Why poetry
The Ministry of Culture named 2023 the Year of Arabic Poetry in light of the art's cultural significance and its continuing presence in daily life across Saudi and Arab society. The aim was to reinforce poetry as a component of Arab civilisation and to make it part of everyday cultural life.
The ministry's vision was "authentic Arabic poetry with a deep-rooted past, a vibrant present and a prosperous future". Its mission was to revive the history of Arabic poetry, strengthen its place in human civilisation and secure its standing among the literatures and arts of the world.
Three aims and a contest
The stated objectives were to raise the place of poetry in the individual's culture, to enrich sustainable poetic creativity, and to highlight poetry's historical roots in the Arabian Peninsula. The Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, tied the year to Vision 2030.
Among its programmes was Mu'allaqa 45, a televised competition launched by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission on the Saudi Thaqafiya channel, in which 36 poets from the Kingdom and the Arab world competed in metered, folk and free verse. First prize was SAR 1,000,000, with the winning poem to be displayed at a prominent site in Riyadh.