Over the course of a decade, Istirahat Ma'rifa (Knowledge Retreat), an initiative of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, has succeeded in establishing an advanced model for modern Arabic reading clubs — one that brings together reading, dialogue, and the building of knowledge communities.
Through its expansion within the United Arab Emirates and beyond, the initiative has evolved into a leading knowledge platform that has helped promote a culture of reading and entrench intellectual dialogue, becoming one of the most prominent, impactful, and sustainable reading-club initiatives in the Arab world.
Over the course of its journey, the initiative has organised more than 1,800 knowledge seminars discussing more than 1,500 books, and has hosted more than 350 authors, thinkers, and translators, with the participation of tens of thousands of readers and enthusiasts — an achievement that reflects the scale of its impact in transforming reading into an active and enduring social culture.
The initiative launched more than ten years ago under the name Istirahat Sayyidat as a personal initiative aimed at providing a space for dialogue on reading and knowledge, before being adopted by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation as part of the Year of Reading initiatives, propelling it towards broader horizons in the dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of intellectual dialogue.
As the participant base grew and their interests diversified, the initiative underwent a qualitative transformation in 2020, reflected in its renaming to Istirahat Ma'rifa — a name that captures the inclusiveness of its mission and the breadth of its audience.
Throughout this journey, the initiative expanded to encompass various emirates and cities of the United Arab Emirates, and its presence extended to Egypt, Jordan, the Sultanate of Oman, Australia, and Canada, through 15 specialised knowledge groups and retreats. These have helped build bridges of communication between readers, writers, and those interested in knowledge affairs, and have established an advanced Arab model for reading clubs.
Istirahat Ma'rifa has paid particular attention to Emirati literature by discussing local publications and shining a spotlight on Emirati writers, thereby strengthening the presence of the Emirati book in the Arab reading landscape and contributing to wider recognition of Emirati creative talent at both Arab and global levels. The initiative has also evolved beyond the boundaries of book discussion to become a platform for honing intellectual and professional skills.
The success of the initiative has rested on a model built on voluntary work and social responsibility, with coordinators and volunteers playing a pivotal role in organising activities and managing the retreat's knowledge programmes — a factor that has contributed to the initiative's sustainability and expansion over the years.
Istirahat Ma'rifa has also demonstrated its ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Its activities have not been limited to reading and discussion, but have extended to community and humanitarian initiatives in cooperation with schools, senior citizens' care homes, people of determination, and orphanages, alongside the organisation of charitable book events.
Jamal bin Huwaireb, Chief Executive Officer of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, affirmed that what Istirahat Ma'rifa has achieved over more than a decade embodies the importance of investing in sustainable knowledge initiatives that place the human being at the heart of the development process.