Nahyan bin Mubarak visits Al Dhafra Book Festival 2026
ABU DHABI, 22nd JANUARY / WAM / His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, visited today the Al Dhafra Book Festival 2026, which is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, and organized by the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, in Madinat Zayed Public Park, during the period from 19 to 25 January this year.
During his visit, His Excellency inspected a number of pavilions and publishing houses participating in the festival, and reviewed their latest publications that contribute to strengthening the Arabic language and spreading the culture of reading in society.
His Excellency praised the specific activities of the festival in its sixth session, which coincides with the Year of the Family, including dialogue seminars, interactive sessions, workshops, and programs concerned with poetry and folklore, targeting all family members, which establishes the status of the festival as a cultural event that provides an integrated experience for visitors that combines culture, heritage, and art, and is a real platform that contributes to enriching the cultural life in Al Dhafra.
During the visit, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, was accompanied by His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim, President of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, and a number of official and cultural figures.
This edition of the festival reflects the center’s commitment to supporting sustainable reading, empowering creativity and innovators, and developing literary and artistic talents among young people, continuing to fulfill its mission of enriching society with knowledge, in line with the vision of the country’s leadership in enhancing the stock of cultural and cognitive excellence, and expanding the horizons of visitors who are waiting for thousands of titles in the fields of knowledge from the publications of the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language and more than 110 publishing houses.
The festival is accompanied by an integrated program that includes qualitative activities presented by an elite group of specialists in the fields of education and technology, which reflects the prominent role of the center in promoting knowledge, achieving the cultural vision of Abu Dhabi, and introducing the distinguished cultural, cognitive, and heritage status of the Al Dhafra region.
The festival includes activities that meet visitors’ cognitive needs, their love of popular heritage, and enhance their affiliation to national identity, most notably the “Poetry Nights: Voices That People Loved” program, which hosts a “Poets of the Future” session directed at emerging poetic talents, with the aim of developing their skills and deepening their connection to literary culture, as well as sessions for Al Dhafra poets, including discussion panels, reciting poems, and performing popular arts.
The festival also hosts an interactive experience related to the live cooking demonstrations “From Our Lives”, to highlight the richness of Emirati cuisine as part of the national identity, allowing visitors to explore the secrets of popular foods and how to prepare them.
The festival, held at Al Dhafra Fort, hosted a ceremony honoring the winners of the third session of the “Gold Narrative” Award. It also witnessed the launch of partnerships with official and private institutions, with which cooperation represents a qualitative step towards enhancing the values of cooperation, the transfer of knowledge, and communication between generations, leading to an integrated experience for visitors, which reflects the commitment of the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language to continue innovation and enrich cultural life in the Emirates.
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