WAM Sharjah, Feb 05th, 2012 (WAM)--H. H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah, attended here today evening at the Cultural Palace the opening ceremony of the 10 edition of the Arab Poetry Gathering, organised by the Department of Culture and Information.

Present was H. H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.

The event, which will run until Feb. 09, hosts poets from the UAE, GCC, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Syria, Jordan, Sudan, Iraq and Yemen.

The event kicked off with the arrival of Sheikh Sultan, the sponsor of gathering. He was received by Sheikhs, senior officials and guests.

Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Head of the Department of Culture and Information, commended the Sharjah Ruler for his continuous support to the culture in the emirate, welcoming the Arab poets for their participation in the event.

Sheikh Sultan honoured Dr Mohammed Najeeb Al Murad from Syria and the late Emirati poet Mohammed Khalifa bin Hadir, for their contributions to the poetry.

WAM/MN