Taryam Omran Taryam, visionary and pioneer

American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant once said, “Heroes come and go, but legends are forever.”

Taryam Omran Taryam, who along with his brother Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam, founded the news powerhouse Dar Al Khaleej, was a legendary pioneer who left an indelible footprint in the sands of time – and publishing in the country. He passed away on May 16, 2002, but the legacy that he – along with his brother Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam – left behind continues to play a stellar role in the UAE media.

Taryam Omran was a lodestar for freedom of speech, steadfast principled stance and patriotism. These values continued to shine after Taryam died in 2002 because symbols remain even if the body is gone.

The late Taryam Omran was born in Sharjah in 1942 and studied the primary and preparatory stages at Al Qasimia School before going with his brother, Dr Abdullah Omran, to the State of Kuwait to join the Shuwaikh Secondary School.

They then returned to Sharjah to complete their secondary studies at Al Qasimia School.

After finishing his studies there, Taryam Omran headed to Egypt to join the Faculty of Arts in Cairo University. After graduation, he worked at Al Orouba Secondary School, then as principal of Al Maaref School in Sharjah.

In 1972, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan chose him as the UAE’s ambassador to Egypt, where he spent five years practising diplomatic work with remarkable proficiency and proven competence.

In 1976, he headed the UAE delegation to the Arab League and then in 1977, Taryam Omran was elected speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC) for two successive sessions.

During that period, he achieved a dazzling success in terms of consolidating and strengthening the foundations of the Union, expanding federal powers for the benefit of the nation and citizens.

He also insisted that federal legislation and draft laws approved by the FNC apply to all parts of the country.

Taryam Omran, a patriot committed to the Arab nationalist and unitary wholeness in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf Region, represented the high-water mark of nationalism in the country, thanks to what he and his late brother Dr. Abdullah Omran Taryam did, especially in all stages of the establishment of the UAE.

They both were part of the Emirate of Sharjah’s official delegation to the negotiations that preceded the ‘seven-emirate federation’ and demanded the unification of the nine Gulf emirates after the British occupation ended in the early seventies of the past century. When the establishment of the nine-emirate federation proved difficult, Taryam Omran and Dr Abdullah were at the forefront of those calling for the establishment of the seven-emirate federation, which is the UAE nowadays.

“When we felt that there would be no agreement on a nine-emirate federation, we asked that the federation would combine the seven emirates because logic and actual reality refer to the emirates of the region as neighbouring houses,” they said.

The two brothers’ contribution did not stop until their last days; they were among the pillars of Arab media and journalism by leading the Dar Al Khaleej Press, Printing and Publishing, which Taryam Omran headed as its chairman until his death in 2002.

Nearly four years ago, ‘Al Khaleej’ newspaper, which carries the slogan ‘For the truth without fear, and for the reality without falsity,’ celebrated the 50th anniversary of its foundation on October 19, 1970.

The memory of its founders, the late brothers Taryam Omran and Dr. Abdullah Omran, was strongly present by their great media achievements during its golden jubilee ceremony.

After announcing the Union, he wrote an article titled “This is the country that we build.”

He said, “The Union has been announced, the slogans suddenly turned into facts, and it is now the people’s turn to make the aspirations true. The roles have been completely reversed. We were advising and demanding, now we are required to build, we were blaming, now we will be blamed if we fail. After the Union, the work will not be of Rulers or entities, it will be the work of the people.

“They must build and develop this hope. They must defend and protect it. The declaration of the Union seems easy, but preserving it is difficult, and may be very difficult in our circumstances, so let us shield with awareness, faith, and persistence, so that we preserve the continuation of this good seed. We must secure a favourable climate for its growth.”