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About the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi's culture and tourism sectors, fuels economic progress and helps achieve UAE capital’s wider global ambitions.
By collaborating with organisations that define the emirate's position as a leading international destination, DCT Abu Dhabi aims to unify the tourism ecosystem around a shared vision of the emirate's potential. The department helps coordinate efforts and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies, and systems to support the culture and tourism industries in the emirate.
DCT Abu Dhabi's vision is defined by the emirate's people, heritage, and landscape. The Department works to enhance Abu Dhabi's status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its rich traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives, and creative thought.
About Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, was established under the directive of the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi to support the Arabic language and set general strategies for its development and advancement in scholarly, educational, cultural and creative areas. The Centre aims to to promote Arabic language proficiency and cultural communication, while supporting Arab talents in the fields of writing, translation, publishing, scientific research, and the creation of audio and visual content. Additionally, it plays a key role in organising book fairs and bolstering the publishing industry in the region. The Centre advances its core vision through dedicated programmes, the expertise of its teams, and impactful partnerships with some of the world’s most prestigious technical, cultural, and academic institutions.
About the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) was launched in 1981 to offer an international cultural platform bringing together publishers, intellectuals, libraries, agents, cultural and media establishments under one roof to exchange ideas and experiences, identify promising opportunities, and promote communication and cooperation within the publishing sector and the creative industries.
Every year, the event welcomes Arab, regional and international publishers and offers a comprehensive cultural and educational programme covering cultural, professional, educational, creative and entertainment aspects. The programme also includes events, lectures, panel discussions and and specialised workshops featuring select writers and intellectuals. This contributes to the development of the publishing sector and creative industries, enhancing the capabilities of local and Arab publishers, and opening up new opportunities for them.
About the Sheikh Zayed Book Award
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award was established in 2006 to commemorate the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and his pioneering role in promoting national unity and development. The Award, and its associated accolades, are presented annually to outstanding writers, intellectuals, and publishers, as well as young talent whose writing and translation in humanities objectively enriches Arab intellectual, cultural, literary, and social life. The Sheikh Zayed Book Award organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) is a prestigious international award supported by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.
About the International Congress of Arabic Publishing and Creative Industries
The Congress of Arabic & Creative Industries is an annual forum for publishing professionals and content creators, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). Launched in 2022, the Congress seeks to establish a platform for intellectual and professional communication on a regional and international levels, with with the aim of facilitating dialogue across a range of professional disciplines to review the latest trends in the publishing and shedding light on books and content and promoting published content in various creative formats.
About Sard Al Thahab Award
Sard Al Thahab Award is an annual prize created by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) to honour talented and creative individuals who have documented, collected, and studied history and life in the UAE, as well as the country’s folk heritage and its development over the past decades, at a local, regional, and international level. The award has six categories: Short Story for Unpublished Stories, Short Story for Published Stories, Emirati Narration, Narrators, Illustrated Story, and Popular Narratives.
About Kanz Al Jeel Award
Kanz Al Jeel Award was launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) in 2021, with a set of objectives inspired by the poetry of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The award aims to promote poetry – particularly, Nabati poetry – and highlight its role as a mirror of society. It has six categories: Poetry Matching, Arts, Studies and Research, Poetic Publications, Translation, and Creative Personality.
About “Arabian Days”
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) organised the “Arabian Days” Festival for the first time in 2023 coinciding with UNESCO's World Arabic Language Day on December 18. The festival celebrates the Arabic language, highlighting its contribution to Arab culture and civilization, throughout history as well as in the present, and in the future.
Held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, the festival celebrates the rich history of the Arabic language and aims to promote the UAE's cultural heritage, fostering pride in the language and Arab identity among both native and non-native speakers.
The festival's main programme features innovative literary discussions and in-depth intellectual dialogues. Accompanying these are various art exhibitions, interactive activities, a showcase of the most prominent artworks from the 2023 Kanz Al Jeel Award. The festival also featured a "Bonfire Session", dedicated to traditional storytelling, art and musical performances, and children's workshops.
Kalima Translation Project
Kalima Translation Project is an ambitious initiative affiliated with Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC). Launched in 2007 by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, Kalima aims to revive the translation movement in the Arab world, support the efficient cultural activities witnessed in Abu Dhabi, contribute to the regional and global cultural scene, and lay the foundation for an Arab cultural renaissance that embraces all disciplines of human knowledge. Kalima also organises events and activities related to translation.
Basaer (Insights) Series of Research Papers and Studies
The Basaer (Insights) Series is a major Research Grants Programme launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) in 2021. It is a significant incentive for scholars engaged in the study of the Arabic language, its literature, civilisation and related fields. The programme reflects the ALC’s commitment to advancing scientific research across diverse domains of knowledge in Arabic.
The programme strikes a balance between authenticity and modernity by devoting part of its resources to editing Arab heritage books, affirming their rightful place in contemporary knowledge. The remainder is devoted to linguistic and literary studies, as well as in interdisciplinary and comparative fields. The grants cover six main fields: Arabic Dictionary, Curriculum Development, Literature and Criticism, Applied and Computational Linguistics, Teaching Arabic to Non- Arabic Speakers and Manuscript Editing.
Digital Lexicon "Daleel Alma'ani"
Daleel Alma’ani is the first digital Arabic dictionary to incorporate visual and audio elements. It contains more than 7,000 of the most frequently used lexical entries in contemporary Arabic. Each entry is presented alongside its various meanings, an English equivalent, a definition, an illustrative example, its linguistic level, morphological classification, an accompanying image, and synonyms and antonyms. It also features automated pronunciation of definitions and examples, common expressions and relevant derivations.
The dictionary is accessible through a dedicated website and mobile application, both of which are called Daleel Alma’ani.
“Spotlight on Rights” Programme
Launched in 2009, the "Spotlight on Rights" programme is designed for publishers participating in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) who seek to acquire translation rights or to convert publications into electronic and audio formats. The programme supports the translation of content both into and from Arabic, as well as the digitisation of print publications. It also aims to strengthen frameworks of cooperation between Arab and international publishers and to enhance the quality and accessibility of Arabic content across diverse media platforms.
BAREC
BAREC is a project that aims to establish the first Arabic corpus annotated with varying levels of readability. Its data resources include a lexical list of 20,000 words and sentences totalling 10 million words, with each sentence assigned a specific readability level.
Developed in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) and New York University Abu Dhabi (NYU), the project also entails the creation of an artificial intelligence model designed to assess and determine the readability of Arabic texts. This tool serves researchers, publishers, and curriculum developers and is accessible through a dedicated website.