Sharjah's House of Wisdom, much more than just a library
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and perhaps the first if we are talking about culture, at least that is the claim. The House of Wisdom is yet another example of Sharjah's quest for cultural prestige. An architectural jewel bearing the stamp of the famed Foster-Partners studio, it is not even five years old.
From afar, the first thing that catches the eye is its 15-metre wide cantilevered floating roof and its fully glazed façade. Glass that can be made opaque according to taste, the moment or the need for clarity at the time. Sun and shadow in a magical play of light that invites you to enter to discover what is hidden in the different corners of this two-storey building, apart from the more than one hundred thousand books that guard its shelves. Yet another treasure to be added to the advantages offered by digitalisation.
Modernity and tradition are entangled, in the gaze, in these books that contain so much knowledge. A yesterday printed in numerous languages that fill the place with richness and capture the gaze of those who come to the House of Wisdom; and a today that does not resist technology, that embraces this digitised world that in seconds makes you search and gives you answers, that shows you magazines, newspapers, documents in the blink of an eye. A fusion that makes us think that perhaps the traditional is not so much at odds with progress, the old with progress. Past and present embraced to show us tomorrow.
On entering the House of Wisdom, and after leaving behind the green lawn, it is impossible not to stop and look at all sides. Seconds of silence to let your gaze linger on the details, the lights, the space, the architecture, the nature, the creativity... And your senses explode. The space conquers you, its amplitude, its height, its stairs, its uncluttered style in which culture, intelligence and passion for writing are housed. Getting lost, that is one of the desires that crosses your mind when you enter this beautiful library; you would also like to be able to stop time so that every moment is your own, without limit, without haste. To soak up so much knowledge, so much desired solitude in this silent atmosphere.
We look and it seems that they also look at us. It is the image of the Persian mathematician and astronomer Mohamed ben Musa al Khawarizmi, who around 820 was head of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, a cultural temple that came to be compared with the Library of Alexandria, and which was destroyed in 1258 by the Mongols. Considered the father of algebra, we owe to Al Khawarizmi the now so recurrent algorithms, for by Latinising his name he became Algorithmi, and also numeration as we know it, since his studies in this field contributed to the replacement of Roman numerals by Arabic numerals in the West in the 12th century. And there he is to welcome us to this great cultural centre, to invite us to enjoy a curious stroll in which art, imagination, intellectuality and life go hand in hand, wrapped in knowledge.
The power of books
In the centre, a small courtyard has been designed, full of light and plants where you can breathe serenity, where the hours hide in any corner while you enjoy a good read. Around it, there are two gardens: the so-called garden of knowledge in which there is a beautiful spiral sculpture in white with a height of thirty-six and a half metres called The Scroll, the work of the artist of Indo-British origin Gerry Judah; and a second garden whose beauty is the protagonist of its water jets in line.
It is said that Gerry Judah's sculpture alludes to ancient Arabic scrolls and is intended to show the love of reading and the power of books as a symbol of unity. And if this emirate, Sharjah, is famous, not only in the rest of the emirates, but throughout the Arab world, it is precisely for its determination to be known as the great centre of culture, a race towards the goal that it is achieving with many triumphs along the way and with the sum of many efforts.
Its commitment is strong and convincing, as demonstrated by the investments made in cultural matters, the more than twenty museums that can be visited in Sharjah, from the Heritage Museum to the Calligraphy Museum and the Museum of Islamic Civilisation, and the events and activities that are organised, such as the Contemporary Art Fair, the International Book Fair, the Children's Reading Fair, the International Film Festival for children and young people, the Islamic Arts Festival... It is no exaggeration to say that the air one breathes smells of culture.
The efforts of this emirate, governed by the Al Qasimi family, have undoubtedly been rewarded, as it can boast three prestigious titles: Cultural Capital of the Arab World (1988), Capital of Islamic Culture by UNESCO (2014) and World Book Capital by UNESCO (2019). It was precisely upon receiving the latter title that the ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed al Qasimi, conceived of the House of Wisdom and commissioned its construction to be the ‘living legacy’ of this important title.
A glimpse into the future
But let's continue walking through this library, located ten kilometres from the city, which is not limited to being a simple place to study and consult books, but an interesting corner where you can learn, study, research, attend very different events, hold meetings, participate in workshops, enjoy exhibitions, pray, exchange ideas or learn languages such as Japanese or even Spanish, an initiative launched last summer with the Catholic University of Murcia, lessons presented under the name ‘Wisdom Talks’.
And for this emirate there is also another great objective: the education of children and young people, because they are the generation of the future and must not only be very well prepared but also thoughtful. So they become the focus of many of its major attractions and initiatives. But the aspiration is even greater, for in the words of the then executive director of the House of Wisdom, Marwa Al Alqroubi, the aim is also to ‘empower successive generations to become global citizens capable of building bridges to create a harmonious world and to share the richness of our Arab culture with those they meet along their journey’. So let us travel and exchange cultural ties.
As we walk through this curious 12,000 square metre building, we discover interesting nooks and crannies. If we go upstairs, we find a part of the building for women only, which is called the Women's Diwan. Silence reigns, as it does almost everywhere in this special place. There, many young women read quietly; others take the opportunity to study. Perhaps that is why the camera does not go unnoticed and some of them kindly ask us not to take it out. Request granted.
Upstairs, there are also areas for exhibitions, such as a display of illustrated books from many countries, quiet rooms, meeting spaces and, of course, a place for prayer. The majority of Emiratis are Muslims, so five times a day they are required to spend a few minutes in prayer. It is beautiful to hear the call to prayer from the minarets of the mosques when you are on the street. Watching people with their rugs under their arms as they hurry to the nearest mosque where they leave their shoes at the entrance.
Time to pray and time to have a coffee or eat in the cafeteria, another part of this cultural space which, needless to say, does not forget the little ones for whom they have also designed concrete, comfortable and fun spaces where they can read and take advantage of these workshops in which they can learn and develop the skills that will help them in the near future to build a better world.
Binding and printing
But the Sharjah House of Wisdom is more than that. It also has a small room with its binding and printing machines, the Book Printing and Packaging Room, where users can publish their own books or other digital books if authorised by the library itself. And as we have already said that the traditional meets the modern, there is also the latest technology in 3D printing and laser cutters, material that we see in the so-called Al-Jazari Laboratory for innovative projects.
Not to be forgotten either is the space dedicated to the collection of rare books and other carefully guarded literary gems such as the library of the German-American historian specialising in Islamic art, Richard Ettinghausen, a private collection that was acquired by Dr Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qasimi and subsequently donated to the House of Wisdom.
Bookcases, long corridors, nooks and crannies, large windows, plants, seats on the wall, unique reading points, those stairs... One last look at this beautiful House of Wisdom, at the symbolism it contains, the treasures it holds, the positive energy one feels, its borderless shelves full of words, the light that pours in from all sides, the peace that settles in this inner courtyard, in those individual seats so discreet and solitary with those views towards Gerry Judah's sculpture... One last look to soak up knowledge, to take a little of its serenity and beauty.