Publishing a book can be an expensive thing to do, even for Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, a recent interview with the UAE royal has revealed.
Sheikh Dr Sultan talked about facing financial hurdles in order to publish his latest historical work, an encyclopaedia titled “The Portuguese in the Indian Ocean: Annals of History from 1497 CE – 1750 C”, which comprises 61 volumes and is available in both Arabic and English.
“I swear, I had no money,” the Sharjah Ruler told Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, the Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, who moderated the special interview that was aired on Wednesday, November 4. “But God Almighty made it possible for me.”
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To explain how he overcame the financial troubles, Sheikh Dr Sultan said that he had been one of the founders of Sharjah Cement Factory and had owned shares in it from its early days. As their value increased, he deposited the shares with an investment bank and instructed it to sell some of them when market prices were favourable.
The presenter asked whether he had sold the shares to finance the project. “Yes, for this project. All of them were used up,” Sheikh Dr Sultan replied, confirming that he had sold all his shares to cover the costs of his book project. Watch the full conversation here:
Sheikh Dr Sultan’s new book delves into the history of the Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean, highlighting their control over trade routes linking India to Portugal, the various conflicts they faced in India, their gradual decline, and ultimately their transformation into a diminished power, primarily functioning as a trading entity in Goa, a state located on India’s west coast.
Emotional moment
During the interview, which lasted for more than one hour, the Sharjah royal also reflected on the extensive effort that went into printing the documents and manuscripts, a process that took nine years—from 1997 until September 2006.
Sheikh Dr Sultan recalled an emotional moment from the project’s final days. While he was performing the Maghrib prayer one evening, he missed a phone call from a woman named Fiona, who had come to deliver the final set of documents for the book and congratulate him on completing the project.
When the Sharjah royal tried to contact Fiona to express his thanks to her, he was met with devastating news: Fiona had died that same evening, shortly after delivering the final documents for publication.
Advice to researchers
In an advice to all researchers, Sheikh Dr Sultan called on them to stay true to the original manuscript texts, and to limit personal opinions or commentary to footnotes.
“This is my advice to researchers: I hope the current generation will engage with volumes that address history and primary documents, making the most of the information now available. Our goal is to promote rigorous scientific research that is rooted in documentation—rather than imagination or bias,” he said.
I advise any researcher: if you feel your writing might bias your findings, then set the pen down; it is essential to strive for credibility
Sharjah Ruler
Next book
The Sharjah Ruler also revealed that work has already begun on his next publication, stating, “In the very same week I finished this work, I embarked on a new and very significant project. When we look at the history of this region, the Portuguese were not the first to arrive; there were others before them, such as the Dutch and the English, and that is what I am working on now: the ‘pre-Portuguese’ era.”
He added that the new book will be available at the Sharjah Book Fair in 2027. It is expected to take a year to complete, like his recently published book, and will comprise 60 volumes.
Source: Khaleej Times