GDRFA Dubai launches special arrival stamp for delegations of the Arab Reading Challenge 2025

Dubai: In a gesture that embodies Dubai’s status as a city that celebrates knowledge and culture, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) announced the launch of a special arrival stamp for the delegations participating in the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge 2025. The stamp will be affixed to their passports upon arrival at Dubai’s airports, in recognition of their efforts to promote the culture of reading and knowledge among younger generations across the Arab world.

This initiative comes in celebration of one of the largest initiatives of its kind in the Arab region, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, with the aim of encouraging reading among students in the Arab world through the commitment of more than one million students to read fifty million books every academic year. Since its inception, the initiative has been firmly established as one of the region’s most influential cultural and educational projects, in line with His Highness’s vision that:

“Reading is the beginning of the road to a better future based on knowledge and science. Nations that read own the keys to progress.”

Driven by the importance of this remarkable cultural achievement, the launch of the special arrival stamp by GDRFA Dubai reflects the emirate’s pride in this humanitarian and intellectual initiative, reaffirming Dubai’s status as a destination that welcomes creative minds and future makers. The gesture turns the moment of arrival at Dubai’s airports into a celebration worthy of those who carry the banner of culture and knowledge.

Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Surror, Deputy Director of the GDRFA Dubai said “In Dubai, everyone who carries a thought or a message of knowledge is an honored guest. Granting the delegations of the Arab Reading Challenge this special stamp is a gesture of appreciation for their distinguished role and an expression of our commitment to supporting the cultural movement launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Just as the initiative has made reading a bridge of connection between generations, we make the experience of arriving in Dubai a moment that embodies this very meaning.”

Major General Talal Ahmed Al Shanqeeti, Assistant Director General for the Air Ports Sector at GDRFA Dubai, added “Applying the special stamp at Dubai’s airports is not merely a symbolic act; it is a message of appreciation and celebration that reflects what the United Arab Emirates represents as a hub for culture and knowledge. From the very first moment of their arrival, we are keen to ensure that our guests experience the true spirit of Dubai — a city that combines intelligence in service with warmth in hospitality.”

GDRFA Dubai affirmed that this step comes as part of its ongoing efforts to provide an integrated travel experience that combines innovation with a human touch, further strengthening Dubai’s position as a global center that welcomes talent and intellects from around the world, and translating its vision of making reading and knowledge the foundation for a brighter future for generations to come.