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Emirate of Sharjah Provides Grant to Renovate Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum

Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah. (Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)
Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah. (Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)
    Beirut - Sawsan el-Abtah
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Emirate of Sharjah Provides Grant to Renovate Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum

Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah. (Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)
Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah. (Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)

The Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum, located in the Lebanese town of Bsharri, is celebrating a grant provided by Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah, to restore and renovate the museum.

The grant will be used to preserve the museum’s possessions, and restore artifacts including photos, manuscripts, tools, books, and paintings, as well as equipping it with the latest museum display technologies.

The grant was announced after talks and negotiations that ran over the past year between Lebanon and Sharjah to determine the works that will be implemented, and the projects in which this grant will be invested amid the hard circumstances that the country and the museum are living following the pandemic’s lockdowns and the economic collapse that heavily affected the cultural life in Lebanon.

The agreement was signed last week, on the sidelines of the opening of the Sharjah International Book Fair, by Joseph Fenianos, head of the museum’s committee, and Marwa Obaid Al Aqroubi, director of the House of Wisdom affiliated with the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, to implement renovation, restoration, and development projects at the Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum within five years.

The agreement consists of developing the museum, and printing Gibran Khalil Gibran’s books.
Attending the Sharjah book fair, Joseph Fenianos met with Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah, and gifted him a figurine of the late Lebanese writer sculpted by Artist Rudy Rahme.

Joseph Geagea, manager of the Gibran Museum in Bsharri, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The contact between the two parties is not new. An esteemed exhibition about Gibran was held in Sharjah in 2015. Another one took place on the occasion of the House of Wisdom opening from September 2021 till January 2022, for which we shipped many paintings, the atelier of Gibran and his brushes, and an important collection of manuscripts that we displayed there.

“The opening was supposed to be attended by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, but later, we knew that the Ruler of Sharjah would attend too. First, we thought the ruler would pass by for a few minutes, but surprisingly, our meeting with him lasted for 55 minutes, during which he seemed so interested in Gibran and his literature. As a tribute, the Ruler of Sharjah directed to provide a grant for the Gibran Museum.”

Few days ago, the head of the museum’s committee traveled to Sharjah to sign the agreement.

“We knew a grant has been provided to the museum, so we set a list of the works we need, including printing Gibran’s books, in addition to improving, developing, and mechanizing the information center dedicated for the visitors. The most important project is probably changing some of the old presentations that visitors have seen for many years. We have 440 paintings drawn by Gibran with water colors, charcoal, and pastels, but only 150 works are currently displayed, which means there are around 300 paintings hidden because we are not able to display them. What we want is to improve the work at the museum, so visitors keep coming and see new works every time. At our museum, we have the world’s largest collection of Gibran’s paintings,” Geagea told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Gibran Museum team presented five projects to develop the museum in Bsharri, and they were all approved.

“Hopefully, we will manage to preserve the heritage of Gibran, and present it to the Arab people and the world in the best way. We will protect this unique history for humanity. Gibran is not an Arabic writer, he’s international,” added Geagea.

Gibran Khalil Gibran is still the third most read novelist in the world, following Shakespeare, and the Chinese philosopher Laozi. His book, “The Prophet” was translated into 130 languages with several translations in each language; it has 17 different translations into German, 20 into French, and around six into Chinese.

Foreign embassies have always shown special interest in the Gibran Museum. The Japanese embassy in Beirut has recently provided a grant, and the Bulgarian embassy restored the personal library of the late novelist. However, the Arabic interest in the museum of a Lebanese, Arabic novelist remains the most special, and has a unique significance.

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Varieties

Coffee Regions Hit by Extra Days of Extreme Heat, Say Scientists 

17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)
17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)
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Coffee Regions Hit by Extra Days of Extreme Heat, Say Scientists 

17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)
17 April 2012, North Rhine-Westphalia, Vluyn: A general view of Arabica Coffee beans. (dpa)

The world's main coffee-growing regions are roasting under additional days of climate change-driven heat every year, threatening harvests and contributing to higher prices, researchers said Wednesday.

An analysis found that there were 47 extra days of harmful heat per year on average in 25 countries representing nearly all global coffee production between 2021 and 2025, according to independent research group Climate Central.

Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia -- which supply 75 percent of the world's coffee -- experienced on average 57 additional days of temperatures exceeding the threshold of 30C.

"Climate change is coming for our coffee. Nearly every major coffee-producing country is now experiencing more days of extreme heat that can harm coffee plants, reduce yields, and affect quality," said Kristina Dahl, Climate Central's vice president for science.

"In time, these impacts may ripple outward from farms to consumers, right into the quality and cost of your daily brew," Dahl said in a statement.

US tariffs on imports from Brazil, which supplies a third of coffee consumed in the United States, contributed to higher prices this past year, Climate Central said.

