$3,000 for a poem about Samarkand...
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has announced the winners of the “Cities of Poetry” international competition dedicated to the city of Samarkand.
The competition was organized by the ICESCO Poetry and Literature Center on the occasion of Samarkand being named the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for 2025. Its main goal is to promote widely, through poetry, the rich historical and cultural heritage and spiritual values of the cities of the Islamic world, as well as their contribution to the development of civilization.
The results of the competition were announced at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat as part of the World Novel Week. A total of 600 poems submitted from various countries took part in the competition. The 174 works that passed the preliminary selection were evaluated by experts in terms of their artistic quality, content and compliance with the competition requirements.
According to the final results, first place went to Muhammad Darwich Hassan Maqsai of Yemen, second place to Ahmad Yousri Hasan al-Hattab of Palestine, and third place to Mohammad Ismail Abdallah Suweilam of Egypt. In addition, seven poets representing Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania were awarded honorable mention prizes.
Substantial cash prizes were also established for the winners. According to available information, the first-place winner was awarded 3,000 US dollars, the second-place winner 2,000 US dollars, and the third-place winner 1,000 US dollars.
It is no coincidence that Samarkand was chosen as the source of inspiration for an international poetry competition. Having served for centuries as one of the centers of science, literature, architecture and art, this ancient city occupies a special place in the history of Eastern civilization. Its historical appearance, cultural heritage and spiritual atmosphere continue to attract artists and researchers from various countries to this day.
Such international initiatives serve to strengthen Samarkand’s standing in the global cultural space, develop literary and spiritual ties between peoples, and bring Uzbekistan’s rich historical heritage to a broad international audience.
