The Foundation
The late poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais established an independent permanent award bearing his name on December 17, 1987. The purpose of the award is to honor, encourage and support outstanding Arab authors, thinkers and scientists, and to recognize their pivotal role in the cultural development of the Arab nation.
The UAE Writers Association recognized the newly established award and supervised the appointment of its first General Secretariat. However, in 1992 the Award developed into an independent cultural foundation with the same name, officially becoming the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation by virtue of Emiri Decree No. 4 dated March 21, 1994 issued by the late H. H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the then Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai.
Dar Sultan
Dar Sultan Building, the premises of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, is located on Rigga Street, Dubai. The building is divided into two parts; the first of which is a 9-storey residential/commercial section, and the second of which is a 4-storey cultural section which includes the premises of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, its offices and various halls dedicated to the activities and events hosted by the Foundation.
The cultural section of the building includes a large theatre that accommodates a total of 400 seats, halls for various activities, a public library, as well as an exhibition hall and a number of meeting rooms.
The exhibition hall situated on the ground floor features a permanent exhibition of the belongings of the late poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais in addition to brief bios and portraits of all the winners of Al Owais Cultural Awards, painted by renowned artists.
The mezzanine floor houses a large meeting room, a spacious reception hall, a library of modern Arabic literature with 40,000 titles, a theatre, and a multipurpose hall.
The first floor accommodates offices of the administration as well as a meeting room and a press conference room.