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28 March 2024

Saudi 'Poet Prince' is Sharjah's cultural personality of the year

Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and Governor of Makkah Province. (Pic: Emarat Al Youm)

Published
By Wam

Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and Governor of Makkah Province, has been named the Cultural Personality of the Year by the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).

Known as the Poet Prince, the SIBF has bestowed the title on Prince Khalid Al Faisal in recognition of his cultural, humanitarian and charitable contributions.

The 34th edition of the SIBF, which is a subsidiary of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), will be held from November 4-14 at the Expo Center and will host a ceremony to honour the Prince for his constant pursuit in consolidating the values of tolerance and moderation by encouraging intercultural dialogue and interaction.

The Cultural Personality of the Year ceremony will be held as part of the opening ceremony in the presence of many of the high ranking intellectuals, writers, dignitaries and celebrities from across the world.

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, and Director of the Sharjah International Book Fair, said, "We are proud to bestow this title on His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al Faisal for his numerous cultural achievements, which were not limited to poetry and literature, but also include art, heritage and intellectual pursuits. Prince Khalid's contributions extend to honouring creative individuals in various fields through his supervision of the International King Faisal Award, and the Arab Thought Foundation Awards, among many others."

Al Ameri added, "Honouring Prince Khalid Al Faisal is an appreciation by the emirate of Sharjah to His Royal Highness for his accomplishments in raising the profile of the Arab culture and Islamic civilisation. This honour also exemplifies the international acclaim that he earned for his wonderful poetry, which prompted international publishing houses to translate his works into English, French, Dutch and Spanish languages, as well as many others, thus enriching the literary and poetic interaction between various cultures from around the world."

As a graduate with a degree in Economic and Political Science from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, Prince Khalid Al Faisal is an avid fan of culture, literature and art. He wrote several poems, some of which he himself read in poetry events in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond.

Prince Khalid chairs a number of intellectual, educational and charitable foundations. He is the Director General of the King Faisal Foundation and the Chairman of the Jury of the King Faisal International Award. He also chairs Lebanon-based Arab Thought Organisation and is the Honorary Chairman of the (Fas Sys) Society for Economic, Cultural and Social Development in Morocco, in addition to being a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science, in Frankfurt University, Germany.