The project aims to increase awareness about the connection between heritage sites and poets (social networking sites)

If you want to reach the homeland of Majnun Laila and Imru' al-Qais, you will not lose your way, especially in light of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launching a spatial documentation project for Saudi sites where Arab poets lived and were associated with them throughout history.

This project works to document these heritage sites in various regions of the Kingdom and facilitate access to them by installing indicative and introductory lists linking them to the poets of the pre-Islamic era with their epics, poems, and famous commentaries in the history of Arab culture.

The project comes under the umbrella of the “Year of Arab Poetry” initiative and in cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and a number of local institutions in the Kingdom.

The project map included sites spread throughout the Kingdom. In Riyadh, the project documented several sites belonging to famous poets who were born and lived in its historical sites, including the poet Laila Al-Akhiliya, Majnun Laila, Imru’ Al-Qais, and Labid bin Rabi’a, while the project documented several sites in Al-Qassim. There or poets passed by it, such as the Al-Shanana Tower in the city of Al-Rass, which was associated with the poet Zuhair bin Abi Salma.

Through the spatial documentation project, the #Ministry_of_Culture aims to increase cognitive awareness about the connection of heritage sites in the Kingdom to the poets who wrote eternal Arab history. #Year_of_Arab_Poetry_2023 pic.twitter.com/LP1RwAhRQI

- Ministry of Culture (@MOCSaudi) March 24, 2024

Project scope

The scope of the project extends to include a number of cities and regions of the Kingdom, such as Al-Baha, Al-Ahsa, Taif, Hail, Medina, Asir, and Najran. The project documented the path through which the most famous Arab poets throughout history crossed, such as the poet Al-Shanfari, who grew up in the village of Salaman, and the poet Al-Saltan Al-Abdi, who lived in Mt. Al-Buraiqa, the poet Tarfa bin Al-Abd in Jabal Al-Qara, the poet Ali bin Al-Muqarrab Al-Ayouni in Al-Oyoun Park, in addition to the poet Al-Nabigha Al-Dhibani and his connection to Souq Okaz.

The project also includes the homes of Hatem Al-Ta’i in Hail, the poet Hassan bin Thabit on the battlefield of Uhud, the poet Al-Khansa’ in Medina, the poet Abd Yaghouth Al-Harithi, who lived in a site that currently includes Prince Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz Park in Najran, and the poet Ibn Al-Damina, whose homeland was in The historic city of Al-Ablaa in Asir.

Through this project, the Saudi Ministry of Culture aims to confirm the Kingdom’s centrality to Arab culture, and to document the steps of Arab poets on the Arabian Peninsula throughout history and their places of origin and residence, which raises awareness of the cultural and historical depth of the Kingdom and its pivotal role in shaping Arab culture.

The project will also work to activate these historical sites and enrich them with cognitive and indicative content that will increase their value to visitors who will come to them from inside and outside the Kingdom.

#Ministry_of_Culture announces the launch of a spatial documentation project for sites associated with Arab poets around the Kingdom, as part of the programs and activities of the #Year_of_Arab_Poetry_2023 initiative pic.twitter.com/Q4m2VO9N1M

- Ministry of Culture (@MOCSaudi) March 24, 2024

Connected steps

For her part, Saudi writer and writer Shawqia Al-Ansari believes that this project indicates continuous and uninterrupted steps towards preserving history and heritage in various fields to build a better tomorrow for future generations.

She added that the documentation journey, although it documents these sites in various regions of the Kingdom and facilitates access to them by installing indicative and introductory regulations, nevertheless, the documentation must link poetry as a source and the nature of the place, in order to understand more about the symbolism of the place as a strong tourist attraction with historical significance that is actually linked to a time and place. Reciting poetry historically.

Last year, Saudi Arabia launched the “2023 Year of Arabic Poetry” initiative, in order to celebrate this poetry through events, activities and initiatives held throughout the year and in partnership with members of society and all concerned parties, in order to revive the ancient history of Arabic poetry, enhance its presence in human civilization, and establish the foundations. His future wealth, and his rightful place among the world's literature and arts.

Source: Al Jazeera + Saudi Press