In confirmation of their valuable content and importance in presenting the historical dimension of the UAE,

The National Archives’ Publications Arrive at the Library of Congress

The US Library of Congress displays among its collections a number of the National Archives’ publications. The Library of Congress, which is the largest one worldwide shows an interest in the NA publications due to their valuable documented content on the situation of the emirates before and after the foundation of the Union and due to the attention, they received at Arab and foreign libraries from researchers and academic staff who are keen on the UAE history. It is worth mentioning that the NA publications provide precise documentation of the UAE civilizational and cultural legacy and the foundation of its federation, supported with photographs, maps and statistics.

The NA is proud of the fact that its publications have reached the shelves of the Library of Congress, the global cultural resource, as it is fully confident that these publications, which are increasingly available at Arab and international levels present to the world the historical dimension of the UAE. The NA strives to make both paper and electronic publications available in all cultural circles since their serious contents meet the needs of intellectuals, researchers and those who are interested in the UAE history and heritage.

With respect to the acquisition of the NA publications by the Library of Congress, H.E. Abdulla Majed Al Ali, NA Executive Director, said “The achievements of the NA’s publications with their significant contents encourage major libraries to acquire them. These publications meet the needs of knowledge seekers and researchers who study the history of the UAE and Gulf region because of their significant value and documented historical information. That is why researchers, specialists and those interested in the history of the region have been impressed by these publications. We are proud that the NA publications are available in the Library of Congress, which serves as a promotion for and a global testimonial to these publications”.

“The NA has variant publications as some are related to historical studies about the UAE and Arabia while others are related to archival sciences. The publications also come in various forms including encyclopedias, academic and school trips, chronicles of their Highnesses Sheikhs of the UAE, and aspects of the glorious biography of the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. They present areas of the civilizational and cultural legacy, which the UAE is known for in the modern history. What made these publications more attractive is their sophisticated design”, he added.

Visitors of the Library of Congress’ electronic catalogue (Catalog.loc.gov) can access to many of the NA’s publications, most notably: Zayed Chronicles (2003), Al ’Adeyat: A Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Horses (2005, Al Ma’moura: A Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Camels (2005), New Perspectives On Recording UAE History (2009, in Arabic and English), Black Gold and Frankincense: photographs of south Arabia taken by first explorers of oil (1947-1971) and it was issued in 2010 in Arabic and English), Memoirs of the Emirates: proceedings of the seminar convened by the National Centre for Documentation and Research (NCDR) in December 2010 (in Arabic and English), Zayed, Man Who Built a Nation (2013, in Arabic and English), The Chronicles of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 1968-2010 (2012), Legal Settlement for the Emarati Iranian Dispute Regarding the Three Islands: an analytical and strategic study in accordance with historical documents and the international law provisions (2013), Third River: aspects of oil in the Middle East 1887-1979 (2014, in Arabic and English), Fifty Years in Al Ain Oasis: memories of Abdulhafeez Khan (2015, in Arabic and English), A Fateful Intrusion: The British India Steam Navigation Company in the Arabian Gulf 1862-1982 (2018, in Arabic and English), A Soldier in Arabia (2018), etc.

It is worth mentioning that while it strives to make its publication available, the NA tends to launch most of them electronically for easy access via smart phones and tablets.

Being rich in accurate information that are supported with historical photographs, maps and important statistics, the NA publications are also characterized by their beautiful design and high-quality output, which make them more appealing to readers.