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Sharjah’s Sheikh Sultan inaugurates Arabic studies centre in Portugal
Locals at the university peered from windows as the Sharjah National Band performed traditional music and Sheikh Sultan led the Sharjah procession into Coimbra’s Faculty of Letters building
- PUBLISHED: Sat 4 Oct 2025, 4:01 PM
- By:
- Ted Kemp
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi visited Portugal to inaugurate a culturally significant Arabic centre at a major university on Friday.
The Ruler of Sharjah and member of the UAE’s Supreme Council arrived by motorcade at the University of Coimbra with Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi and a large delegation to inaugurate the Centre for Arabic Studies.
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Locals at the university, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, peered from windows and snapped photos as the Sharjah National Band performed traditional music and Sheikh Sultan led the Sharjah procession into Coimbra’s Faculty of Letters building.
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“The new centre will be a space for dialogue and research, strengthening the academic, scientific and cultural ties between the University of Coimbra and cultural institutions in the Arab world,” said Amilcar Falcão, rector at the University of Coimbra.
Sheikh Sultan also visited Joanina Biblioteca, a 300-year-old baroque library where researchers working in collaboration with the Sharjah Book Authority are digitising 30,000 volumes — representing about 20 million images — dating back to the 15th century.
Sheikh Sultan donated to Joanina Biblioteca a book from the early 16th century written by Duarte Barbosa, Portuguese writer and officer who recorded observations from his travels around the Indian Ocean and the coastline of what is now the UAE.
Speaking in the library, Sheikh Sultan said Barbosa witnessed “the extent of progress achieved by the people of the region in many fields, including science, culture, construction, trade systems, and societal civilisation.”
“Today, I stand before you, bringing with me Barbosa's original manuscript and my book, ‘A Voyage of Extreme Importance,’ and I dedicate them to you so that we may place the original narrative in the hands of its people,” he added.
Popular UAE-based content creator Munther Almuzakky, who attended the day’s events, said they will benefit the Emirati people.
“This is an important moment, because such events open horizons of communication among peoples,” Almuzakky said in comments translated for Khaleej Times from Arabic. “And I believe in that — a person who loves knowledge, loves culture, and loves heritage.”
Professor Wael Farouq said the new centre provides a much-needed counterpoint to a “world dominated by narratives of conflict and competition.”
“This centre presents a new narrative, a transformative narrative, one based on a solid foundation of historical relationships that can contribute to ending conflicts, not only cultural but also political,” said Farouq, director of the Arabic Cultural Institute in Milan, Italy, which Sheikh Sultan inaugurated last year.
Ted Kemp is the Chief Content Officer at Khaleej Times and an international contributor, editor, and media executive with more than 25 years of experience in global news and content strategy.