In the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and a large number of cultural leaders, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development launches its annual ceremony to honor the winners of the International Burda Award at its fourteenth session at the National Theatre in Abu Dhabi tonight. The ceremony will be attended by all winners of the fourteenth session in the fields of calligraphy, ornamentation and poetry from more than 13 Arab and Islamic countries in addition to the members of the jury to the contest. The ceremony includes the operetta "Messenger of Peace and Forgiveness" which will be performed by the star Mohammed Abdu in addition to the artist Ibrahim Salem and Ayoub Yousef. The ceremony also includes art performances reflecting the UAE heritage in praise of the Prophet Muhamed by Al Maled band. The Ministry organizes on the sidelines of the ceremony an art exhibition featuring the most important winning works in previous sessions of the award including a rare collection of the most beautiful paintings in calligraphy and ornamentation by international calligraphers and decorators. Her Excellency Afra Al Sabri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, emphasized that the ceremony organized by the ministry under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan comes as a culmination of the goals of the Burda Award in which Arab culture is integrated with our religious heritage and Islamic civilization. The artist Mohamed Abdo will perform the operetta "Messenger of Peace and Forgiveness" reflecting the biography of prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and his good qualities. The show combines the first Burda poem by Ka'b bin Zuhayr along with that by Al Imam Al Busayri and Ahmed Shawki to complement our inherent religious heritage. The exhibition held on the sidelines of the ceremony highlights the geniality of the contemporary artist in using Arabic and Islamic ornamentation to present creative and sophisticated paintings. Al Sabri added that the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development is keen on the annual organization of the International Burda Award celebration not only to honor the winners including poets, calligraphers and decorators from all over the world, but also to deliver a message of love, peace and tolerance through its review of the biography of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. It also adds to the leading role of the UAE in the deployment of the intermediateness of Islam. The Burda Award has now become famous internationally for its prominent role in supporting the Arabic language and Islamic Arts making it one of the world's most prestigious awards. Al Sabri called on all segments of society to attend the ceremony which kicks off this evening at the National Theatre in Abu Dhabi to enjoy the unrivaled performance of the artists Mohammed Abdo, Ibrahim Salim and Ayoub Yousif, in addition to enjoying the UAE heritage in praise of the Prophet Muhamed. She further stressed that the 14nth session of the Burda Award ceremony serves as a real cultural treasure of poetic production, calligraphy and decoration, in addition to the distinctive production of the religious chanting in praise of the Prophet Muhamed by stars from the UAE, Gulf and the Arab world,. Al Sabri added the Award continuously seeks development and modernization in order to achieve its goal of teaching the beauty of Islamic art and its aesthetics to all segments of the society. The Award also aims to promote competition among the participants and to encourage innovation in searching the biography of Prophet Muhamed (PBUH), in addition to honoring poets, calligraphers and fine artists from all over the Muslim world.