Directory listing — not yet managed by the museum. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit →
Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Foundation
Arabic literature, poetry, cultural prizes and events — one of the richest literary prizes in the Arab world
About
One of the richest literary prizes in the Arab world — awarded from a building in Deira since 1988.
The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation was established on December 17, 1987 by Emirati poet and philanthropist Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais. Formalised by Emiri Decree No. 4 of 1994 issued by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Foundation is headquartered in Dar Sultan Building on Al Rigga Street, Deira — a 4-storey cultural section with offices and halls for events, alongside a 9-storey residential/commercial section. Home to the UAE Writers Association, the Foundation administers the biennial Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Awards, one of the richest literary prizes in the Arab world: four categories (Poetry, Novels, Criticism/Literature Studies, and Human/Future Studies) each worth US$150,000, plus a fifth prize for Scientific and Cultural Achievement worth US$120,000 — a total of US$720,000 per cycle. The prize was first awarded in 1988–89 and increased from $100,000 to $150,000 per category in 2025. The Foundation also runs concerts, cultural events, exhibitions and author events throughout the year.
Why this museum matters
Exhibo editorial
Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais was a poet from Sharjah who made his fortune in commerce and spent it on Arabic literature. He established his prize in 1987 from the conviction that Arab writers and thinkers deserved recognition on the scale that their work warranted — not a token amount, but something that changed what was possible for a writer. Since 2025 each category prize has been worth $150,000, making it one of the richest literary prizes anywhere in the world, not just the Arab world. The building is in Deira, on Al Rigga Road — the older commercial Dubai, the Dubai of trading families and apartment buildings and the kinds of cultural institutions that don't need to be in DIFC to matter. The Foundation runs events in halls that open to the public — concerts, author evenings, cultural programmes. It is the kind of place you discover by accident and come back to deliberately.
Visit
Hours, tickets, and directions for Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Foundation.
Address
Dar Sultan Building, 3rd Floor, 58 Al Rigga Road, Al Muraqqabat, Deira, Dubai