Abu Dhabi Poetry Academy is one of the largest of ADACH’s projects. The Academy plays a key role in investigating and documenting Arabic poetry as well as rehabilitating it as a modern literary genre.

The Academy is headed by Professor Sultan Al Amimi and endeavours to create an innovative cultural role for Arabic poetry by holding seminars, conducting research and hosting conferences and roundtable discussions. The ultimate mission of the Academy is to enhance communication and interaction between researchers and professionals. The Academy has three main sections:

Academic Section: This section is concerned with the academic study of Arabic poetry – the principles of poetry writing, the appreciation and criticism of poetry – through courses and seminars which are open to local, Arab and foreign researchers. It also collects, documents and archives traditional poetry recording its original sources and inspiration.

Poetry Competitions Section: This section supervises cultural projects, competitions, and programmes relating to poetry and culture such as “Poet of the Million” and “Prince of Poets Festival”.

Publications Section: This section publishes poetry encyclopedias and collections of classical and Nabati poetry, manuscripts and periodicals dealing with various academic issues.

The establishment of a research centre for specialists in classical and Nabati Arabic poetry in the UAE and abroad is also planned. This will provide a detailed database of all existing and ongoing research into poetry and popular literature.