The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has announced the winners of its “Cities of Poetry” competition dedicated to Samarkand at the organization’s headquarters in Rabat, Morocco, reports Dunyo IA.

The awards ceremony was held as part of World Novel Week. The competition was organized by ICESCO’s Poetry and Literature Centre to mark Samarkand’s designation as the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2025.

According to jury chairman Khalid Fath al-Rahman, ambassador and director of ICESCO’s Centre for Civilizational Dialogue, the competition received nearly 600 poems, of which 174 were shortlisted for detailed expert evaluation.

Mohammed Darwich Hassan Maqsai from Yemen won first place, followed by Ahmed Yousri Hassan Al-Hattab from Palestine in second place and Mohammed Ismail Abdallah Sweilam from Egypt in third.

The winners received certificates and cash prizes of $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third.

Seven additional poets from Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania received commendation awards.