Culture

Peter Harrington showcases Shakespeare’s First Folio at Abu Dhabi Art

Scholars, collectors, and lovers of English literature will have the rare opportunity to view – and for interested institutions or a private collectors – acquire, one of the most important books ever printed, William Shakespeare’s First Folio (1623).

Presented by world-leading rare book firm Peter Harrington, a copy of this cornerstone literary work, will be offered for sale at £4.5 million at the upcoming Abu Dhabi Art fair, taking place from November 19–23 at Manarat al Saadiyat. It is one of only 24 copies to remain in private hands.

No institution, museum, or private collection in the Middle East currently holds a copy of the First Folio. Its appearance in Abu Dhabi represents an extremely rare opportunity for a regional collector or cultural institution to join the ranks of the world’s most prestigious libraries – from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., to the British Library in London – in stewarding one of the world’s greatest literary treasures.

“Shakespeare’s work transcends time and geography,” says Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington. “It has been credited as shaping and solidifying Shakespeare’s influence on the English language. But when you see the excitement the Folio generates wherever it travels – whether to Tasmania or Toronto – you’re reminded how extraordinary it is that a 17th-century book printed in England can still inspire wonder, centuries later and worlds away from where it was first printed.”

Printed in London in 1623 by Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, The First Folio is the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, preserving thirty-six works – including eighteen that might otherwise have been lost forever. Without this volume, the world would have no Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, or The Tempest.

It took nearly two years to print, with each page laboriously typeset by hand. Several compositors, each with their own quirks in spelling and punctuation, worked on the text, meaning no two copies are exactly alike. Even at the time, the Folio was an expensive, prestige object, with a bound folio costing up to two months’ wages of a skilled worker. Of the roughly 750 copies originally printed, only 233 are known to survive, with just 24 remaining in private hands worldwide.

Culture

What is Hag Al Laila?

Fifteen days before Ramadan every year, children wear traditional clothes and carry colourful woven bags as they go door-to-door, singing in return for nuts and sweets. Hag Al Laila, which means “for this night”, usually begins after maghreb prayers and is a joyful way to remind communities that the holy month is just around the corner.

While popularly known as Hag Al Laila in countries including the UAE, the tradition is known by different names across the region. In Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and some cities in Saudi Arabia, it is called gerga’aan and is celebrated on the 15th day of Ramadan instead. It is celebrated on the same day in Oman too, but is called qaranqasho.

Origins

While its actual origins are known, some trace the tradition to one of the earliest Ramadans, when Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, distributed sweets to people two weeks into the holy month. Others, however, suggest it predates Islam and could even be the basis for Halloween’s trick-or-treat tradition.

When is Hag Al Laila this year?

While the exact start of Ramadan will be dictated by the sighting of the new crescent moon, Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the board of directors of the Emirates Astronomy Society, told The National earlier that Ramadan was expected to begin on February 18.

This means Hag Al Laila would take place on February 3. However, some celebrations have already begun across the UAE. In Dubai, for example, bridges and lampposts have been decorated to mark the occasion. Malls in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have also launched a series of children’s activities, from traditional music performances to games and giveaways.

THE NATIONAL

Culture

Three Eid holidays in one year?

Residents in the UAE and the wider Muslim world are set to experience a rare astronomical alignment in 2039, with three Eid festivals falling within a single Gregorian calendar year.

According to renowned climate and astronomical expert Dr. Abdullah Al Misnad from Saudi Arabia, the unusual alignment stems from the way the Islamic lunar calendar gradually shifts against the solar Gregorian calendar, advancing by roughly 11 days each year.

Double Hajj and the Day of Arafat

The drift will lead to a remarkable convergence in 2039. The year will begin with the first Eid Al Adha falling on January 6, 2039, corresponding to 10 Dhul Hijjah 1460, the traditional culmination of Hajj and the major festival of sacrifice. But that won’t be the only one.

Nearly 12 months later, the lunar calendar will complete its full cycle again, and a second Hajj season will begin, culminating in another Eid Al Adha on December 26, corresponding to the 10th of Dhul Hijjah in the year 1461.

This means that two separate pilgrimages to Mecca will be performed within a single solar year, an exceedingly rare feat.

Even more unusual: both occasions will come with their own Day of Arafat, the spiritually charged day preceding the Eid, when pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat to pray.

Sandwiched between these two events will be Eid Al Fitr, expected to fall on October 19, 2039. Three Eids in a single year, two sacrificial and one celebratory, amount to an unparalleled spiritual cycle of fasting, pilgrimage, prayer, and festivity.

The lunar calendar’s shift is not limited to the Hajj season. Ramadan, the holiest month of fasting and spiritual reflection, will also experience a similar occurrence in the near future.

Two Ramadans in 2030

In 2030, Muslims will observe two Ramadans within the same Gregorian year, one beginning in January and another starting in December. This event will be the first double Ramadan in 33 years, following the last occurrence in 1997.

The Islamic Hijri calendar is based on the phases of the moon and consists of 354 or 355 days. The Gregorian calendar, which follows the solar cycle, consists of 365 or 366 days. This mismatch causes Islamic dates to shift earlier each year by approximately 10 to 11 days.

Gulf News

Culture

Al-Jouf to Launch 19th Olive Festival

The digital media conference for the 19th Al-Jouf International Olive Festival 2026 unveiled today the highlights of the festival, showcasing innovative experiences that combine the richness of the olive world with the authenticity of Saudi culture.
Held annually under the patronage of Governor of Al-Jouf Region Prince Faisal bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the festival, running from January 8 to 17 in Sakaka, will feature 45 olive farms, 10 agricultural companies, and participants from seven countries.
Secretary of the region and chairman of the festival’s higher committee Atef Al-Shar’an said that the festival helps empower farmers and promote the quality of olive oil locally and regionally.
This year’s festival will include a new operetta, an international olive kitchen with chefs from several countries, six play areas, and three musical zones.
— SPA