His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has donated 12,000 titles comprising rare and valuable publications specialised in the history of Arab and Islamic art and architecture, to the House of Wisdom (HoW), an iconic architectural marvel and the emirate’s new cultural edifice that celebrates the UNESCO World Book Capital 2019 title bestowed on Sharjah.

The donation reflects the Sharjah Ruler’s continued drive to enrich local and regional libraries and institutions with valuable content and position the House of Wisdom as the go-to place for researchers and academics.

The rare titles include the private library of German Professor Richard Ettinghausen and his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Ettinghausen, which His Highness acquired and donated to How to serve as an invaluable reference on the history of Arab and Islamic Arts.

The library is home to titles written in more than 10 languages, including Arabic, English, German, Persian, Japanese, Urdu, French, Spanish, Turkish, Russian and Italian.

The library’s contents include rare research on arts in the Arab and Islamic world including in Turkey, Iran, India, and Spain, curated by two of the most renowned researchers in Islamic arts and architecture in the world.

Ettinghausen carried out his work on the Islamic collection of Berlin’s Bode-Museum - formerly known as Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum - and taught at the Institute of Fine Art, New York University. In 1938 he was appointed an associate professor at the University of Michigan.

His wife, Elizabeth, was an expert and specialist in Islamic textile and oral arts in the Arab and Islamic world.

A team of specialists at the House of Wisdom is sorting and categorising the collection’s books to be featured at a special exhibition that will be open to researchers, book lovers and the general public, who will be able to view the most prominent works in the collection. These will include high-value manuscripts and publications in various languages on the history of Islamic arts.

Marwa Al Aqroubi, Director of HoW, expressed her gratitude towards the Sharjah Ruler for the donation which enables local and regional libraries to continue providing community members with knowledge sources in various fields.

“Thanks to the unwavering support of His Highness to authors, books and libraries, Sharjah received UNESCO’s prestigious World Book Capital title in 2019, in recognition of the emirate’s status, and its relentless efforts to instil the habit of reading and building individual’s capacities. The House of Wisdom is a true representation of the title and the inspiring vision of Sharjah Ruler,” she said.

WAM