Sharjah’s Sheikh Sultan and guests arrive at the January 29 commemoration of the emirate’s 100th anniversary of its first public library. Bodour Al Qasimi is in green at the center. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Honoring a State’s Literary Tradition
Even for the culturally driven emirate of Sharjah, the past month has been a busy one. Among the most significant instances of special recognition in the United Arab Emirates‘ third state has been the opening by Sharjah’s author-emir Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of 100 Years of Stories, a centennial celebration of the founding of Sharjah’s first library.
Many of us think of the UAE as being too young for such an event, the nation itself having been founded in 1971.
But Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi of Sharjah created the emirate’s first library 100 years ago, and last week, on January 29, an official ceremony was held at Sharjah’s historic fort, Al Hisn, to commemorate the creation of an institution so emblematic of the modern-era focus that Sheikh Sultan has placed on the contemporary state of Sharjah.
Speaking at the event, Sheikh Sultan—who is always a thoughtful and entertaining speaker—pointed out to the audience that both he and his library-founding predecessor have literally lived close to their libraries, the two rulers each having a repository for books attached to their bedrooms. Apparently, this was not something deliberately devised, and Sheikh Sultan wondered aloud during the ceremony on July 29 whether the creation of so near a personal library was coincidence or the result of a tradition largely lost to the records.
The modern-day Sheikh Sultan inherited bin Saqr’s personal library, and that collection became the cornerstone of Sharjah’s library system and services.
That hub of literary activity has included the contemporary delivery of family libraries to many citizens of Sharjah and such enormous events as the emirate’s Sharjah International Book Fair and Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. Today, those events are accompanied by the Sharjah Booksellers Conference and the Sharjah Publishers Conference, as well as Sharjah Publishing City with Ingram’s print-on-demand facility installed as a Middle-Eastern and North-African hub of production and distribution for a region that has struggled with the logistics of the industry.
Sheikh Sultan’s own books have recorded much of Sharjah’s history, leading to his being honored with one of London Book Fair’s International Excellence lifetime achievement awards.
A Focus on Books
Equestrian performance was part of the program honoring the 100th anniversary of the Sharjah Public Library system, January 29, 2025. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
At the event last week, the emir was welcomed with an equestrian ceremony and guard, as well as a military band performance at the Heart of Sharjah—an historic restoration of the Sharjah of the 1950s, led in its development by Shurooq.
Sheikh Sultan, 85, was accompanied by the crown prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi; by the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chair of Sharjah Book Authority and president of the American University at Sharjah; and chiefs of many of the departments and institutions of Sharjah’s government. The sheikh and his guests then toured Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi’s Western House ‘Al Bait Al Gharbi,’ the seat of the historic library, the earlier Saqr Al Qasimi’s study, and other parts of the facility that have been developed as an open exhibition showcasing aspects of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi’s life and cultural heritage.
A new museum of education was inaugurated as part of the day, with a children’s performance celebrating Arab unity and patriotism, a commemorative plaque for the 100th celebration of Sharjah’s first library was unveiled by the emir amid more performances by Arabian horses. Students of the American University performed an adaptation of a chapter from Sheikh Sultan’s book The Pawned Dagger, and the program concluded with a year-long program recognition of the Sharjah Public Library system, elements of which may be seen this year in Sharjah’s key literary events.
Today, the library system has branches in Kalba, Dibba Al Hisn, Khor Fakkan, Al Dhaid, and Wadi Al Helo. And many book-business visitors to Sharjah know the extraordinary technology vested in Sheikh Sultan’s House of Wisdom library facility at University City.
While those unfamiliar with Sharjah’s state-ordained emphasis on the literary and publishing arts may not understand such extensive celebrations of a century old library tradition, modern world publishing industry leaders and journalists who have traveled to this unique emirate won’t be surprised at such lavish recognition of a focus on books. At one time or another, almost all visitors have encountered the emirate’s slogan, “You’re In Sharjah: Read!”
Exploring the new library museum in Sharjah’s historic district, January 29, 2025. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
More from Publishing Perspectives on the Sharjah Book Authority is here, more on Sharjah overall is here, more on the work of Bodour Al Qasimi is here, and more on the book publishing industry in the United Arab Emirates is here.