Culturally significant animals in Arabia have become endangered due to habitat and population loss. This seminar – relating on the book Wuhush al-Qasidah by Sayed-Ismail Behbehani– will shed light on the prominence and roles some of those animals played in pre-Islamic (Jahili) Arabic poetry, demonstrating their important place in Arabic literature. This will in turn would hopefully show the cultural significance of saving them from extinction. Related concerns regarding the conservation of wildlife and culture will also be presented.

This topic is the subject of the book Wuhush al-Qasidah (Beasts of the Ode), written by Acting Assistant Manager of the Arabic and Islamic Science museum Sayed-Ismail Behbehani.

The seminar will be given in English and there will be a Q&A session at the end.