Book Signings Spotlight Arab Folk Memory at Bait Al Naboudah During Sharjah Heritage Days
Sharjah, February 13, 2026
The Cultural Café at Bait Al Naboodah turned into a vibrant forum for scholarship and storytelling on Thursday evening, as a series of heritage-themed book signings enriched the 23rd edition of Sharjah Heritage Days.
The gathering brought together academics, researchers and heritage enthusiasts to celebrate new publications exploring folk tales, popular beliefs and the visual language of tradition — a reflection of the ongoing efforts by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage to support documentation and cultural research across the Arab world.
Folk Narrative Between Documentation and Study
Dr Khaled Abu Al-Leil signed his two-volume work, “The Folk Tale: Studies and Texts,” a comprehensive collection of endangered Egyptian folk narratives accompanied by an analytical study of the concept of the folk tale, its local terminology, and the reasons behind multiple versions of the same story.
The publication seeks to safeguard oral traditions at risk of fading, presenting them within a structured academic framework that bridges documentation and critical study. By preserving narrative variations rather than flattening them into a single “official” version, the work underscores the dynamic nature of oral heritage.
Popular Beliefs in Oman: A Social Reading
From Oman, Dr Younis Jamil Al Numani presented his study on 20th-century popular beliefs, tracing their mythical roots and examining their relationship to the human life cycle. The book also explores beliefs connected to nature and coastal communities, concluding that mythological expressions appear more prominently in seaside environments than in inland regions.
The study offers a sociological lens on how communities interpret natural phenomena, health, fate and the unseen — revealing how folklore remains deeply interwoven with daily life.
Heritage Reflected in Visual Arts my wallet series
Emirati researcher Dr Wadha Hamdan signed her latest publication under the “Marawed” series, focusing on manifestations of heritage in visual arts. The book examines the relationship between fine art and what she describes as the cultural triangle — heritage, identity and creative expression — highlighting how inherited symbols and motifs shape the Arab artist’s visual identity.
Her study positions heritage not as static memory, but as a living reservoir that artists continuously reinterpret in contemporary practice.
Platform for Preservation and Scholarship
Participating authors praised the Sharjah Institute for Heritage for championing specialised academic publications and providing a platform for researchers to share their work with wider audiences. They noted that such initiatives contribute to safeguarding Arab folk memory, encouraging rigorous scholarship while ensuring that oral traditions are preserved for future generations.
By hosting book signings within the historic setting of Bait Al Naboodah, Sharjah Heritage Days once again reaffirmed its role not only as a celebration of performance and craft, but as a serious cultural forum dedicated to research, documentation and the transmission of collective memory.