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VISION of the Building of the National Library of the United Arab Emirates proposed by Professor, Dr. Kaspars Klavins

1) Introduction

- The United Arab Emirates National Library (founded in 1981) is vitally in need of an original building that would be designed in line with the traditions of Arab and Islamic culture and that would take an important place among other landmarks of this country that are world-famous. The library building would largely improve the international prestige of the UAE, taking into account the publicity that the UAE investments in exactly this kind of educational, scientific and information complex would attract. Such prestige would be huge not only in the Arab countries, but all over the world. The existence of not only the National Library but also a presentable building is an integral part of the nation’s culture. Arabs used to be famous with their libraries all through the civilised world. In libraries scientific and belles-lettres works were created, collected, translated and promoted. This tradition should be restored in the UAE!

- At the same time the building could be a place for the UAE Academy of Sciences. This would be in line with an ancient Arab tradition which could be renewed. The House of Wisdom (Arabic: ; بيت الحكمة Bayt al-Hikma), which existed in Baghdad from the 9th to 13th centuries and combined the functions of information collection, translation, interpretation, research, creation and presentation, was not just a library or institution. Actually, it was the first Academy of Sciences in the world. Today, despite the achievements in science and the arts, the Emirates do not have their own Academy of Sciences. Let the Emirates Hill of Wisdom become the sequel of the House of Wisdom (Arabic: بيت الحكمة; Bayt al-Hikma) of the ancient Baghdad!

2) Basis of the concept of the building

The name of the building could be the Hill of Wisdom Bayt) بيت الحكمة al-Hikma)

- The exterior of the building should be simple and it is functional to suit the functions of the library, but at the same time it is not a barely rational structure. On the contrary – it is spiritually symbolical, making one to sense the completeness of the universe given by Allah. At the same time, knowledge is the way to the God that makes one to understand and enjoy the diversity of what the begetter has given.

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- It is essential that the building should magically blend with the environment in the same way that the past blends with the present. They both reflect one another through accentuating the beautiful reliefs of the one and the subtexts of the other.

- The building could be like a sand hill in the desert, created by the wind, with a hidden treasury of intellectual resources, like a cave in the rock hides treasures. These are not only material treasures, but also intellectual values. A hill, a rock cave is a symbolically understandable concept in the Arab tradition. It is location of spiritual concentration, revelation. The building of the National Library that reflects the particular sand hill matches the desert landscape of the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, such concept stresses the superiority and beauty of the god-created nature over any formation created and constructed by the man. Since the library should stand for the unity of the country, all tones of sand characteristic to the Emirates may be worked into the building as a confirmation of identity.

- At the same time, the sand hill symbolises the closeness of the Arab ancestors – ancient Bedouins – with the nature and the deep knowledge of all aspects of nature that in their unity represent the explanation of the world created by Allah. Also, the similarity of the library to a natural formation stands for the ecological, environmentally friendly appeal by Islam to treat with care the natural resources given by the God. This corresponds to the UAE strategy of developing nature-friendly knowledge and technologies by creation of an alternative wisdom base for the mankind.

- The latest environmentally friendly technologies should be used for the construction of the building.

- Wisdom emerges as if from a multitude of wisdom sand grains that are brought together, and the library’s appeal should be – donation of private book and manuscript collections for the needs of this one huge library that is available to residents, students and scientists. At the same time it is also appeal to purchase from any threatened collections in the world books and documents that are important for the history of Arab culture with an aim to store them in one well-organised and protected location.

- According to my proposal the two columns at the entrance door symbolise the Emerald Tablet (Tabula Smaragdina). According to an Arab legend they are

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emerald columns from the Pyramid of Cheops, bearing inscriptions of the words of wisdom. The knowledge symbolised by the Emerald Tablet in the Arab tradition comes from the prophet Idrīs, who journeyed to Saturn in order to bring to earth the science of the heavens. At the same time, from the point of view of Islam this means that the wisdom concentrated in the library is not only a human form of knowledge, but a science revealed to the prophet Idrīs, regarding which it is stated in the Holy Qur’an in verse 19: 56-57: “Mention, in the Book, Idrīs, that he was truthful, a prophet. We took him up to a high place”.

- The motif of Idrīs (Hermes Trismegistus) is also important from the intercultural perspective, taking into account its former popularity in Europe (and in the West in general). It became known to Europeans in the Middle Ages only due to the Arab composition, after the translation of which into Latin Emerald Tablet was perceived as the symbol of the deepest wisdom in the West.

- Thus, the construction of the building of the United Arab Emirates National Library with the inclusion into it the motif of the Emerald Tablet demonstrates the importance of the Arab wisdom in the genesis of the entire modern civilisation and invite for cooperation modern scientists from all over the world, thus also facilitating the cooperation between the Eastern and Western science. Emerald Tablet has been depicted differently in Europe (as an engraving on a rock, etc.). The image of this rock could be used in the design of the central hall of the library.

- Images of ancient libraries, books and manuscripts or scholars could be used for the interior decoration of the building as well. The Arab material would be of high importance there, for example, the interior images of the Ancient Baghdad بيت الحكمة (Bayt al-Hikma) that have been preserved in an excellent condition and others images of similar content.

