Sharjah 24: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah; the Egyptian capital, Cairo, hosted the thirteenth edition of the Sharjah Cultural Awards Forum, honouring four Egyptian writers, the critic Ahmed Shams El Din Al Hajjaji, the writer Mohammed Zakaria Anani, the storyteller and novelist Jar Al Nabi Al Hilou, and the novelist Abdo Mohammed Abdo.

The forum comes in implementation of the directives of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, to honour literary figures that have contributed to the contemporary Arab culture. 

The honouring ceremony was held at the Supreme Council of Culture in Cairo, in the presence of His Excellency Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture (SDC), Her Excellency Dr. Nevin Al Kilani, Egyptian Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Culture, Her Excellency Maryam Khalifa Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mohamed Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department in SDC, Dr. Hisham Azmy, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Culture, a large crowd of Egyptian intellectuals, members of the academia, novelists and writers, and the families of the four honourees.

His Excellency Abdullah Al Owais delivered the speech of the Department of Culture in Sharjah, saying that joy and happiness are reiterated with renewed fraternal meetings, Arab communication and joint cooperation, which is embodied in the depth of the historical relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Arab Republic of Egypt, under a wise leadership that believes in the importance of continuing Arab communication in all fields.

Her Excellency Dr. Nevin Al Kilani welcomed the attendees saying that she is pleased to host Sharjah Cultural Awards Forum in Egypt, which enjoys the great sponsorship of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and confirms the continuation of His Highness's efforts in cultivating intelligentsia in the Arab world, which reflects the foundations of the Sharjah cultural project, followed in Egypt with great pride and appreciation.

At the beginning of her speech, Her Excellency Maryam Khalifa Al Kaabi stressed the importance of the brotherly cooperation and the consolidation of the depth of historical relations between the UAE and the Arab Republic of Egypt under the wise leadership that realises the importance of Arab integration at all levels.

Her Excellency added that the 13th Sharjah Cultural Awards Forum, is held in the Arab Republic of Egypt for the fourth time, since it was launched in April 2021, which represents a new cultural initiative added to the series of joint cooperation between SDC and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture over the past years.

The four honourees expressed their happiness for winning the Awards, stressing that the forum is a noble gesture of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah.

At the end of the ceremony, Abdullah Al Owais and Mohamed Al Qaseer along with Dr. Hisham Azmy, Her Excellency Maryam Khalifa Al Kaabi and Her Excellency Dr. Nevin Al Kilani, handed over the four honourees certificates of appreciation, in appreciation of their literary and intellectual efforts in the Arab cultural arena.