Thikrayat

“Our society has been established based on an oral history and our ancestors didn’t read and write,” Mr Jassim said. “When they pass away, their history and memories will be gone as well. “If we don’t preserve them now, they’ll be lost. These words are what gives us a flavour. It’s like our saffron, our spices.”

Thikrayat is a UAE dictionary and cultural application designed to preserve UAE traditions by bring it into the 21st century, brought to you by Appthik which is a tech startup aimed at cultural preservation and promotion Co-Founded by Faisal Jassim and Thani Al Shafar, both 25.

The founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan taught us that “We should preserve our heritage because it is our origin and base, and we have to embrace our origins.”

Thikrayat provides a treasure chest of Emarati words used both past and present to help facilitate the cultural exchange between the many nationalities residing within the UAE and bringing them closer to its rich local culture. Thikrayat is a dictionary application used to translate Emarati words to both English and Formal Arabic in order for everyone to understand and use. The UAE is a cross road between East and West, with many exchanges between cultures being a hallmark of this age old trading hub.