Sharjah Ruler Discusses Oman's Rich History and Portuguese Influence

Photo : Sharjah Govt Media Bureau

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah is working on a big project to tell the story of Oman’s past, especially the role of the Sea of Oman in history. This project will be in 21 volumes and cover the time from 1497 to 1757 AD. His Highness said Oman has a rich and honorable history, which is important to understand.

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The ruler started a big project to collect and translate old documents. His journey began in 1985 after he finished his PhD and wrote a book about his research. One day, he went to the India Office Library in the UK, where he met Barry Bloomfield, the director. Barry was a very smart person who helped change the library into what is now the British Library.

His Highness told the story of how he presented his PhD thesis to Barry. Barry was very interested in the sources used in the thesis. At that time, His Highness had trouble getting some documents from the British Library. He needed copies of old documents for his research, but it was difficult. So, he decided to travel to Mumbai, India, after meeting an older woman in the library who told him the documents were also available there. He went to India to get the copies, and that helped his research a lot.

His Highness shared how he found it easier to get documents in the Mumbai library than in the British Library. He also mentioned that he faced similar difficulties in Portugal when trying to get old documents for his project. But with help from Barry Bloomfield, His Highness was allowed to get the documents he needed. He even photocopied them and hired people to help transcribe them.

To get Portuguese documents, His Highness worked with Fiona Wilkie, a worker at the British Library who knew a lot about Portuguese records. He helped Fiona retire early so she could work directly with him on this project. She helped gather many important documents from places like Portugal, Spain, and India. His Highness made sure to give her money for her early retirement to help his research.

The British Library had saved many Portuguese documents after taking control of Mumbai. His Highness explained that it took five years to bring and translate these documents to the British Library, and this was done by an expert named Denver, who worked with a great team.

Fiona also managed the documents from different archives in Portugal, Spain, and Goa, India. These documents are very important for people studying the history of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman. To help with translating the old documents, His Highness set up an office in London. There, Fiona put together a team of experts to help with translating and restoring the old papers.

After Fiona’s passing in 2006, His Highness continued the project, and it was finished after many years of hard work. The project is not just about the "Portuguese in the Sea of Oman" series, but there are enough documents to write more than 200 books. The current series focuses on the Sea of Oman.

His Highness explained that the documents are full of information for researchers and are very helpful for studying the history of the region. Each volume of the series includes between 150 to 200 documents. These volumes are available in both Arabic and English for researchers, with a guide at the end of each volume to help people use the material easily.

His Highness also explained that the title of the book, "The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman," covers the entire area of the Sea of Oman, from Pakistan to the Strait of Hormuz, and down to Salalah. He described the history of the region and how ships used the currents to travel safely and trade goods between different countries.

He went on to explain that the Portuguese did not have large military bases in the Gulf. Instead, they controlled the area by using their navy and gunpowder weapons, which gave them an advantage over the local people who were armed with swords. His Highness gave the example of Muscat, which was an island surrounded by mountains, making it easier for the Portuguese to control.

His Highness also talked about how the documents have been digitized and saved on memory cards. He said that 10,000 of these memory cards will be given for free at the Muscat International Book Fair, so more people can access the information.

He emphasized the importance of Oman’s history and shared details from his book "Sultan of Histories." This book tells the stories of Oman’s rulers, their resistance to foreign invasions, and their victories. His Highness explained that the Al-Ya'ariba and Al Busaid dynasties played an important role in defeating the Portuguese and expanding Oman’s borders as far as Gwadar (a port in Pakistan).

His Highness spoke about his research into the Portuguese presence in the region, which came after his earlier research into British occupation and how history was sometimes distorted. He explained that the Portuguese came to the area because of the fall of Constantinople and the boycott of Muslim goods by the Pope, which pushed Portugal to look for new trade routes.

He also explained that during the time of Vasco da Gama, Portugal was looking for spices and goods like cotton and silk, which were highly valuable in Europe. These goods were brought from places like India and China, and the Sea of Oman was a very important trade route.

His Highness described how goods were transported along ancient trade routes, including the famous Silk Road. He explained that sometimes these routes were blocked by wars, and traders had to find new ways to get their goods to Europe.

One of the stories His Highness shared was about how the Portuguese tried to assassinate an Imam in Oman, which was mentioned in old documents. His Highness made sure to include this story in his book to show the truth, even though it was not a positive part of history.

His Highness emphasized the importance of being honest in history and making sure all documents are presented accurately. He works with professors from many universities to ensure that his research is correct and helps other scholars in their studies.

At the end of the interview, His Highness thanked everyone for listening and hoped that people who read his work would find it useful and informative for their own research.