(Liwa) Tours the UAE and the Gulf Region: Review of the History of Dhafra, Mecca and Medina, and Opens Chapters of Dubai History, and the Rest of the Trucial States



The National Archives Releases the 20th Issue of Liwa Journal



The 20th issue of Liwa, the scientific journal that deals with original scientific research in Arabic and English has been released. It covers many subjects relevant to history, heritage and archeology of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region.

In its new issue, Liwa journal investigates the UAE and the Gulf region, uncovering the obscurity of Dhafra's early history and presenting the traditional trades and industries of Mecca and Medina. It also reviews the emergence and development of cinemas on the Trucial Coast.  It introduces the biography of Yousef Bin Abdullah Al Sarkal and sheds lights on the reality of the cultural diplomacy in the Arab world, and the role of the British Council in the Middle East and the Gulf during fifty decades.

The new issue begins with a research article entitled: “An Unknown Chapter of the History of Dhafra, based on al-Hasa documents pertaining to the history of the region”, where there is a reference to the ambiguity of the history of the region in some periods, due to the lack or scarcity of documents. The most ambiguous periods in the peninsula in general, and Dhafra in particular was the period that followed the fall of the Jabrids in al-Hasa in 933 H, until the end of the 12th Hijri century. Researcher Thani Bin Abdullah al-Muhairi has examined the documents of that period believed to be related to the region. He considered that period to be an important chapter of the region’s political and intellectual history.

The research deals with the fall of the Jabrids and the establishment of the Bani Yas Emirate. The researcher introduces Sheikh Mohammad al-Yasi, who built a fortress on Das Island, and reviews his dealings. He also introduces Sheikh Falah, from whom Al Buflah descends.  He shows that the latter was in Dhafra, and was elected by Bani Yas Sheikhs in the 10th Hijri century to be their Emir. The researcher provides some of the Sheikh's poems.

In the second research paper, Dr. Hayat Bint Manawar Al-Rasheedi discusses “The History of Economic Life of the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, through the Travelers' Books during the Ottoman Era.  Crafts and Traditional Industries as Models.” The researcher points out that crafts and traditional industries are the records of the cultural heritage and the history of nations. Many crafts and traditional industries were established in Mecca and Medina to meet the needs of their people, and flourished due the vast movement of trade.

The research reviews the economic life through traditional crafts and industries in Mecca and Medina, through the books of the travelers who visited the land of the Two Holy Places in the Ottoman era.  The research consists of a preface, giving a brief overview of the travelers and their works, three axes: 1- the concept of craft and industry, 2- the most important crafts and industries in Mecca and Medina, and 3- the markets of the two holy cities and the products of those crafts and industries that used for trade.

The book presents a biography of one of Dubai’s men in the first half of the 20th century; Yusuf Bin Abdullah Al-Sarkal, whose personal history was associated with the history of the Emirate of Dubai. He was one of the main pearl merchants in the region and had extensive relations locally and abroad.  He invested all for the benefit of his country and his people.

Yusuf Bin Abdullah Al-Sarkal’s lineage goes back to Al Ali clan of Mutair tribe. He was born in the 1860s. The research reviews his works, focuses on his role as Deputy Native Agent in Dubai, and his being honored with Khan Sahib medal, his work in pearl trade and other businesses, his contributions to Education, some of his charitable works, his education, his real estates,  his family and his death on Friday 29 April, 1938.

In the fourth research, Dr. Stephen Twigge writes “Cultural Diplomacy and the Arab World: The British Council in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf - the First Fifty Years, 1938-1988.”

The British Council is Britain’s principal cross-cultural agency overseas. Established in 1934, its purpose is to promote an understanding and appreciation of British values in other countries and to strengthen Britain’s influence abroad.  Before the Second World War, its primary role was to counter cultural propaganda put out by Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany and to promote wider appreciation of Great Britain and the English language abroad, through developing close cultural and commercial links with other countries. The British Council is incorporated by Royal Charter. It works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The research continues to discuss the “British Council and the Middle East and the British Council in the Gulf: Cultural Agreements and Diplomatic Status”.

The 5th research paper reviews the: “Cinemas on the Trucial Coast: Emergence and Development Until 1971” in which the researcher Aysha Saeed Al Qaidi asserts that before the 1930s, the people of the region had no means of entertainment other than the traditional folk games. The cinema began in the Trucial States in the 1930s in Al Mahatta Airport in Sharjah. The films were screened outdoors. There were no special buildings for cinemas, only a movie projector.  The projection screen used to be a white wall of a building. The researcher monitors the emergence of cinema,  the impact of films and the increased interest for watching movies.

In the middle of the issue, Liwa acquaints its readers with two recent publications of the National Archives: “The Fateful Intrusion” in both Arabic and English, and “A Soldier in Arabia” and “Keepers of the Golden Shore”. Books.  The 20th issue of Liwa publishes two research papers in English: “Cultural Diplomacy and the Arab World: The British Council in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf - the First Fifty Years, 1938-1988.” and “Cinemas on the Trucial Coast: Emergence and Development Until 1971”.