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VISION of the Building of the Royal Academy of Sciences of the United Arab Emirates – the new Hill of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma).

proposed by Professor, Dr. Kaspars Klavins

Project Justification from the Point of View of Cultural History and Scientific Potential of the UAE

Placed at the crossroads of very ancient civilizations, The United Arab Emirates perpetuate a great cultural and historical tradition. The ancient hunter-gatherers and the early agriculturists, prehistoric Ubaidians and the old Sumerians who invented writing, the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians: all of them were linked to the land which today is the grounds for one of the most successful modern states, the UAE.

The UAE holds archaeological findings that date back to more than a million years. In ancient times, this land was the cornerstone of international trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. All the most essential messages of humanity from the deep past relate to the Arabian Gulf: the Great Flood, the legend of a lovely land called Dilmun, the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh and his search of the Tree of Life. The UAE holds prominent material evidence of ancient cultures, which the humanity uses to ask again the major questions about the attitude towards nature and the environment, the possibilities for civilizations to survive, about food, medicines, eating habits, etc.

The cultural and historical as well as scientific and technical potential of the Emirates is a unique source of inspiration for specialists, enthusiasts, politicians, entrepreneurs, tourists and all others who visit this country (let us remember, for example, Masdar City or Zayed Desert Learning Centre).

The modern discoveries in the context of the Arabian Peninsula, the GCC region and the UAE prompt us to reconsider the great historical riddles and, subsequently, allows us to find solutions to the modern problems of ecology, biology and medicine. For example, experts are now starting to revise the assumption that horses were first domesticated in Kazakhstan some 6000 years ago, admitting that this process might have started earlier in the Arabian Peninsula.

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The Kilwa coins, found in North Australia, suggest that Arab sailors – who had settled in East Africa from present day Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Yemen – ‘discovered’ Australia centuries before Captain Cook.

The visitors of the UAE are fascinated and enticed by the traditions of this country’s Bedouins, seamen and traders, whose uniqueness lies exactly in the parallel existence of different areas of human activity. This is evidenced not only by generally known and widely popularised travel destinations, but also by many less known places (for example, the fishing village of Ghagha island, which was a permanent living location over a longer period of time and whose originality could be envied by many European open-air museums, etc.).

Regretfully, lesser informed statesmen, diplomats and business people, who only pay short visits to Abu Dhabi, the administrative and financial metropolis of the UAE, cannot immediately see the cultural, historical and scientific potential of this country. They do not gain a straightforward idea about it after just a short excursion around the city centre. In most cases, they do not have time to visit the many museums of the UAE, its cultural and exhibition centres in Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah etc. Pressurised by the constraints of time, as it happens nowadays, they often cannot even go to Saadiyat Cultural District to see the outstanding exhibitions organized there. Diplomats and business people, who are often, at the same time, influential sponsors of science and patrons of arts in their countries, do not have the opportunities to become acquainted with Masdar City or the unique ideas and projects developed at Zayed Desert Learning Centre. It would be especially important for the visitors of Abu Dhabi to have easy access to possibly varied information about the cultural resources and history of all the United Arab Emirates. Further to the Heritage Village and Qasr Al Hosn, one more information centre, reflecting the entire Emirates, would be vitally important here.

Project Justification from the Point of View of Location

Apart from the already existing places of interest in Abu Dhabi, it would be most important to establish an information centre in the heart of the downtown area, which should be fast and easily

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accessible and reflect the potentials of history, culture and science in the UAE and the GCC region. It could be the destination of visits also during protocol events: for delegations at the highest level (statesmen’s visits etc.).

Project Justification from the Point of View of Historical Tradition

The centres of Arab civilization and culture have always shifted. Just like in Europe, where the role of particular cities, states and regions in attracting cultural values have changed in the course of history, so in the Arab world cultural centres have changed location under the influence of socio-economic processes, military invasions, etc. (Damascus, Baghdad, Al-Andalus, etc.). Culture has always flourished under the best preconditions. However, while changing location, each subsequent centre of the Arab culture has always inherited the centuries old wealth of Arab culture and Islamic civilization. In the long course of Arab history, this transplantation of culture is an organic phenomenon. The very shifting of the centre of civilization has itself become a tradition over the centuries. Today, the UAE capital Abu Dhabi is the evidence that the Arab axis of culture is shifting eastwards towards the Gulf cities.

Project Justification from the Point of View of the Current Situation

Considering that the UAE has now become the cornerstone attracting innovations, sciences, culture and investments from the whole Arab world and the Gulf region, it could become the place for the renaissance of the mega project of the Arabian civilization. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE and the centre which accumulates scientific achievements and cultural values of the entire United Arab Emirates and the whole GCC region, would be the most appropriate place for such project.

