5 minutes

The fresh river of Sharjah

Ahmed bin Rakad Al Ameri

02 November 2021

There is a close historical relationship between rivers and civilizations. On their banks, nations built their first societies, and from their fresh water sustainable agriculture came out, irrigated the creatures, and gave life to the fields and plains, to show trade and build boats to transport and exchange goods between societies. For this reason, the primitive cultures and civilizations that grew on the ripe banks are called River civilization and river culture, such as the civilization of Mesopotamia, the Nile civilization in Egypt, the Yellow River civilization in China and the Ganges in India.

In the Emirate of Sharjah, there is a generous, sweet river. It is an unconventional river, which differs in its description from those rivers that we knew in geography lessons, and we intended for visitors to enjoy its beauty, but it completely coincides with it in impact and importance, and in the developmental and civilized role. The main knowledge of the emirate, and one of the most prominent and important three book fairs in the world.

In order to be more accurate in the analysis, it must be said that the Sharjah River is superior to natural rivers in the depth and sustainability of the impact, as it not only narrates biological life, but also contributes directly to the formation of individual and collective identity and gives it reasons for its elevation and transcendence, and enhances the intellectual and emotional joint on the basis of them Human societies, in addition to its other role of reviving and invigorating life in the development economic system, whether by activating general economic mobility, or enhancing the knowledge value of human capital.

Just as every river has its sources, origins, causes of strength and continuity factors, the source of the Sharjah International Book Fair and the reasons for its strength and continuity are the vision and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. His Highness’ belief in the power of culture in engineering the deep conscience of individuals and societies, giving our cultural projects in general, and the Sharjah International Book Fair in particular, all the reasons to continue and accumulate achievements, so that Sharjah became one of the most important global cultural centers, and its name was associated with development theories based on culture and investment in knowledge and human skills .

The similarities between the Sharjah International Book Fair and the rivers do not end, and you may need several books to explain, analyze and determine their results, but there are two main aspects in this similarity, which it is necessary to add to what we mentioned earlier in this article, namely authenticity and cumulativeness. In the exhibition, to branch out from fresh multidisciplinary tables, it is an authentic and very special experience in Sharjah. It does not separate and does not stray even a little from the ambition and characteristics of the emirate’s society, and despite being open to and benefiting from the experiences of the world, it is in depth and essence an experience that has its uniqueness and independent personality, which resulted On the interaction of society with the social and economic conditions that have been shaped over the course of many decades, and we will continue to be proud of this authenticity every time we see an Arab or international experience growing and shaped by the influence of our own model.

The other side, which is the cumulative action of the Sharjah International Book Fair, and here we have to emphasize that major cultural projects do not appear out of the blue, and their results are not achieved between day and night, but rather do what the river does, transmitting its water to the earth over the years, so it becomes more fertile so that the seeds grow and become trees, then It bears fruit that attracts people to lay the foundations of its civilization on its banks.

The fresh Sharjah River will continue to flow, it has dug its place and its course deep in the consciousness and memory of the region, and it has become a title of Arab culture and a symbol of its ability to have an influential presence in the cultures of the world. He follows it and reminds the world of a proud history in which we were masters of science, arts, language and literature.

Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority

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