Zayed Center for Studies and Research organizes a seminar on its value

Historical maps of the Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.. a focus of attention for centuries

During the symposium organized within the cultural season of the "Zayed Center".

From the source

Researchers have stressed the importance of historical maps as official documents that can be relied upon in documentation, noting that the Gulf region was the focus of the interest of travelers and historians who left a legacy of the region’s maps centuries ago.

This came during a virtual symposium entitled "Historical Maps of the Emirates and the Arabian Gulf... Historical Value and Objective Documents", organized by the Zayed Center for Studies and Research, affiliated with the Emirates Heritage Club, as part of its cultural season, the day before yesterday.

The seminar, which was moderated by Dr. Abdullah Al-Mughni (Associate Professor in the Department of History and Islamic Civilization at the University of Sharjah), was attended by Dr. Ali Afifi (Professor of Modern and Contemporary History), Dr. Wael Al-Desouki (Researcher in Heritage and Cultural History), and Muhammad Hussein (Research Specialist Documentation). and archives at the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage.

For her part, Director of the Zayed Center for Studies and Research, Fatima Al-Mansoori, said, "The organization of the symposium comes from the center's interest in investigating all historical sources for the UAE and the Arab Gulf, especially historical maps, which are an important historical source and tributary for preserving, codifying and documenting the history of the region, in addition to being A scientific material prepared for specialists, interested people and researchers, and to shed light on the existing research centers in the country, which host a huge collection of historical maps as official and historical documents that can be relied on for documentation.

Identity Preservation

Dr. Abdullah Al-Mughni praised the efforts of the wise leadership in the UAE in documenting the history of the state, preserving the national identity and strengthening its components, by supporting the specialized centers in this field, describing the historical maps as being of great value, and a historical heritage linked to the history of many geographical areas.

While Dr. Afifi highlighted the “efforts of Western travelers in mapping the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf,” and some studies, research and published articles that focused on the importance of maps, and how to benefit from them as historical material.

The researcher concluded several results, which are that historical maps are an important historical source of historical knowledge, pointing out that Western travelers were interested in drawing maps of the areas they visited in the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, and that these travelers varied their nationalities and languages, and despite that they drew maps of the region.

He believed that the 19th century, we can call it the era of geographical knowledge for travelers, as it was distinguished by the large number of travelers who roamed the region, and by the large number of maps that were drawn for the region, and the travelers’ maps were characterized by the accuracy of their drawing based on the field study.

It was not unknown

As for Dr. Wael El-Desouky, he presented a working paper entitled “The Arabian Gulf in Historical Maps: Importance and Denominations”, which included an explanation of most of the maps, geographical information and nomenclature that dealt with the Arabian Gulf region since the beginning of cartography.

He added that the goal of observing the Arabian Gulf in historical maps is not to prove its unquestionable importance, but to realize that the Arabian Gulf was not unknown to the ancients, as some promote, as the human heritage left us with evidence of a deep knowledge of it in ancient civilizations that cannot be denied. .

For his part, Muhammad Hussein touched on the experience of the Juma Al Majid Center in archival control of maps, as the center was able to collect 600 maps that varied between historical, geological, political, military and other maps. The maps are periodically maintained by the Department of Conservation, and the maps are preserved in an appropriate environment following various conservation standards.

Hussein added that the maps are given serial numbers, and in the description, they depend on several elements, including the title, the date of editing, the painter, the publisher, a statement of the size of the drawing, and others.

He reviewed samples of the maps incubated by the center, such as the map of Al-Idrisi (a picture of the land of Sharif Al-Idrisi, who died in 560 AH), who was one of the great geographers in history, and maps of pearl banks in the Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.

interventions

The symposium “Historical Maps of the Emirates and the Arabian Gulf… Historical Value and Objective Documents”, which was attended by a number of researchers, academics and interested people, included several interventions, including the intervention of the Administrative Director of the Zayed Center for Studies and Research, Badr Al-Amiri, and an intervention by the Professor of International Law at the College of Law in Khorfakkan, Dr. Noman Atallah Al-Hiti, and another intervention by the researcher in Islamic history and civilization, Dr. Jamaan Abdullah Misfir Al-Shahrani.

• The 19th century was distinguished by the large number of travelers who roamed the region, and by the large number of maps they drew.

The maps of the travelers were distinguished by the accuracy of their drawing based on the field study.

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