Arabic language courses launched
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Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
With poetry and chants, Omanis strive to preserve ancient language
Against the backdrop of southern Oman's lush mountains, men in traditional attire chant ancient poems in an ancient language, fighting to keep alive a spoken tradition used by just 2% of the population. Sitting under a tent, poet Khalid Ahmed al-Kathiri recites the verses, while men clad in robes and headdresses echo back his words in the vast expanse. "Jibbali poetry is a means for us to preserve the language and teach it to the new generation," Kathiri, 41, told AFP. The overwhelming majority of Omanis speak Arabic, but in the mountainous coastal region of Dhofar bordering Yemen, people speak Jibbali, also known as Shehri. Researcher Ali Almashani described it as an "endangered language" spoken by no more than 120,000 people in a country of over five million. While AFP was interviewing the poet, a heated debate broke out among the men over whether the language should be called Jibbalimeaning "of the mountains"or Shehri, and whether it was an Arabic dialect. Almashani said it was a fully-fledged language with its own syntax and grammar, historically used for composing poetry and proverbs and recounting legends. The language predates Arabic, and has origins in Semitic south Arabian languages, he said. He combined both names in his research to find a middle ground. "It's a very old language, deeply rooted in history," Almashani said, adding that it was "protected by the isolation of Dhofar". "The mountains protected it from the west, the Empty Quarter from the north, and the Indian Ocean from the south. This isolation built an ancient barrier around it," he said. But remoteness is no guarantee for survival. Other languages originating from Dhofar like Bathari are nearly extinct, "spoken only by three or four people," he said. Some fear Jibbali could meet the same fate. Thirty-five-year-old Saeed Shamas, a social media advocate for Dhofari heritage, said it was vital for him to raise his children in a Jibbali-speaking environment to help keep the language alive. Children in Dhofar grow up speaking the mother-tongue of their ancestors, singing along to folk songs and memorising ancient poems. "If everyone around you speaks Jibbali, from your father, to your grandfather, and mother, then this is the dialect or language you will speak," he said. The ancient recited poetry and chants also preserve archaic vocabulary no longer in use, Shamas told AFP. Arabic is taught at school and understood by most, but the majority of parents speak their native language with their children, he said. After the poetry recital, a group of young children nearby told AFP they "prefer speaking Jibbali over Arabic". But for Almashani, the spectre of extinction still looms over a language that is not taught in school or properly documented yet. There have been recent efforts towards studying Jibbali, with Oman's Vision 2040 economic plan prioritising heritage preservation. Almashani and a team of people looking to preserve their language are hoping for support from Dhofar University for their work on a dictionary with about 125,000 words translated into Arabic and English. The project will also include a digital version with a pronunciation feature for unique sounds that can be difficult to convey in writing. AFP
Express Tribune
23-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Arabic language courses launched
The International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) has invited applications for enrolment in eight week summer Arabic language learning courses, by July 7, 2025. The courses, with separate classes for male and female students, will commence on July 8, 2025.
Express Tribune
27-03-2025
- Express Tribune
Declassified CIA files suggest Ark of the Covenant may have been located
Listen to article A recently resurfaced CIA document from 1988 suggests the U.S. government may have located the biblical Ark of the Covenant using psychic intelligence techniques under a secret Cold War-era program. The report is linked to Project Sun Streak, a classified U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency initiative that attempted to gather information on distant targets using "remote viewers" — individuals trained to perceive unseen or far-off locations. One such test involved a psychic, identified as Remote Viewer No. 032, who was given target coordinates without being told the nature of the object. The viewer reportedly described a coffin-like container made of wood, gold, and silver — adorned with winged figures — that strongly resembles descriptions of the Ark of the Covenant from biblical texts. 'The target is a container… fashioned of wood, gold and silver… decorated with a six-winged angel,' the report reads. The viewer claimed the object was buried underground in the Middle East, in a region where people spoke Arabic. They also described surrounding architecture resembling white mosque domes and individuals dressed in white garments. Perhaps most striking is the claim that the artifact is 'protected by entities' who will 'destroy' any unauthorized attempt to open it. The report adds that the Ark 'can only be opened when the time is deemed correct,' and that it carries a 'spiritual and historical significance far beyond what we now know.' The CIA declassified the document in 2000, but it has recently gained attention after being featured on the Ninjas are Butterflies podcast. Host Josh Hooper said he was skeptical until he located the file on the official CIA website. The remote viewer's notes include sketches of a domed white structure, eight figures labeled 'mummies,' and a creature with wings and claws labeled 'seradin.' While no physical evidence of the Ark has been found, theories about its location have persisted for centuries. Some believe it vanished during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC; others claim it was taken to Ethiopia. Despite the sensational claims, historians and archaeologists remain cautious. Experts emphasize that remote viewing lacks scientific validation and that no verifiable proof of the Ark's existence has emerged.
