Abu Dhabi: Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has been named Cultural Personality of the year 2014 by the Zayed Book Award.
Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA-AD), said: “The winning of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz is a supreme honour for the Shaikh Zayed Book Award. His Majesty’s impressive achievements have been witnessed over decades and he still continues to contribute as generously as he has always been to the Arab and Islamic Worlds”.
Shaikh Sultan elaborated on the king’s pioneering role in promoting peaceful co-existence, religious tolerance and cross-cultural dialogue, as well as his passionate support for an advanced education and scientific research and culture in the region through the establishment of various educational institutes and knowledge centres that have become the North Star for scholars and researchers throughout the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Dr Ali Bin Tamim, Secretary-General of Shaikh Zayed Book Award, explained that the co-establishment of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue that aims to enable, empower and encourage dialogue among followers of different religions and cultures around the world is one of the reasons that the ruler received the award.
Record
The Shaikh Zayed Book Award’s Cultural Personality of the Year honours a prominent Arab or international figure or organisation that has contributed to the advancement of the Arabic culture, through their work, tolerance and promotion of a peaceful coexistence.
The Award’s eighth session collected a ground breaking record 1,385 nominations across the Award’s nine categories equivalent to a growth rate of 12 per cent over last year’s record. The winners’ declaration comes after the announcement of a short-list of the top contending works made earlier this month.
The Award’s Grand Ceremony is scheduled on May 4, coinciding with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The first award was in 2007, and was intended to promote scholarship and creativity in Arab culture. It carries cash prizes totalling Dh7 million — with Dh750,000 per winner ($204,217.50) in the eight categories (including the Arab Culture in non-Arabic languages category). The winners also receive a certificate of merit and a Gold Medal.
