NLA participates in 24th SINF

On behalf of His Excellency Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Director General of NLA, Mr. Hamad Al Humairi, Director of the Research and Knowledge Services Department, spoke about the role of NLA in preserving the bird heritage in the United Arab Emirates, indicating that this is evident in heritage publications and oral history interviews. Al Humairi indicated that NLA role reached its peak during the era of the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who believed that falconry is important in recreation and in restoring physical strength, and it teaches patience and perseverance, and has many other benefits.

Al Humairi pointed out that NLA, based on its interest in birds, has reissued the book “Benefits of Birds and Treatments for Their Diseases,” published in 1983 by order of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who directed NLA to investigate and publish it. The book presents the names of birds trained for hunting, their medications, and their treatments. It is originally a manuscript dating back to the eighth century AH. 

Writer and researcher Fatima Al Mazrouei, Head of the Historical Archives Department at NLA, presented a paper entitled “The Pessimistic Dialectic between the Crow and the Owl among the Arabs.” Al Mazrouei, in her paper, recalled the reasons for the dialectic and contradictions that appeared among peoples between the rejection and acceptance of these two birds, which occupied a huge space among the peoples of the world in the subject of popular beliefs. Each people differed in dealing with them according to customs and traditions and their collective impact on memory. 

Al Mazrouei narrated stories from the oral memory in the UAE, and from heritage books and references that mentioned many details about the history of the crow and the owl and what they symbolise to peoples. She displayed pictures of the types of crows and the behaviours of these birds and what they symbolise to many peoples: Arabs, Romans, Greeks, Persians, Greeks, Egyptian civilisation, Europe and Africa. 

Al Mazrouei reviewed the stories from the memory of peoples that were covered in heritage books. She focused on the role of the United Arab Emirates in preserving rare species of owls and ways to confront crows and perhaps benefit from them in cleaning cities. This is one of the smart initiatives that are credited to the UAE in benefiting from the environment and its sustainability. 

At the 24th edition of the Sharjah International Narrator Forum, writer and researcher Maryam Sultan Al Mazrouei from NLA presented a paper entitled: “The  Breeding Pigeon (Al RAABI): An Epic Biography in the Emirati and International Heritage”, in which she introduced pigeons and their role throughout the ages, and the status of pigeons in mythology. She also mentioned types of pigeons such as the homing pigeon, the dove, and the white dove, and the roles that pigeons played in many areas of war and peace. She also talked about myths and popular beliefs that were circulated globally based on documented foreign sources; indicating that the dove is a symbol of peace, love and affection. 

Maryam Sultan Al Mazrouei focused on the Breeding Pigeon (Al RAABI), and linked it to pigeons and why it was given this name. She also touched on other local names and mentioned many local words with a simplified explanation, where it is found and what its characteristics are; indicating that it is “tree dweller”. 

Maryam Sultan Al Mazrouei narrated tales and stories from the Emirati heritage about the Breeding Pigeon (Al RAABI), and being mentioned in local poetry.