Official reception
His Highness was received upon arrival by Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Mahmoud, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Portuguese Republic; Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority; Mohamed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Luís Filipe, Director General of the Portuguese National Archives; along with a number of Emirati and Portuguese officials and media representatives.
Speech by the Ruler of Sharjah
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah delivered a speech in which he expressed his pleasure at visiting the Portuguese National Archives, recalling his visit in 1982 and his continued efforts in collecting important Portuguese documents. His Highness owns thousands of such documents, from which he published his book The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman – Annals of History (1497 CE – 1757 CE), consisting of 21 volumes. This was followed by The Compendium of the Histories of the Arabian Peninsula and Persia )1622 CE – 1810 CE), comprising 33 volumes. His Highness also noted that he is currently working on issuing The Portuguese in the Indian Ocean, which will consist of 25 volumes, addressing the history of the Portuguese in India, East Africa, and a number of Asian countries.
Significance of Portuguese documents
His Highness highlighted the importance of Portuguese documents, which recount a significant chapter in the region’s history, explaining details of the Portuguese withdrawal from the region and the cooperation between the British and the King of Persia in facilitating Portugal’s departure. He affirmed that documents and manuscripts reveal the events as they occurred, and that he incorporates them into his publications to document history accurately and impartially, enabling researchers to access them and conduct studies and research.
Address by the Director General of the Archives
Luís Filipe, Director General of the Portuguese National Archives, delivered a speech welcoming His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, praising his cultural and historical efforts and expressing his pleasure at His Highness’s visit. He noted that the archives house documents of the Portuguese Republic as a nation, while also sharing and intersecting with other countries and cultures through their content and the events documented in manuscripts and records from different historical periods.
Exchange of gifts
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah presented the Portuguese National Archives with his publication The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman – Annals of History (1497 CE – 1757 CE), comprising 21 volumes. In return, His Highness received from the Director General of the Portuguese National Archives a number of gifts, including original copies of selected manuscripts and an atlas featuring a collection of maps and their interpretations.
Tour of the Archives
His Highness toured the halls of the Portuguese National Archives, which is considered one of the oldest archival institutions in the world, having been officially established in the fourteenth century in 1378 and relocated to its current location on the University of Lisbon campus in 1990. During the tour, His Highness was introduced to the archive’s various departments, which include royal documents, Portuguese colonial records, Inquisition documents, administrative and ministerial records, special collections, manuscripts, maps, drawings, and a digital archive.
Facilities and preservation efforts
His Highness listened to an explanation of the archives’ facilities and halls, including the research hall equipped for scholars with automated systems to access databases; the manuscripts and rare books hall containing valuable collections of documents and manuscripts; the electronic archive hall facilitating access to digitised records; restoration and preservation laboratories dedicated to maintaining and conserving documents; exhibition halls showcasing selected documents periodically; and the training and education centre, which organises specialised workshops and conferences.
Rare manuscripts and historical records
His Highness viewed a collection of rare manuscripts and documents, such as papal letters and treaties dating from between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. He also examined manuscripts relating to the Portuguese presence in the region, including correspondence between Portuguese kings, military leaders, and rulers in Hormuz and other areas.
Portuguese cultural heritage
His Highness further reviewed a collection of rare manuscripts by the Portuguese intellectual and poet Luís de Camões, regarded as one of the pillars of Portuguese cultural identity, after whom Portugal has named its highest sovereign cultural order. His Highness familiarised himself with the content of Camões’ poetry, praising it and expressing his hope for cooperation with Portugal to translate the poet’s works.
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