Exploring the Gulf’s History from Al Ain to Muscat and Sanaa,
In its new issue, Liwa navigates the history of economy, culture, community and politics.
The National Library and Archives has published the 28th issue of Liwa, an academic referred journal. It contains referred research papers on the history, heritage and archeology of the UAE, Gulf region and Arabian Peninsula, in Arabic and English.
The journal’s research papers are consistent with the NLA’s role in providing documented information about the history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region. Moreover, they enrich the knowledge of researchers, academics and those interested in such information and bridge the gap between them and the Nation’s memory.
The new issue begins with a paper entitled “The Architectural and Artistic Features of Mud Houses in Al Ain”, written by the researcher Dhia Al Deen Al Tawalba. He concluded that mud houses in Al Ain are characterized by their simple architectural and artistic elements and the harmonious planning and space, which take into account the climate conditions and inherited traditions.
The researcher points out that these houses are distinguished by their local style. They were made of primary materials: mud, wood and palm trunks, which are available in local environment. The research paper divided houses into three groups in terms of their architecture: houses that have a yard surrounded by walls, big houses of multiple floors with a yard surrounded by walls and small houses consisting of one room without any yard.
The second research entitled “The Date Palms and the Ancient Emirati Man: Maleha as a Model” is written by Khalid Husein Saleh. He tackled the factors behind the agricultural growth in Maleha, its crops and agricultural heritage. He also shed the light on palm trees and the beginning of dates consumption in the Emirates along with evidence about how Maleha’s people benefited from palm trees, etc.
Furthermore, the third research entitled “A Historical Overview on Sanaa’s Ancient Mosques” was written by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Enab. He reviewed the different functions of Sanaa’s historical mosques and their urban features, architecture, planning and components as well as the various building materials. Moreover, the research highlighted Sanaa’s minarets.
It found out that Sanna has diverse mosques, and they maintained their local Yemeni character that deeply reflects the civilizational and cultural heritage. For centuries, the mosques withstood the human aggression, climate fluctuations and natural factors, and they have remained testimony to the authentic Arab and Islamic civilization.
As for the families’ libraries in the UAE, Al Serkal Library in particular, Nasser Bin Ahmed Al Serkal wrote about this library, which contained a number of valuable manuscripts on chemistry, astronomy, navigation and history. Some of these manuscripts have become rare, and they significant information.
With regard to the cultural and charitable role of the pearl traders in the UAE in the 1990s, the researcher, Halima Ali Al Naqbi, used the poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais and Juma Al Majid as models. She concluded that the major pearl traders made great cultural contributions, especially in the first half of the twentieth century, as they hoped that their nation would achieve some of the progress made by other countries which witnessed economic development and prosperity before the Gulf region. With the foundation of the UAE and the revival of the economy and all aspects of life, significant figures emerged in the society, such as the merchant and poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais and Juma Al Majid, who followed the example of pearl traders by spreading education and culture and encouraging scholars and intellectuals.
The journal included, in its new issue, a number of research papers in English, most notably “The Cultural and Charitable Role of Pearl Traders in the UAE in the Ninth Decade of the Twentieth Century: The Poet Sultan bin Ali Al Owais, and Juma Al-Majid as models” in addition to what was written by Dr. Saif Al Bedwawi, Professor of Arabian Gulf’s Modern History at Sharjah University, about “Sir William Luce "Role in the Gulf (1970-1971)”.
In its 28th issue, Liwa contains another paper in English, entitled "Bahrain’s Political Socialization in the Early 1970s” and a review of Pierre Blancard’s book: The Economy of Muscat 1771, A Forgotten Account.
For further information and subscription, you may visit the NLA’s website: www.nla.ae