RIYADH: Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, inaugurated the third Al-Marwiyah Al-Arabiyah, or Arab Narrative Days, event in Riyadh on Sunday.
The two-day event, with the theme “From Orientalist Narrative to Arab Narrative,” aims to reconstruct the Arab narrative within a critical framework and reclaim the strengths of Arab and Islamic culture.
It also highlights the aspects that have shaped Arab civilization, culture and identity, while shedding light on history and society.
Prince Turki said in his opening remarks that the Arab aesthetic was born from “the silence of the desert and the clarity of its horizon,” where beauty first emerged as sound, script and orientation converged to shape early Arab consciousness.
The chairman addressed the foundational moment when the Arabic language rose to prominence with the revelation. He added that this transformation began with the descent of the Holy Qur’an, when the Arabs were captivated by its eloquence, and with the growing importance of writing, as “Arabic calligraphy became the vessel of the Divine Word, giving rise to the journey of Arab Islamic art.”
He highlighted that the center has upheld this vision since its inception, transforming its treasures and collections into an “Arabic narrative” visible through art and knowledge, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Turki said that cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization reflects this approach and establishes a knowledge partnership that restores attention to the Arabic narrative through the “Arab Narrative” programs.
Mohamed Ould Amar, director-general of ALECSO, commended the center’s role as a beacon of scientific research in the Arab world.
He added that organizing the Arab Narrative Days aligns with the organization’s vision of preserving Arab heritage and reinforcing its presence in modern consciousness.
Amar said that the project is a pivotal step in rebuilding the Arab narrative on critical foundations, restoring the cultural presence of Arabs throughout their scientific and intellectual history, and linking creativity, language, identity and the paths of modernization.
The third edition extends the first edition of Arab Narrative Days, held in February 2023, which focused on critiquing classical narration and tracing the journey of science to and from the Arabs, highlighting that restoring the civilizational role begins with the nation’s awareness of its history and identity.
It also builds on the second edition, held in May 2024, which reinterpreted the culture of the desert as the primary memory where language, imagination and values were formed, drawing on the legacy of Bedouin studies and the efforts of pioneers in documenting desert life and its cultural layers.