But extreme weather in the world's coffee-growing regions is "at least partly to blame" for the recent surge in prices, it added.

Coffee cultivation needs optimal temperatures and rainfall to thrive.

Temperatures above 30C are "extremely harmful" to arabica coffee plants and "suboptimal" for the robusta variety, Climate Central said. Those two plant species produce the majority of the global coffee supply.

For its analysis, Climate Central estimated how many days each year would have stayed below 30C in a world without carbon pollution but instead exceeded that level in reality -- revealing the number of hot days added by climate change.

The last three years have been the hottest on record, according to climate monitors.

Varieties

Dog Gives Olympics Organizers Paws for Thought

A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
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Dog Gives Olympics Organizers Paws for Thought

A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

A dog decided he would bid for an unlikely Olympic medal on Wednesday as he joined the women's cross country team free sprint in the Milan-Cortina Games.

The dog ran onto the piste in Tesero in northern Italy and gamely, even without skis, ran behind two of the competitors, Greece's Konstantina Charalampidou and Tena Hadzic of Croatia.

He crossed the finishing line, his moment of glory curtailed as he was collared by the organizers and led away -- his owner no doubt will have a bone to pick with him when they are reunited.

Varieties

Olives, Opera and a Climate-Neutral Goal: How a Mural in Greece Won ‘Best in the World’ 

A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
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Olives, Opera and a Climate-Neutral Goal: How a Mural in Greece Won ‘Best in the World’ 

A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 

Long known for its olives and seaside charm, the southern Greek city of Kalamata has found itself in the spotlight thanks to a towering mural that reimagines legendary soprano Maria Callas as an allegory for the city itself.

The massive artwork on the side of a prominent building in the city center has been named 2025’s “Best Mural of the World” by Street Art Cities, a global platform celebrating street art.

Residents of Kalamata, approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, cultivate the world-renowned olives, figs and grapes that feature prominently on the mural.

That was precisely the point.

Vassilis Papaefstathiou, deputy mayor of strategic planning and climate neutrality, explained Kalamata is one of the few Greek cities with the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. He and other city leaders wanted a way to make abstract concepts, including sustainable development, agri-food initiatives, and local economic growth, more tangible for the city’s nearly 73,000 residents.

That’s how the idea of a massive mural in a public space was born.

“We wanted it to reflect a very clear and distinct message of what sustainable development means for a regional city such as Kalamata,” Papaefstathiou said. “We wanted to create an image that combines the humble products of the land, such as olives and olive oil — which, let’s be honest, are famous all over the world and have put Kalamata on the map — with the high-level art.”

“By bringing together what is very elevated with ... the humbleness of the land, our aim was to empower the people and, in doing so, strengthen their identity. We want them to be proud to be Kalamatians.”

Southern Greece has faced heatwaves, droughts and wildfires in recent years, all of which affect the olive groves on which the region’s economy is hugely dependent.

The image chosen to represent the city was Maria Callas, widely hailed as one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century and revered in Greece as a national cultural symbol. She may have been born in New York to Greek immigrant parents, but her father came from a village south of Kalamata. For locals, she is one of their own.

This connection is also reflected in practice: the alumni association at Kalamata’s music school is named for Callas, and the cultural center houses an exhibition dedicated to her, which includes letters from her personal archive.

Artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos, 52, said the mural “is not actually called ‘Maria Callas,’ but ‘Kalamata’ and my attempt was to paint Kalamata (the city) allegorically.”

Rather than portraying a stylized image of the diva, Kostopoulos said he aimed for a more grounded and human depiction. He incorporated elements that connect the people to their land: tree branches — which he considers the above-ground extension of roots — birds native to the area, and the well-known agricultural products.

“The dress I create on Maria Callas in ‘Kalamata’ is essentially all of this, all of this bloom, all of this fruition,” he said. “The blessed land that Kalamata itself has ... is where all of these elements of nature come from.”

Creating the mural was no small feat. Kostopoulos said it took around two weeks of actual work spread over a month due to bad weather. He primarily used brushes but also incorporated spray paint and a cherry-picker to reach all edges of the massive wall.

Papaefstathiou, the deputy mayor, said the mural has become a focal point.

“We believe this mural has helped us significantly in many ways, including in strengthening the city’s promotion as a tourist destination,” he said.

Beyond tourism, the mural has sparked conversations about art in public spaces. More building owners in Kalamata have already expressed interest in hosting murals.

“All of us — residents, and I personally — feel immense pride,” said tourism educator Dimitra Kourmouli.

Kostopoulos said he hopes the award will have a wider impact on the art community and make public art more visible in Greece.

“We see that such modern interventions in public space bring tremendous cultural, social, educational and economic benefits to a place,” he said. “These are good springboards to start nice conversations that I hope someday will happen in our country, as well.”