Sharjah: Growing up in Bahrain in the 1950s and 60s, his love affair with the Islamic world began as a child and soon turned into a faith.
British Muslim convert Idris Mears has been in and out of this part of the world for the last six decades and he has finally called the UAE his home.
Leading Al Serkal Foundation’s new book project that draws on his fascination for cultural literature, Mears’ years of persistence has finally come to fruition.
“My fascination for the Muslim culture got me into reading some of the earliest literature on the subject and thus began my journey into the collection of books and publishing,” said the 66-year-old, who was among the founders of Diwan Press, the first Islamic publishing house in the UK.
But, he is quick to clarify that he is not an Islamic bookseller.
“Here in the UAE, I found that there is a lack of quality and original material on the culture, philosophy and history. The idea is to provide insightful literature on these subjects drawn from a wide range of sources, ideologies and schools of thought, so that people can approach and understand the Arab and Muslim culture and heritage from different perspectives,” said Mears, who is part of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) for the 12th consecutive year.
His rare collection of books ranges from the out-of-print masterpieces and early English editions of medieval Arabic and Persian classics to unique titles that are otherwise hard to find in regular bookstores.
A collector with an eye for rare gems for several decades, Mears handpicks many of his books from across the world and the most precious among his current offerings include the early 20th century translated edition of ‘Al Muqadamma’, an epic treatise on universal history by 14th century Arab historian and philosopher Abdul Rahman Ibn Khaldun, who is widely considered as the founder of modern disciplines of sociology and demography.
“It is a full three-volume translation of the original masterpiece and not the abridged version. It is out of print and very hard to find these days. I got it from the United States in 1982 and it is part of my personal collection, but I finally thought it is time I let others enjoy this gem,” said Mears of ‘Al Muqaddama’, which is priced at Dh1,250.
According to Mears, there is only one other copy of ‘Al Muqadamma’ from the same edition, currently with a collector in the US.
Mears’ stall at the SIBF, Blackstone and Hollywell UK, has a collection of 2,500 titles that include an 1880 classic ‘Children of Arabia’, the first edition of ‘Arabian Felix’ by Bertrand Thomas published in 1931 that gives one of the earliest accounts of Arabian exploration.
Among the other notable titles are a 1947 edition of Edward Fitzgerald’s widely-acclaimed English rendition of the ‘Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and ‘The Discovery of South America and the Andalusian Voyages’ by Vigneras Louis-Andre, which gives an account of the role played by Andalusian Muslim pilots in the discovery of South America.
Sultan’s book
Another interesting book at the Blackstone and Hollywell stall is the English translation of the book by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, on Arab sailor Ibn Majid’s role in helping Vasco da Gama find India.
Though the book is not part of Mears’ collection, it is published by Other Books, a Kerala-based Indian publisher, which is partnering with Mears in reviving long forgotten books that provide a rare insight into the historic ties between Arabia and the western coast of India.
Part of this exquisite collection is the reproduced ‘Diary of the First Expedition of Vasco da Gama to India’, with original Portuguese text, accompanied by English translation and explanatory notes.
Kerala connection
One of the most interesting titles is ‘Tuhfat Al Mujahidin,’ a 16th century historical account of battles between the natives of what is now Kerala and the Portuguese, written in Arabic by a Malayalee and translated into English.
“What very few people know today is that the relationship between Arabs and Malayalees (people inhabiting the region now known as Kerala) in the 15th and 16 centuries as strong as it is today, if not more. Muslims in Kerala used to read and write in Arabic, they used to even write the Malayalam language in Arabic script and ‘Tuhfat Al Mujahidin’ is a testimony to the Arab influence in the region and rare original work from the era,” said Dr Ausaf Ahsan of Other Books.
Both Mears and Ausaf, who hails from Kerala, are looking to be the source that will bridge the gap of misunderstanding among different cultures and they believe original works from different ages can come handy in this endeavour.
