Raqqa Celebrates Euphrates Heritage at First Folk Poetry Festival
The city of Raqqa recently hosted its inaugural Folk Poetry Festival, organized by the Directorate of Culture. The event served as a significant cultural milestone, aimed at celebrating local identity and documenting the unique cultural heritage of the Euphrates region. Twenty-six poets from the city and its surrounding countryside participated, presenting works that reflected the richness and creative diversity of the Euphrates environment.
Folk poetry in the Euphrates region is considered a vital vessel for preserving social and cultural memory. Through its verses, it conveys the nuances of daily life, customs, traditions, and the distinct features of the local environment and its dialects, which are passed down through generations. The festival’s first edition honored the legacy of the late poet and researcher Mahmoud Al-Thakhira (1947–2024), known as the “Dean of Raqqa Poets.”
Al-Thakhira left behind a prolific body of work exceeding 1,000 literary pieces. He dedicated his life to documenting authentic regional arts such as “Al-Nayl” and “Al-Mawliya.” Additionally, he authored various documentary works that chronicled the region’s social and historical landscape, including “People of Raqqa” and “Burj Aliya.” During the closing ceremony of the festival, the late poet’s family was honored in recognition of his significant contributions to the preservation of folk heritage.
Over the course of three days, the festival hosted poetry evenings covering themes that express the region’s identity and heritage. Hassan Al-Hassan, Assistant Director of Culture in Raqqa, emphasized the importance of the festival in highlighting creative talents in the field of folk poetry. He noted that the directorate intends to organize this event annually, alongside other activities aimed at reviving intangible heritage and supporting young talent.
Participating poets, including Mohammed Al-Hassan and Omar Al-Saran, highlighted the qualitative value of the festival as an opportunity to document and preserve cultural heritage for future generations. They expressed their appreciation for the significant public engagement with the poems, which captured the uniqueness of Raqqa and its literary symbols. This initiative is part of broader local efforts to safeguard cultural memory and strengthen Syrian national identity by supporting the folk arts that have creatively documented the history of the region.
Source: Syria Focus Arabic
