Tarim shines as Capital of Islamic Culture 2010

By Faisal Darem in Yemen
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-04-26

[FAISAL DAREM/AL-SHORFA] Tarim features a unique Islamic architectural style.

Tarim City in Yemen's eastern province of Hadramout was nominated by the International Islamic Education, Science and Culture Organisation (IISESCO) to be the Capital of Islamic Culture 2010 in recognition of its vital role in spreading Islam in Asia and Africa.

The city boasts a unique Islamic architectural style, as it has the tallest clay minaret, 150 feet in height, and is home to more than 360 mosques. Yemeni Minister of Culture Dr. Mohammed Abu Baker al-Maflahi spoke with Al-Shorfa about Tarim and its programme to celebrate this occasion.

Al-Shorfa: Why was Tarim chosen as the capital of Islamic culture?

Al-Maflahi: Tarim was, and still is, a beacon for the Islamic world. It played a key role in spreading moderate, non-extremist Islam in India and Africa in addition to graduating senior Muslim scholars. The city still serves as an incubator of Islamic culture and its enlightening role over the centuries.

Al-Shorfa: What is the Ministry of Culture doing to prepare the city to receive visitors?

Al-Maflahi: The Ministry of Culture has been preparing for this festival since last year by renovating and improving the city's infrastructure, including building an open-air theatre seating 30,000 people. We decorated the buildings' façades using the unique architectural style of Tarim that is based on clay and straw, and we renewed the aesthetic areas of the city. The ministry renovated the ancient palaces of the city, such as the Al Ribad Palace, which will be a cultural complex. The palace was built before the advent of Islam, and it has been made ready for the occasion.

Al-Shorfa: Can you tell us about the programme the ministry has prepared to celebrate Tarim being crowned as the Capital of Islamic culture?

Al-Maflahi: The whole world watched the opening ceremony, which included delegations from the majority of Arab and Islamic countries. Throughout the year, Tarim's programmes will include chanting festivals with Arab and Muslim chanters and exhibitions of historic photographs that tell the story of Tarim. The programme includes cultural days for Yemeni cities, which were launched last week. Each Yemeni province will introduce its traditions in different artistic forms.

There will also be symposiums and conferences on Tarim's scholars and famous figures. A poetic competition will be held under the name of "Umru' Al-Qais", and competitions for stories, novels and popular poetry in Yemen will be organised.

The programme also includes regional tourist festivals, such as the City Festival, which will be held in the city of Al Mukalla and will be dedicated to shedding light on its role in Islamic history. A memorial coin was issued to mark this event.

Al-Shorfa: What about the activities that will be held with the participation of Arab and Islamic countries?

Al-Maflahi: We have already agreed to hold cultural days for a number of Arab and Islamic countries, including Indonesia, Turkey and Syria, as well as Egypt soon. We are still negotiating about some other days.

There will be activities on the Arab and Islamic levels, such as the Dan Festival of Hadramout in June with participation from Arab and Gulf countries. There will be a Gathering of Peninsula and Gulf Storytelling with broad participation from the region in the field of stories and novels. Yemeni universities will hold international scientific conferences on the art of clay architecture and on immigration and dialogue among civilisations. A symposium is scheduled titled "Beekeeping as an Example of Integration between Yemen and Saudi Arabia."

These activities will be held under the patronage of the Yemeni Ministry of Culture and IISESCO. The social organisations also contribute to the event. For instance, a collective wedding for 840 brides and bridegrooms was held last week.

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