Sharjah Ruler is working on new and 'comprehensive' Arabic-Latin dictionary

Five-volume project aims to highlight 'profound connections' and cultural links between the languages

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, speaks at the the launch of the Arabic Cultural Institute in Milan. Photo: Sharjah Media Bureau

Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi is working on a multi-volume Arabic-Latin dictionary.

Speaking at the launch of the Arabic Cultural Institute in Milan, he described the project as an attempt to show the deep literary links between the languages.

“I am presently at the outset of working on the first five volumes regarding the Latin dictionary,” he said at the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, which is home to the institute. “My hope is that this comprehensive work will aid in revealing the profound connections between the Arabic and Latin languages and highlighting their shared linguistic heritage.”

Sheikh Dr Sultan added that work is progressing on the Historical Corpus of the Arabic Language, which will also shed light on early Arabic translations of the Latin language dictionary going back to the late 19th century.

Launched in 2017 by The Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, the mammoth initiative is a six-year project consisting of 125 volumes which tracks the evolution of the Arabic language from the pre-Islamic period to its modern form.

It's a collaboration amongst 500 scholars, editors and proof-readers, with 67 volumes already released by Al Qasimi Publications. Sheikh Dr Sultan declared these initiatives as a way to celebrate and revitalise the Arabic language.

“As a researcher and scholar of the Arabic language, I am constantly amazed by its wonders. The language is replete with words and synonyms that convey meanings both overt and subtle, each holding a depth that invites exploration and understanding,” he said.

Sheikh Dr Sultan concluded his speech by affirming his vision for Sharjah to become a beacon for cultural exchange and preservation.

“Our aspiration is not merely to inhabit the earth but to do so in harmony, extending our hands in cooperation for humanitarian causes rather than destructive pursuits,” he said.

“We are committed to safeguarding our cultural heritage, whether it be Arabic, Italian, Latin, or any other, from any form of distortion or tampering."

In addition to inaugurating the Arabic Cultural Centre, which will provide students with classes ranging from the Arabic language to assisting Italian publishers in translating seminal Arabic books into Italian, Sheikh Dr Sultan visited Milan’s Ambrosiana Library.

Established in 1609, it is regarded as one of the earliest public libraries in Europe and has an art gallery featuring masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian. Considered to be one of the first European libraries to collect Arabic and Islamic texts, the library also holds one of the earliest copies of the Quran, written in Kufic script and dating back to the second century. Sheikh Dr Sultan reviewed that and also examined Kitab Sibawayh, an important foundational text in the study of Arabic grammar by ninth century Islamic scholar Abu Al Hasan Ahmad ibn Nasr Al Khuza.

The visit continues Sharjah Book Authority's ongoing partnership with the Ambrosiana Library that includes the digitisation of more than 2,500 seminal Arabic manuscripts, some of which are now accessible online from the Sharjah Public Library website.

In addition to developing Sharjah into a global cultural hub over the past 52 years, Sheikh Dr Sultan is a prolific writer, having penned a series of memoirs, academic studies, novels, poetry collections and plays.

These include Tale of a City, an epic two-part history series on Sharjah, published in 2017, which tells the story of how the emirate evolved from its humble beginnings to the cultural powerhouse that it is today. Deep-Seated Malice, published in 2014, chronicles the resistance of Sharjah's local tribes against colonising Portuguese troops. It inspired the 2020 UAE film Khorfakkan starring Emirati actors Ahmed Al Jassmi, Khalifa Al Bahri and Abdullah Almaqbali.