Lisbon: His Highness Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Supreme Council, said that history is not written with fancies nor by force but with honesty, investigation and relentless search for the truth.
He stressed that through his past works he always sought to document the history of the UAE and the greater Gulf region, and its relationship with the rest of the world.
Shaikh Sultan said: “Documenting the history of the UAE and Arabian Gulf was always based on evidence, historical manuscripts and testimonies of foreign historians who lived through the times of these historical events. This method is key to shape the future based on genuine understanding of our past and present civilisation and people. This helps build relationships based on facts and deep understanding of our roots and historical conflicts with the occupations which took place in our region during that period.”
His remarks came during a session dedicated to discussing his book A Momentous Journey at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, whose membership was granted to him in 2013.
The Arabic version of the A Momentous Journey was released by Al Qasimi Publications in 2017. Historians and people interested in history consider his book as a historical re-exploration and rereading of the roots of Europe’s relationship with the Gulf region in the 16th century that led to decades of domination and shaped a stereotype of the region among the Europeans.
Addressing the session, Shaikh Sultan said: “The book is based on highly important historical manuscripts of Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese writer and officer. His manuscript contains accurate information and details of the region’s people and was lost for almost 100 years before it was found in 2012. Barbosa’s manuscript is part of my own collection and I included it in my book in Arabic, English and Portuguese.”
The manuscript describes Barbosa’s sightings during his trip, in which he escorted the leaders of the Portuguese occupation in the 16th century, from San Sebastián Bay to the Coastline of China through the Gulf region.
Shaikh Sultan said he believes that Barbosa’s manuscript has also treated Portuguese’s present with justice as it treated the Arabs’ past fairly during the Portuguese occupation of the Arabian Gulf.
Introducing the first version of the book, Antonio Dias Farinha, Dean of Faculty of History and Geography at Lisbon Academy of Sciences, said Shaikh Sultan had decided to release this important book after discovering Barbosa’s manuscript.
“This edition is very important for the history of the Arabian Gulf and its peoples and wealth. This edition was written at the beginning of the modern era, almost 15 years after the journey of Vasco da Gama from Lisbon to Calicut in India, leading to discover new worlds”.
The session brought together a number of academic members, professors, scholars and historians. The session was also attended by Mousa Abdul Wahid Al Khaja, UAE Ambassador to Portugal and a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Portugal.
Participants highlighted the significant historical importance of the Gulf region natives and Portugal in the book.
