(SIH) Commemorates Bahraini Poet Ali Abdullah Khalifa and Documents His Legacy Through Three Publications
The Sharjah Institute for Heritage (SIH), represented by a delegation headed by His Excellency Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Musallam, President of the Institute, and comprising several department directors, participated in a memorial ceremony honoring the late Bahraini poet and writer Ali Abdullah Khalifa. The ceremony was organized by the Abdulrahman Kanoo Cultural Centre in the Kingdom of Bahrain and attended by a distinguished gathering of writers, intellectuals, researchers, and heritage and culture enthusiasts.
The Institute’s participation reflected its deep appreciation for the late poet’s exceptional legacy and his more than five-decade-long cultural and scholarly journey. Throughout his career, Khalifa made significant contributions to poetry and popular culture, served the heritage of the Gulf and the wider Arab world, and established cultural and heritage initiatives and institutions that contributed to preserving and safeguarding collective memory.
Al-Musallam: A Mentor to an Entire Generation
In his speech at the memorial ceremony, H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Musallam described the late poet as one of the towering figures of Arab culture and a prominent symbol of human heritage. He emphasized that heritage was never merely a profession or academic specialization for Khalifa, but rather a lifelong mission to which he devoted himself wholeheartedly for more than half a century.
Al-Musallam reflected on his personal relationship with his late mentor, recalling an entire journey of learning, guidance, and inspiration. He noted that Ali Abdullah Khalifa played a major role in shaping his own development as a heritage researcher and served as a mentor to an entire generation of researchers across the Arab Gulf states.
He added that meeting Khalifa at the Centre for Gulf Arab States’ Popular Heritage in 1985 revealed the depth of his experience and his conviction that heritage cannot be preserved simply by speaking about it; rather, it must be sustained by cultivating people capable of carrying its message forward.
Al-Musallam highlighted the Centre for Gulf Arab States’ Popular Heritage as one of Khalifa’s most significant achievements, noting that it evolved into a scholarly school that produced a generation of researchers who carried the heritage mission back to their respective countries. He affirmed that his own experience at the Centre represented one of the most important milestones in his academic career.
Dr. Al-Musallam also recalled Khalifa’s contributions to the launch of Popular Culture magazine, the establishment of heritage initiatives, and his leadership of the International Organization for Folk Art. He noted that Khalifa firmly believed Arab popular culture deserved an authentic and prominent presence within the global cultural and human landscape.
A Legacy That Lives On
Al-Musallam said that Ali Abdullah Khalifa left behind far more than books, institutions, and magazines; he left a distinctive approach to cultural work and a profound conviction that heritage is not merely a past to be mourned, but a future to be built.
He explained that Khalifa recognized early on that people are the greatest investment, and that cultivating researchers is no less important than collecting oral narratives and documenting texts.
He emphasized that Khalifa’s legacy will continue to live on through the generations that have carried the heritage mission forward, as well as through the cultural institutions and initiatives to which he contributed, and every effort dedicated to preserving human memory and transmitting it to future generations.
Concluding his speech, Al-Musallam said: “May God have mercy on you, Abu Fahad. You were the spark that first ignited the hearts of many, and the fire of your giving will continue to burn through the work of your students, every project that bears your imprint, and every researcher who learned from you that serving heritage is not a job, but a lifelong mission.”
Three Publications Preserving His Memory
The ceremony also witnessed the launch and signing of three publications by the Institute dedicated to celebrating the late poet’s legacy and documenting his literary, scholarly, and heritage contributions. They include a special issue of Marawed magazine entitled Ali Abdullah Khalifa: Guardian of Heritage and Knight of the Poem; the book Ali Abdullah Khalifa: A Life to Be Told, by writer Mohammed Abdullah Nour Al-Din; and the book Landmarks of Creativity and Vision in the Poetic Experience of Ali Abdullah Khalifa.
These publications reflect part of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage’s ongoing efforts to document the lives and achievements of leading figures in culture and heritage, make their contributions accessible to future generations and researchers, preserve their presence in the cultural memory, and shed light on their role in advancing heritage work.