Moroccans win top places in Arabic calligraphy.

When 150 participants from 35 Arab and Islamic countries lined up in Sharjah in the UAE for a contest in Arabic calligraphy, the pressure was on and, brushes and nibs at the ready, they waited for the starting pistol... Or maybe not. Actually I have no idea how they run a calligraphy contest. Maybe it is judged on neatness? Spelling? Content? Anyway, what I do know is that as the contestants bent over their scrolls, the organisers had set up a display of more than 700 Arabic calligraphies.



At the end of the contest Moroccans Hakim Ghazali and Abdellah Hariri, emerged with the 1st and 2nd prizes. As I am in the UAE next week I will try and find time to check it out. If you are passing through Sharjah, the exhibition will run until June 11. Among scheduled activities there is an Arab calligraphy International conference and a number of workshops on this subject

According to experts, the Moroccans were awarded the prizes for their particular and unique handwriting, as well as innovation and modernism, The international jury believe the value of the this year's contest is high as this is the first Arab competition in the calligraphy field.

The sponsors of the contest organised the ceremony in "Borj Al Arab" in Dubai to congratulate first prize winner Ghazali, who just came back with the first prize of the international calligraphy contest in Hamburg (Germany).

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news