Arabic lexicography: an interweaving of languages, cultures and civilizations

After a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Festival returned with an edition devoted to Arabic lexicography. Scholars, linguists, lexicographers and etymologists, literary critics, historians, translators and poets from fourteen countries, including eight Arab countries, came together to explore the theme. While rooted in a highly specialised field, the discussion offered a broader perspective on how the Arabic language, like all languages, reflects centuries of encounters between different cultures and civilisations, creating new opportunities for dialogue.

The fifth edition also celebrated an extraordinary scholarly achievement involving three generations of researchers: the publication of the largest historical and etymological dictionary of the Arabic language ever undertaken. The project was first conceived in Cairo in the 1930s by the Egyptian Academy of the Arabic Language. After several interruptions over the decades, it was eventually revived through the initiative of H.H. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, who brought together twelve Arabic language academies and more than 300 scholars from across the Arab world.

The publication of this landmark dictionary provided an opportunity to celebrate lexicography as a meeting point between languages and cultures, bringing leading scholars from both shores of the Mediterranean into conversation.

The Festival also featured the first performance of ArabCor, the Arabic language choir of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.