A Portuguese-language edition of Sharjah ruler Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi’s epic history of the Portuguese Empire’s activities in the Gulf and beyond has been launched in Lisbon.
The 21-volume The Portuguese in the Sea of Oman: Annals of History (1497–1757), first published in Arabic, was launched on Friday at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences in a ceremony attended by the Ruler of Sharjah.
The publication documents more than two and a half centuries of events tracing Portuguese activity across the Gulf and the wider Indian Ocean, from their arrival at the end of the 15th century to their withdrawal in the mid-18th century. The series culminates in the fall of the Kingdom of Hormuz, in what is now present-day Iran, the departure of Portuguese forces from Oman and the emergence of British influence in the Gulf.
Jose Luis Cardoso, vice president of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, said the publication offers a different approach to earlier studies of Portuguese presence in the area.
“The other books dedicated to the Portuguese presence are, in essence, descriptive works that map the historical marks left by Portugal in this part of the world,” he said. “This work is fundamentally a collection of carefully selected primary sources, integrated within a chronological framework of events involving the Portuguese between 1497 and 1757.”
He said the structure allows historians to follow political and commercial change year by year, while revisiting the subject through Sheikh Dr Sultan’s extensive use of sources seldom drawn on by historians, including those from captains, officials, travellers, missionaries and navigators.
In his remarks, Sheikh Dr Sultan said the translation reflects a responsibility arising from his relationship with the institution, following his 2013 nomination as the first Arab scholar for membership of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.
“I collected documents related to Portuguese history from the Portuguese archives and dedicated my efforts to studying specialised references, including tracing Portuguese activity in the Indian Ocean,” he said.
“The events recorded show how Portuguese influence declined in the region and was later inherited by the British. This period was marked by hardship and fragmentation, and there was an absence of educational and social institutions."
The launch took place during an official visit to Lisbon, where Sheikh Dr Sultan received the Grand Collar of the Order of Camoes, Portugal’s highest sovereign cultural honour, and toured the Portuguese National Archives.
The visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Portugal and the United Arab Emirates.
The translation is one of many extensively researched works published by Sheikh Dr Sultan. In 2019, several of his books, including his memoirs My Early Life and Taking the Reins, were translated into Spanish during a visit to the Madrid International Book Fair.
A prolific writer, Sheikh Dr Sultan has also authored novels, poetry collections and plays, some of which are set against the backdrop of the Portuguese Empire’s presence in the Gulf. These include the 2018 historical novel Bibi Fatima and the King’s Sons, which follows an ambitious young woman during the final years of Portuguese rule in the Kingdom of Hormuz.
His 2004 novel, Deep-Seated Malice, which chronicles resistance by local tribes against Portuguese troops led by commander Afonso de Albuquerque, was adapted into the 2020 Emirati film Khorfakkan.
Sheikh Dr Sultan said his next book on the subject will be even more expansive.
“In November 2026, at the Sharjah International Book Fair, I intend to release The Portuguese in the Indian Ocean: Events in the Annals from 1507 to 1748. The book consists of 25 volumes dealing with the history of the Portuguese in India, East Africa and a number of Asian countries,” he said.
“I will continue to research and write about everything related to the history of Portugal. And I promise again that the signing of this book will also take place here at this Academy, God willing.”
