Classified documents on UAE history in British archives

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Classified documents on UAE history in British archives
(Representational image)

Dubai - "It includes all the documents, letters, reports and correspondence written on the UAE in two parts; geographically in 1908, and historically in 1915."

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Published: Fri 5 Feb 2016, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Sun 7 Feb 2016, 7:25 AM

Want to read classified information on the UAE before independence? A rich source to dig and delve is the British archive, where millions of reports and correspondence on the UAE and the whole region are available.
"However, researchers need to look for something new rather than writing about the UAE-British relationships, and focus on specific issues, such as the early establishment of the Sharjah Airport," renowned scholar and historian Dr Mohammed Faris Al Faris said late on Wednesday.
Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of a lecture he gave at the Cultural and Scientific Association - Dubai, he said a researcher or even a normal reader can easily have access to thousands of classified documents on the region and the UAE at the Dubai Public Library, the Juma Al Majid Heritage & Cultural Centre or the National Archive in Abu Dhabi.
"Though thousands of records and documents are available in English here, more reports and correspondence during the pre-independence era can be reached either in Mumbai or Kolkata of India or in London," he said.
Dr Al Faris said the best reference on the UAE history is the Gulf Gazetteer by Lorimer. "It includes all the documents, letters, reports and correspondence written on the UAE in two parts; geographically in 1908, and historically in 1915."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com


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