- It is very important that the building is illuminated at night.

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- The building could be divided in seven areas: 1) public / prayers, 2) conference / exhibition, 3) reading, 4) storage, 5) staff, 6) technical base and 7) hall of the UAE Academy of Sciences. The parameters of the building depend on its location and how it blends with the landscape, therefore they may change in different circumstances. The location is of utter importance for this project and everything else depends exactly on it.

- There could be seven departments in the library storage facilities. Such division also bears a symbolic meaning (in Islam the number seven is very special. There are in total seven United Arab Emirates). Each department could be devoted to a certain subject. For example: 1) Scientific Information Department (including law); 2) Technological Information Department (including architecture); 3) Department of Modern Arab and World Literature; 4) Department of History, Arts and Music; 5) collection of ancient writings and bibliographic rarities; 6) Information Centre for Promotion of the Values of the Arab Culture; 7) department of children and youth education resources.

- Above the entrance into the building there could be an inscription – a quote from the Quran urging to acquire knowledge: "My Lord! Enrich me with knowledge…" (Quran, 20:114)

ا ل م� ع� ب� و�ق�ل ز�د ن�ي ر�

- The building must be ready for the World Expo 2020.

- Currently this is only a vision. Therefore, if the authorities accept it, there is an exclusive possibility to study the biggest library projects elsewhere in the world to learn from their mistakes and success and to take over only the best practices for the United Arab Emirates to be adjusted to the local traditions. For this purpose a special working group will be necessary within the scope of the new project. As a result, complete information could be obtained regarding the best construction materials, the latest environmentally friendly technologies, technical solutions and planning issues for the building.

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3) Importance of the building in the future

1- The library may become one of the symbols of unity of the entire United Arab Emirates and promote the unity of the country. The work at the National library could be made mandatory for the UAE students in order to strengthen their cultural origins and sense of identity. From this vantage point the National Library would be an inherent precondition of the emiratisation policy. At the same time, the library would provide a deeper insight in the Arab (and the Emirates) culture for foreign students. The library could be open and available to everybody – the citizens of the Emirates and foreign specialists who would like to do research here and would come here specifically for that purpose.

2- Library should also work as an exhibition centre, presenting a concentrated collection of all scientific, technological and art achievements of the United Arab Emirates, ensuring that each Emirate has its own stand.

3- As a national value, it might become a peculiar Emirates brand that would be represented on postcards, commemoration coins, etc. and also attract attention of tourists. As a result of a good positioning within the landscape the library building could become a bright landmark of Abu Dhabi panorama.

4- The many universities and their branches that have been recently founded in the United Arab Emirates prove the orientation of the country towards the knowledge society and moral values. Nevertheless, all these universities need a single common scientific research centre that they all would use depending on their special areas.

5- The famous world libraries are also scientific research institutes, in which cultural heritage is surveyed and studied, foreign scientists and experts are invited, conferences and literary evenings, as well as discussions with writers and artists etc. are organised. Also the internationally famous

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Emirate Book Fairs could be held here). Ancient books and manuscripts are not merely stored, they are intensively studied, repeatedly published, digitalised, etc. From the vantage point of preservation and promotion of the important culture resources of the nation it is very important not to scatter them but rather keep concentrated in one particular place. Such building would provide for the possibility to concentrate culture resources and facilitate awareness of the UAE National Library at the international scale, along the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, Bodleian Library in Oxford, National Library of Sweden, Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel in Germany, the Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome or Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt.

6- At the same time, the building could also house the Information Centre for Promotion of the Values of the Arab Culture. There is a need for one particular, presentable centre that would assume the main role in the world in the collection, recording, digitalisation, translation and promotion of the Arab culture historical heritage in cooperation with all world libraries and research centres that store the values of Arab culture. There is also the need for a coordination centre of a global scale to confute the myths and stereotypes created all over the world in regard to the Middle East history and Arab culture. The Emirates could undertake the leading role in this regard due to their technological, scientific and financial resources.

7- With a proud reference to the House of Wisdom (Arabic: الحكمة ;بيتBayt al-Hikma) built in Baghdad in the 9th century, which contained a synthesis of the then humanitarian and exact sciences, the United Arab Emirates could be the right place for the first national Academy of Sciences of a Gulf Region Arab country. From all the Arab countries, Academies of Sciences currently exist only in Lebanon (Lebanese Academy of Sciences) and in Jordan (the Islamic World Academy of Sciences – IAS). In UAE, this institution, in the new context of global scientific cooperation, would include certain fields of research which are unique in the Emirates (including its own cultural-historic heritage, folklore, its unique environmental experience, technological achievements, etc.), thus creating its own tradition of national science. The historical experience of the best examples in the world could be studied in this connection, including Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres and Académie des sciences in France, Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften ( the Leopoldina) in Germany, Royal Society of Arts in United Kingdom or the Russian Academy of Sciences. Considering the status of such institution, it should certainly be in the capital Abu Dhabi. At the same time, in line with the tradition (the link between the establishment of

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ancient Academies of Sciences with the rulers of absolute monarchies), the new UAE Academy of Sciences could be named Royal Academy of Sciences of the United Arab Emirates, and the most appropriate place for it would be the building of the National Library – the new Hill of Wisdom.