. Moroccan writer Latifa Labsir won the Children's Literature category for her book 'The Phantom of Sabiba'.

In the Translation category, Marco Di Branco from Italy won for his translation from Arabic to English of 'Orosius' by Paulus Orosius. Dr. Said Laouadi from Morocco received the SZBA in the Literary and Art Criticism category for his book 'Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage'.

The Contribution to the Development of Nations category saw Emirati Prof. Dr. Mohammed Bechari win for his book 'The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women's Rights'.

UK researcher Andrew Peacock won in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category for his book 'Arabic Literary Culture in Southeast Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries'.

In the Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category, the SZBA went to Rasheed Alkhayoun from Iraq/UK for his critical edition of the book 'News of Women'.

The award honored renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami as the Cultural Personality of the Year in recognition of his creative career and widespread literary influence, unbound by borders, impacting both Arab and Western cultures. His works are widely read and translated worldwide, reflecting literature's ability to bring differing cultures closer together.

The winners and Cultural Personality of the Year for the award's 19th edition will be honored on April 28 in a ceremony organized by the ALC in parallel with the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF).

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Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores Historic Al-Qalaah Mosque in Riyadh Region

The mosque is a prime example of traditional Najdi architecture - SPA
The mosque is a prime example of traditional Najdi architecture - SPA
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Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores Historic Al-Qalaah Mosque in Riyadh Region

The mosque is a prime example of traditional Najdi architecture - SPA
The mosque is a prime example of traditional Najdi architecture - SPA

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques continues its mission to preserve the Kingdom’s architectural heritage by restoring Al-Qalaah Mosque in Hawtat Bani Tamim, Riyadh Region. Built in 1250 AH (1834 CE), this historic landmark is situated within the fortress of Second Saudi State founder Imam Turki bin Abdullah.

The mosque is a prime example of traditional Najdi architecture, featuring stone foundations, mud walls constructed using molded brick techniques, and a roof of tamarisk trunks and palm fronds supported by stone-bead cylindrical columns, SPA reported.

Through the current renovation, the mosque’s area has expanded from 608.68 to 625.78 square meters while maintaining a capacity for 180 worshippers. Executed by specialized Saudi firms under expert engineering supervision, the project balances traditional standards with modern sustainability to ensure the mosque remains a living testament to Islamic and national history.

This initiative aligns with Vision 2030 objectives to rehabilitate historical sites for worship, highlight cultural heritage, and preserve the Kingdom’s authentic architectural identity for future generations.

Culture

UNESCO Fears for Fate of Historical Sites during Iran War

Debris at the historical monument Golestan Palace after it was damaged in an Israeli and US strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
Debris at the historical monument Golestan Palace after it was damaged in an Israeli and US strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
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UNESCO Fears for Fate of Historical Sites during Iran War

Debris at the historical monument Golestan Palace after it was damaged in an Israeli and US strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
Debris at the historical monument Golestan Palace after it was damaged in an Israeli and US strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo

UNESCO said it is deeply concerned about the fate of world heritage sites in Iran and across the region, after Tehran's Golestan palace, often compared to Versailles, and a historic mosque and palace in Isfahan were damaged in the war.

The United Nations' cultural agency on Wednesday urged all parties to protect the region's outstanding cultural sites, saying four of Iran's 29 world heritage sites had been damaged since the start of the US and Israeli war with Iran.

"UNESCO is deeply concerned by the first impact that the hostilities are already having on many world heritage sites," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the World Heritage Centre, told Reuters, adding he was also concerned for sites in Israel, Lebanon and across the Middle East.

Tehran's Golestan palace, damaged in US–Israeli strikes, is testimony to the grandeur of Iran's civilization in the 19th century, he said.

The palace was chosen as the Persian royal residence and seat of power by the Qajar family and shows the introduction of European styles in Persian arts, according to the UNESCO website. The last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, held a coronation ceremony there in 1969.

"We sometimes even compare it with the Versailles Palace in France, for instance, and it has suffered, unfortunately, some damage. We don't know the extent for the moment. But clearly, with the images that we have been able to receive, we can confirm ... it has been affected," Eloundou Assomo said.

Photos of the interior of the palace have shown piles of smashed glass and shards of wood on the floor, and shattered woodwork.

Isfahan was one of Central Asia's most important cities and a key point on the Silk Road trading route. Its Masjed-e Jame (Jameh Mosque) is more than 1,000 years old and shows the development of Islamic art through 12 centuries.

Buildings close to the buffer zone of the prehistoric sites of the Khorramabad Valley have also been damaged, UNESCO said.

UNESCO has shared coordinates of key cultural sites to all parties, Eloundou Assomo said, and was monitoring damage.

"We are calling for the protection of all sites of cultural significance ... everything that tells the history of all the civilisations of the 18 countries in the region," he said.

Culture

Coin Used to Pay for Bus Ticket in Leeds Found to Be Phoenician

The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)
The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)
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Coin Used to Pay for Bus Ticket in Leeds Found to Be Phoenician

The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)
The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries. (Leeds City Council)

An odd-looking coin used to pay for a bus fare in Leeds in the 1950s has been found to belong to an ancient civilization from more than 2,000 years ago, reported The Independent.

The coin, handed to a local bus driver decades ago, came into the hands of James Edwards, former chief cashier with Leeds City Transport, who gathered fares and counted them at the end of each day.

Since it couldn’t be spent, Edwards took it home and gifted the ancient coin to his young grandson, Peter, who kept it in a small wooden chest for more than 70 years.

Archaeologists from the University of Leeds have now found that it came from the Carthaginians, part of the Phoenician culture, in the Spanish city of Cadiz during the 1st century BC.

“My grandfather would come across coins which were not British and put them to one side, and when I went to his house, he would hand me a few,” the now 77-year-old grandson said.

“It was not long after the war, so I imagine soldiers returned with coins from countries they had been sent to. Neither of us were coin collectors, but we were fascinated by their origin and imagery – to me, they were treasure,” he said.

Peter attempted to uncover the coin’s origin, focusing on a particular inscription.

It bears the face of the god Melqart on one side, resembling the Greek hero Herakles and wearing his famed lionskin headdress.

Experts said it came from what was once a Carthaginian settlement on the Spanish coast.

“The coin always fascinated me because it was hard to decipher where it came from,” Peter said.

“My first thought when I found out its origin was that I would like to return it to an institute where it could be studied by all, and Leeds Museums and Galleries kindly offered to give it a good home,” he said.

The coin has been donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries and is now part of the Leeds Discovery Centre, which includes coins and currency from cultures around the world, spanning thousands of years of history.

“It’s incredible to imagine how this tiny piece of history created by an ancient civilization thousands of years ago has somehow made its way to Leeds and into our collection,” said Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture.

“Museums like ours are not just about preserving objects, they’re also about telling stories like this one and inspiring visitors to think about the history that’s all around us, sometimes in the most unlikely of places,” Arif said.