WordBinder
Many people are fond of books and manuscripts, collecting them and building up private libraries that are exhibited and preserved like expensive jewellery. President Francois Mitterand apparently had around 3,000 of which he claimed to have read each one. But for one man, books are not a mere hobby or a passion, but rather a dedicated lifestyle. Enter the Emirati businessman, Juma Al Majid and his ‘library’ which is the envy of many reading enthusiasts (myself included).
We are not talking about a regular library. The Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage is as the name suggests a centre. Established in Dubai in 1987, its objective is to facilitate research and studies in Islamic-and universal-thought by gathering precious and rare components of human heritage, promoting cultural cooperation and exchanges of experience and holding various seminars and exhibitions. The centre includes many departments: manuscripts, national heritage, technical processing, information service, preservation, treatment and repair, studies and magazine publication and, finally, financial and administrative affairs.
This unique edifice contains a total of one million books including 200,000 manuscripts (of which 8,500 are original). Major displays encompass: a one thousand old rare copy of the Koran, Al Sahih by Al Bukhari and hundreds of years old political documents including a book by the delegates of Napoleon on Egypt before its invasion. Topics are quite diverse; from Arab and Islamic heritage to politics, economy, physics and chemistry as well as others sciences. Though Arabic remains the dominant language, a plethora of other languages also grace the centre’s shelves: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Persian and even Russian.
There is no discrimination here be it on topic, size, source, religion or opinion. In the event the founder of this mammoth act of preservation does not manage to obtain a given manuscript, his ready-to-go plan B consists of photocopying, preserving and displaying it. Al Majid is known for his utter opposition to censorship. And, surprisingly, the UAE government has bolstered his efforts by granting him the privilege of obtaining censored books, sometimes sending copies to him.
Al Majid’s love of reading began at an early age when he ordered his first book –poetic works from monasteries – from Egypt via India. In addition to the books and documents which Al Majid deployed great efforts and substantial sums to obtain, the centre is home to more than 70 private libraries belonging to Arab thinkers and media moguls, varying in number between 3,000 and 25,000 books – crowned by a library donated by Harvard exceeding 1,000 books. Moreover, the library is preparing to join the digital era and arrangements are being made to transfer copies to CDs, using digital cameras and launching web services through the centre’s website.
In an initiative to enable research and studies, the centre gives open access for visitors to all the documents – even private libraries – free of charge, since it is a non-profit organisation. The project will, undoubtedly, put Dubai on the world literary and cultural map. In a first, UNESCO is dealing directly with Juma Al Majid as an individual breaking with the organisation’s norm of only collaborating with institutions.
Books and manuscripts are not randomly added to the collection, they, in fact, undergo a rather complicated process. When the centre gains property of a book, it receives a makeover by being sent to a workshop for cleaning. There, experts ascertain it is free from insect infestation and that it is appropriate to join the family of books. The newcomer is then bound and registered in a department known as ‘the kitchen’. Each book is given a number according to its topic and some books might require restoration which takes place after registration.
Manuscripts, especially old ones, are meticulously treated and are similarly overviewed. Still, they often require additional restoration, particularly if they are torn, mangled or damaged in other ways. The duration of this process varies according to the condition and length of each document. It includes sterilising the manuscripts, treating them with adequate chemicals, binding according to the date, manufacturing covers and eliminating excessive acidity, breakage, infirmity and dark or blackish colours. The centre is also unique in having created, upon the recommendation of Al Majid, a machine that automatically restores documents and which has been donated to more than 14 countries worldwide.
It is worth mentioning that security is high at the centre – particularly in the manuscript department. Case-in-point, there is a gate that prevents fires from reaching the books and documents for up to four hours. Also, humidity is constantly measured and put in check.
Al Majid’s cultural activities are not limited to the centre. He has contributed to the foundation of charity schools aiming at promoting education. He has also paid special attention to women’s education with the establishment of the Islamic and Arabic Studies College where thousands of GCC girls graduate. Al Majid, additionally, has taken part in many cultural organisations, as founder, chairman and president, such as the Arab Thought Foundation and the Middle East Studies Center in Harvard University. He has earned prizes and medals, including “The Cultural Personality of the Year” in 1992 from Sultan Bin Ali Al Ouwaiss Foundation and “International Personality of the Year 2000 for Culture and Heritage”, an award bestowed by the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
It is rare to meet a person with as varied talents and interests as Juma Al Majid. He is definitely a man full of surprises with his wide knowledge, openness and achievements. Al Majid was born in 1930 but his heart still palpitates with the spirit of youth and in the course of his life, built with efforts and the love of giving, he has certainly carved this exceptional personality – an icon for the Arab world.
He started his life as a young worker escorting his father in summertime pearl fishing trips under the burning sunrays of the Gulf which taught him patience and endurance. His first actual job was as a worker in his uncle’s, Majed Al Ghurair, shop for fabrics before he borrowed a small sum of money from his uncles to open his own shop which became his launching pad. Al Majid dug his own path of success to become a figurehead among Gulf and Arab businessmen with his own group of companies, Juma Al Majid Group, which varies in activity: cars, cement, electronics, shipping to name a few. He has been in many leading positions in various economic bodies such as the Dubai Commerce Chamber and the Central Bank of the UAE even contributing to the foundation of some.
Juma al Majid, a wordsmith in his own right, best describes himself and the many hats he wears. As a businessman, he hope to, “guarantee success for each young [person] opening his own business provided he can work at least a 12-hour shift. To Al Majid, charity is a duty, “Each merchant must donate 10 per cent of his profit to health and education,” he says. But perhaps most telling of all is his dedication to books, for he sees it has a reflection of himself, “It is Juma Al Majid’s responsibility everywhere.” Rabeeh Nasr.
