Taipei’s National Central Library is hosting a 13-day exhibition centered around the Mu’allaqat, a centuries-old poetry collection, in celebration of World Arabic Language Day yesterday.
In line with the theme “Arabic — the Language of Poetry and Arts” chosen by UNESCO for World Arabic Language Day, the exhibition, which starts today and ends on Dec. 31, shows how Arabic has inspired creativity in poetry and art for centuries, the library said in a statement yesterday.
In addition to showcasing traditional attire, cultural artifacts and literature in the Arabic-speaking world, the exhibition highlights the Mu’allaqat, a collection of works by renowned classical Arab poets from the sixth or seventh centuries.
Photo courtesy of the National Central Library
The Mu’allaqat, also known as the Hanging Poems, consists of seven pre-Islamic odes that explore a range of themes, delving into the cruelty of tribal conflicts, expressions of affection for lovers, reflections on pride, contemplation of life and death, and observations on human nature.
Representatives from Jordan and Oman, among other nations, attended the opening event at the library yesterday.
Saudi Arabian Trade Office Representative Adel Althaidi said at the event that World Arabic Language Day was of particular significance to his country.
“The Arabic language represents our heritage, identity and culture, and therefore we are proud of it,” he said.
Su I-wen (蘇怡文), an academic in the fields of Arabic history and literature, and one of the exhibition’s curators, said that Arabic, renowned as one of the oldest Semitic languages and distinguished by its cultural and literary richness, was profoundly important.
It was not an overstatement to say that Arabic is the epitome of beauty, particularly given its magnificent poetic tradition dating back to the fifth century, Su said.
Library director-general Tseng Shu-hsien (曾淑賢) shifted the focus of the event to the Israel-Hamas war, emphasizing that cultural exchanges foster better understanding among nations.
Althaidi said that yesterday was the second time that Taiwan has commemorated the day, adding that the first celebration took place at National Chengchi University, one of the few universities in Taiwan that has Arabic language and culture courses.
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
RSS