Al-Shamayleh emphasized that the festival reaching its eighth edition reflects the importance of the continuity of cultural action, noting that "Moab Poetry" has become a space where poets and intellectuals meet, experiences and voices coexist, and the word is celebrated as a bearer of memory and an expression of man and the homeland.
She said that holding the festival this year in Al-Qasr District as part of the "Jordanian City of Culture 2026" activities confirms that culture is a continuous act, a space for dialogue, and a bridge that connects the past with the present and opens the way for new generations of creators.
She pointed out that the slogan of this edition, "Independence tells the story of a homeland and poetry chants its narrative," carries national and cultural connotations, as the homeland meets poetry, and the memory of the place intersects with the narrative of man, stressing that Karak, with its historical and cultural legacy, constitutes an important space for celebrating poets and highlighting creativity.
In turn, Dr. Hussein Mahadin, in a speech on behalf of the Higher Committee of the Festival, addressed the historical and cultural status of Karak, evoking the history of Moab, Karak, and Mu'tah, the governorate's role in education and cultural life, and its position in the Jordanian poetic scene, praising the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and the Karak Directorate of Culture in establishing the festival as an annual cultural event.
The first poetry evening, moderated by Higher Committee member Siyam Al-Mawajdeh, with the participation of artist Jareer Al-Halsa on the oud, witnessed readings by a number of Jordanian and Arab poets, covering topics of the homeland, Karak, the South, Jerusalem, Arabism, freedom, and man, in addition to emotional and humanitarian poems.
The poets who participated in the evening were: Rashid Issa, Mohammed Miqdad, the Syrian Anas Al-Daghim, Mohammed Al-Shroush, Musa Hawamdeh, Areej Mahmoud, Faleh Al-Jubour, and Suleiman Al-Asifi, where the texts varied between evoking place, national memory, humanitarian issues, and emotional experiences.
The festival's launch activities also included heritage and art exhibitions, a fine arts exhibition, as well as musical performances presented by the Public Security Music Band and a folklore show by the Jordanian Al-Mahabeesh troupe, which evoked a part of the Jordanian popular heritage.
Through its eighth edition, the "Moab Poetry Festival" continues to present poetry as a space for expressing place, man, and memory, and enhancing Karak's presence in the Jordanian cultural scene, within the "Jordanian City of Culture for 2026" program.