Recently, Abu Dhabi has become a global leader in arts. It plans to construct an opera house, a maritime museum and a national museum. Thus, it would be the ideal place for a centre illuminating

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the resources of culture, history and science from the entire United Arab Emirates (and all GCC countries) which could also become a tourism brand and the symbol of identity of Abu Dhabi.

Proposal

The new centre could be the UAE Academy of Sciences.

It could be named Royal Academy of Sciences of the United Arab Emirates.

Justification of the Proposal

At the moment Emirates do not have their own Academy of Sciences.

The House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma) in ancient Baghdad (from the 9th to the 13th century) was a major centre during the Islamic Golden Age. At the same time, it was the place where local and international knowledge was synthesized, systematized and where specific areas of research were supported – it can be regarded as the first academy of sciences in the world.

Bayt al-Hikma combined the functions of information collection, translation, interpretation, research, creation, presentation and popularization of knowledge.

Even though the name of Bayt al-Hikma has also been later used in the countries of the Middle East, it has never matched its initial meaning and mission. There have been separate major projects

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aimed at revitalizing this idea in Arab countries (e.g. in Iraq), but it has not succeeded due to external and internal factors.

Basis of the concept of the building.

Bayt al-Hikma should be an original building designed in line with the traditions of Arab and Islamic culture and it should take an important place among other world-famous landmarks of this country.

Contrary to the many brands of Western architecture adorning the UAE cities, this building could symbolize the specific identity of the Arab culture.

As a result, Bayt al-Hikma would even more attract the attention of international visitors who, when coming to the Emirates, are exactly looking for the local landmarks, typical for the Arab and Islamic civilization.

Completion of the Proposal, Explanation of its Symbolic Message

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

The exterior of the building should be simple and functional, but at the same time it should not be a barely rational structure. On the contrary – it should be spiritually symbolic, 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 the location of spiritual concentration, revelation. The building of the Royal Academy of Sciences that reflects the particular sand hill should match 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 Academy of Sciences 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 Academy of Sciences 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.

- Wisdom emerges as if from a multitude of wisdom sand grains that are brought together, and the Academy’s appeal should be – donation of private investments for a common goal.

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- The two columns at the entrance door symbolise the Emerald Tablet (Tabula Smaragdina). The knowledge symbolised by the Emerald Tablet in the Arab tradition comes from the prophet Idrīs. 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 Royal Academy of Sciences with the inclusion into it of 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 الحكمة

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that have been preserved in an excellent (Bayt al-Hikma) بيتcondition and others images of similar content.

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

- The building could be divided in seven areas: 1) public / prayers, 2) exhibition / virtual museum / museum, 3) conference /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) Department for Research and Archaeology of the Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East and GCC Region; 2) Department for UAE Genealogy, Philology and Linguistics; 3) Department for Environmental Science, Botany and Zoology in GCC; 4) Department for Arab Traditional, Alternative and Herbal Medicine; 5) Department for UAE and GCC History, Folklore and Ethnography; 6) Department for Verification and Promotion of Modern Technologies; 7) Information Centre for Promotion of the Values of the Arab Culture.

- 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)

وقل رب زدني علما

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

- Currently this is only a vision.

Importance of Bayt al-Hikma in the Future

1- The Royal Academy of Sciences may become one of the symbols of unity of the entire United Arab Emirates and promote the unity of the country. The visit of the RAS could be made mandatory for the UAE youth and students in order to strengthen their cultural origins and sense of identity. From this vantage point the RAS would be an inherent precondition of the emiratisation policy. At the same time, the RAS would provide a deeper insight in the Arab (and the Emirates) culture for foreign students. It should be open 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- As a national value, it might become a peculiar Emirates and GCC 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 RAS building could become a bright landmark of Abu Dhabi panorama.

3- 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

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would use depending on their special areas. Bayt al-Hikma could perform such function.

4- RAS should 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. Bayt al-Hikma should also work as a centre presenting a concentrated explanation of all scientific, technological and art achievements of the United Arab Emirates and the cultural and historical heritage of the Arabian Gulf. Also the internationally famous Emirate Book Fairs could be held here.

5- Bayt al-Hikma could also be the main location of Abu Dhabi where foreign scientists and experts are invited, conferences and literary evenings held, as well as discussions with writers, artists, etc. organised.

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 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 بيت ; Bayt 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

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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, 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 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 – the new Hill of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma).