Sharjah24: Sharjah’s iconic House of Wisdom (HoW) joined the emirate’s delegation participating as a Guest of Honour in the 36th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) 2022 in Mexico, which takes place from 26 November through 4 December. Through this most prominent annual cultural event in Mexico and the largest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world, the cultural hub of Sharjah seeks to showcase its experience, mission and objectives and how they contribute to the emirate’s vision and cultural project.

As part of the Sharjah’s pavilion in FIL, the HoW displays nine titles from the precious collection of German Professor Richard Ettinghausen, a prominent Islamic arts researcher. The titles on display are part of a rare collection of 12,000 books donated to the HoW by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. This huge collection covers a wide variety of topics on Islamic arts and architecture in more than 10 languages, including Arabic, English, German, Japanese, Urdu and Russian.

The displayed titles include: “Moorish Cabinet from Toledo: A Descriptive Note,” by Emilio Camps Cazola; “Excavations of the National Plan in Medinat Alzahra (Córdoba)” by Rafael Castejon and Martenez De Arizala; “Arab Ivories of the West” by Jose Ferrandis; “The Godman Collection of Oriental and Spanish Pottery and Glass” by Fredrick Du Cane Godman; and “Spanish Arab Art Up to Almohad’s Era: Mozarabic Art” by Manuel Gomez-Moreno.

The other titles on display are: “Silk Textiles of Spain, Eighth-Fifteenth Century” by Florence Lewis May; “Bayad and Riyad Love Story: An Oriental Chantefable in Persian Style” by A.R. Nykl; “Hispano-Moresque Minarets” by Spanish writer and archaeologist Leopoldo Torres Balbas; and “Hispano-Moresque Ware of the XV. Century” by Albert Can De Put.

In an effort to consolidate cultural relations and artistic cooperation with Mexican institutions, the HoW, in cooperation with the UAE Board on Books for Young People, intends to launch the 2nd edition of the "Folktales Reimagined" initiative with Mexico. After the first initiative received widespread acclaim at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Sharjah International Book Fair in 2022, the second one is set to bring together artists from UAE and Mexico to unleash their creative prowess in redesigning popular characters from each other’s folkloric heritage.

Currently, the HoW is hosting the “Frida and Me” exhibition to introduce the UAE public to Mexico’s most influential artist, Frida Kahlo, through a series of playful and interactive experiences. Running from 8 October through 8 January 2023, the first-time-ever-in-Arabic exhibition features workshops that enable children to discover oneself, dive into the world of arts and unleash their imagination and creativity.