Delegation and Protocol Gifts: Arabic Calligraphy for Official Visitors

Last updated 16 October 2026.

A gift for an official delegation should say where it came from. MASHQ makes delegation and protocol gifts in Arabic calligraphy composed for the occasion: the visitor's own name, or your entity's welcome such as «حياكم الله» (Hayyakum Allah), on a framed calligraphy paint, a dates box, a serving tray or a mabkhara. Each is made to order, made and finished in the UAE and inspected in Sharjah, and chosen by tier, from the head of the delegation to the staff, from AED 60 a piece. A run takes 10–14 working days from artwork approval and payment, plus two courier days; a single store piece is made in 5–7 working days.

For protocol offices of government bodies, authorities, embassies, chambers and companies. The words, symbols and sizes are in the gifting officer's guide, the supplier file on the page for government bodies; here, what to give each member of a delegation, and when to order.

A gift by tier

One tier, one piece; the name on each can change. Prices in AED, before the volume discount: a store price is for one piece on mashq.ae, a corporate list price is quoted line by line.

The head of the delegation

• A framed calligraphy paint of a welcome or a line of poetry: A3 framed, AED 105 (corporate list price). Larger sizes are quoted in writing.
• The Sunbuli calligraphy dates box, AED 215, or the personalised Thuluth lid box with the guest's name on the lid, AED 215, with the «حياكم الله» serving tray, AED 115–165 (store prices).
• A mabkhara set of three, AED 195.

The members of the delegation

• The Ahlan wa Sahlan box, AED 95.
• The «حياكم الله» serving tray, from AED 115.
• The guest's name in Arabic calligraphy, framed A3, AED 185.

The accompanying staff

• The Long dates box, 30 × 10 × 8 cm with three compartments, AED 115 (corporate list price).
• A glass bowl with a cut lid, from AED 60 (corporate list price).
• A napkin holder, AED 60.

A guest's name engraved on a dates-box lid is AED 200 a box. The volume discount is set per item line: 10% for 10–24 pieces, 12.5% for 25–49, 15% for 50 or more. No minimum order.

The visitor's own name, written in Arabic

Send the names one per line, or paste them into Mashq Studio's batch tool: every name in calligraphy, one quote. The spelling and vowel marks of every Arabic line are confirmed in writing before anything is cut or printed. The meaning of every Arabic line is given to your protocol team in English, so it can be explained when the gift is presented.

When the guests are not Arabic speakers or not Muslims

A welcome or a line of poetry suits every guest: «أهلًا وسهلًا» (Ahlan wa Sahlan), «الضيف عزيز» (Al-Dayf Aziz, the guest is dear), or a line about the land, the sea or generosity.

A verse of the Quran is chosen with adab: only on a framed paint that hangs on a wall, and only when it suits the guest; never on a tray, a dates box or anything set down, eaten from or thrown away. The federal emblem and the UAE flag are not reproduced; your entity's own logo is cut from its vector file. The symbols are in the gifting officer's guide.

Gift rules: your protocol office has the last word

A gift from your entity to a visiting delegation is your entity's own decision, made by its protocol office under its own gift policy; we know of no single public UAE protocol-gift policy.

When the person receiving the gift is a public official in the UAE, choose a token piece that carries the giving entity's name or emblem. Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. 12 of 2020, the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of Dubai Government Employees, asks employees to refrain from accepting gifts of material value, except token gifts that carry the logo of the entity providing them. Federal employees, under Cabinet Resolution No. 79 of 2023, do not accept or offer gifts unless in accordance with the relevant legislation.

A lid that carries your entity’s name or emblem is the kind of piece the rule describes; whether a gift counts as a token is your protocol office’s call; the emblem comes as a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF).

Timing a visit

A run is made in 10–14 working days from artwork approval and payment (up to about 600 pieces), plus two courier days; count back from the visit, leaving your team time to approve the proof and pay. Working days are Monday to Friday, without UAE public holidays. A single store piece is made in 5–7 working days, then tracked delivery.

A visit announced at short notice: a store piece as it is listed is the shortest route, as nothing new is composed. Send the visit date on WhatsApp before you order and we will say plainly whether it can arrive in time. No date is promised until it is confirmed in writing.

How it goes

1. Send the tiers, the guests in each, the names list and the date of the visit, on WhatsApp or to connect@mashq.ae.
2. A numbered quotation the same working day, every line priced at its own quantity.
3. Purchase order and payment in full in advance; production starts on receipt of payment.
4. The artwork proof within 48 hours, composed in Mashq Studio, with each line's meaning in English, approved by you in writing.
5. Production in 10–14 working days, with one photograph of the finished run before dispatch.
6. Delivery in two courier days to one UAE address: AED 25 for décor, AED 50 for wall art; several addresses quoted.

Where to go next

• Corporate gifting hub: every company question.
• UAE souvenirs and dates boxes, as single pieces.
• Calligraphy for offices and the majlis, for the room where the delegation is received.
• The Majlis Catalogue, sent to a work email after a check.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good gift for an official delegation in the UAE?

Arabic calligraphy composed for the occasion, made and finished in the UAE and inspected in Sharjah. For the head: a framed paint (A3 AED 105) or a AED 215 dates box with a tray; members: the Ahlan wa Sahlan box, AED 95, or their name framed, AED 185; staff: the Long dates box, AED 115, or a glass bowl from AED 60.

Can each guest's name be written in Arabic?

Yes. Send the names as a list, one per line, or paste them into Mashq Studio's batch tool. The spelling and vowel marks of every Arabic line are confirmed in writing before anything is cut or printed. A name framed A3 is AED 185; a name engraved on a dates-box lid is AED 200 a box.

What is a suitable gift for an ambassador?

A framed calligraphy paint of a welcome or a line of poetry (A3 framed AED 105; larger sizes quoted in writing), or the ambassador's own name: framed A3 at AED 185, or the personalised Kufic name frame at AED 265. The meaning is given in English so it can be explained when presented. A Quran verse only on a framed paint, when it suits the guest.

Can the gift carry our entity's emblem?

Yes, your entity's own emblem, from a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF). The federal emblem and the UAE flag are not reproduced. For a public official in the UAE, choose a token piece carrying the giving entity's name or emblem: Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. 12 of 2020 excepts such token gifts from the gifts of material value its employees refrain from accepting.

How soon can you deliver for a visit?

A run takes 10–14 working days from artwork approval and payment, plus two courier days; a single store piece is made in 5–7 working days, then tracked delivery. At short notice, a store piece as it is listed is the shortest route: send the visit date on WhatsApp before you order. No date is promised until confirmed in writing.

How are we quoted and invoiced?

A numbered quotation (MQ-Q-…) the same working day, with its validity date and the delivery date. Accept it by signature or purchase order (LPO); pay in full in advance by bank transfer or card payment link. 1click2open LLC is not registered for VAT: no VAT is charged and a commercial invoice is issued on payment. The trade licence, a not-VAT-registered letter and the bank's IBAN confirmation are sent on request.