Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival

The annual Islamic Arts Festival began in 1998 under the supervision and organisation of the Directorate of Art in the Department of Culture and Information, with the intention of exhibiting various kinds of traditional and contemporary Islamic arts.

Over its consecutive editions, the Festival was able to display different vibrant styles of Islamic Art through a selection of art projects illustrating the authenticity of Islamic Art and its ability to keep up with current artistic changes.

The Festival is one of the most renowned Islamic Art events in the region, and its events include local and international exhibitions, intellectual programmes, and interactive activities.

The theme of the upcoming edition of the Islamic Arts Festival:

Lantern
The lantern beckons us toward the light, awakening thoughts beyond measure. Just as it summons limitless visions; it unveils the slow birth of illumination- not merely as a source of radiance, but as an essence profound, a presence beyond the tangible. It is no mere object; it is a gateway to the soul’s boundless horizon, a passage into the depths of the human spirit, a gentle ascent toward that sacred vessel where light drifts and dreams unfold.
To see a lantern’s glow is to step into the stream of memory, where past and present merge. It is not a fleeting sight, but one that lingers, like a whisper from distant days. One glance and we are drawn back to the hush of old nights, where the lantern stood as a quiet companion, a guardian of solitude, a witness to unspoken thoughts.
The lantern is a painter of shadows, a silent sculptor of light. Unlike fire, which devours all it touches, the lantern’s flame is cool, serene-a beacon of the heart’s quiet glow, the soul’s inner splendor, the beauty that lingers beyond sight. It is a space for contemplation, a formation of images that rise above the ordinary, enriching reality with the breath of imagination.
Through its glow, new worlds are born, new spirits awakened. This is but an introduction to the lantern’s deep and boundless meanings, its artistic and symbolic power. Just as its wick drinks from oil to sustain its light, so too does the soul nourish itself with the beauty of the arts. Moreover, just as the lantern serves as a guide through darkness, the arts stand as luminous proof of truth, bearing witness to the hidden wonders of the world.
The lantern leads the traveler’s way; art illuminates the heart’s journey.
Nevertheless, the lantern is not only a symbol-it is a story, a thread woven through history. To trace its path is to walk through time itself, for it stands as a clear testament to the legacy of Islamic art. The lantern emerged as a defining element of early Islamic history, at a time when light installations played a vital role in the artistic and architectural expressions of Islamic culture.
It was inherent to Islamic architecture and an adornment to various decorative and applied elements, a masterpiece of craft and devotion. The lantern must remain entwined with history. Hence, the theme of the current edition of the Islamic Arts Festival allures to the lantern’s rich symbolism its spiritual, aesthetic, and creative significance; and traces its journey through time, revealing its enduring presence in human life and its lasting imprint on the global artistic landscape and art’s eternal flame.

Directorate of Cultural Affairs