In an interview aired on Sharjah TV, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, spoke with Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, about his latest historical and intellectual work, " The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman: Events in Annals from 1497 to 1757.”
The 21-volume series chronicles events from 1497 to 1757 AD, focusing on the region's history and the strategic significance of the Sea of Oman. His Highness highlighted the depth and authenticity of Oman's historical legacy, describing it as both rich and honourable.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah opened the television interview with an in-depth overview of his ongoing project to collect, translate, and publish historical documents. He recalled that in 1985, after earning his doctorate and publishing his thesis as a book, he visited the India Office Library and Records in the UK.
His Highness shared that he had presented his doctoral thesis to the Director of the British Library, who examined it with interest, particularly intrigued by the sources of the documents it referenced. His Highness then detailed the challenges he faced in accessing British documents for his research, which ultimately led him to travel to Mumbai, India, to obtain the necessary copies. He recounted that the idea came from an elderly Indian woman he met in the library, who was also working on her thesis. She informed him that the same documents were available in Mumbai, which prompted his decision to continue his research there.
His Highness shared that he had enlisted the assistance of Fiona Wilkie, an employee at the British Library who specialised in Portuguese documents. With approval from the Library Director, His Highness arranged for her early retirement—covering the expenses himself—and employed her directly to support his efforts in gathering Portuguese historical records.
H.H. explained that the British Library had preserved many Portuguese documents following the recapture of Mumbai from the Portuguese, as part of efforts to better understand and study the region. His Highness also revealed that transferring and translating these documents into the British Library’s collection took five years and was carried out by a Portuguese-speaking expert named Denver, supported by a dedicated and skilled team.
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