Ghatareef (Noble Youth)

Client: Zayed University
Year: 2024
Script: Jali Diwani
Materials: Stainless steel, black granite base
Concept and design: Narjes Noureddine
Execution: Bassem Zbeeb, architect

Ghatareef was created for the 2024 graduation ceremony of Zayed University and presented as a gift to HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The sculpture carries verses by the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, addressed to the young people of the nation. They call on them to rise, as their time of good fortune arrives, with a sound mind and good judgment, bringing culture, knowledge and mastery.

ياذا الشباب اللي غطاريـف     هـبوا لوقت السعد لي زان

هبوا بعقل وحسن تصريف     مـعكم ثـقافه وعلم واتقـان

The verses are written in Jali Diwani, the script devised for the sultans’ decrees in the Ottoman golden age of calligraphy. The lines are arranged into a tilted cube that holds an image of the poet at its heart, as every graduate carries him in their heart. Birds fly out from among the words into open space, as the graduates set out in their moment of good fortune, carrying the Founder’s advice with them.

The sculpture is made of stainless steel and mounted on a base of black granite.