UAE honours Lebanese professor with 'Great Arab Minds' award

Lebanese Professor of Arabic Literature, Charbel Dagher, has been conferred with the UAE's Great Arab Minds award in the Literature and Arts category for the year 2025.

Professor Dagher has been honoured for his significant contributions linking Arabic literature and art to broader civilizational contexts, while expanding the global reach of Arab culture.

His work explores Arabic literature and art as evolving expressions shaped by historical, social, and cultural contexts, highlighting modern Arabic poetry, the early Arabic novel and theatre, and major artistic transformations.

Professor Dagher has published more than 90 books, including novels, poems, literary studies and Arab art.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated Professor Dagher with a special post on social media.

Sheikh Mohammed praised him for his decades-long contributions across various fields of Arabic literature, including poetry and novels, and his indepth study of the history of Arabic arts.

Professor Dagher's books have "enriched the fields of literature and arts in our Arab world, and his works are considered references for studying Arabic literature and art throughout history," Sheikh Mohammed wrote.

Congratulating all the winners of the Great Arab Minds awards, His Highness said Arabs who have "created the greatest civilisation in history are capable today of building a greater future".

نبارك للفائز بجائزة نوابغ العرب عن فئة الأدب والفنون لعام 2025، البروفيسور شربل داغر، من لبنان، أستاذ الآداب العربية.

قدّم إسهامات فكرية ممتدة لعقود في مختلف مجالات الأدب، من الشعر، والكتابة، والرواية، والنقد، كما عمل على دراسة الفنون العربية في تاريخها وعمقها، وكل ما طرأ عليها… pic.twitter.com/SPekssBYLa

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) January 2, 2026