Dubai: An Emirati man has opened to the world his private collection of ancient manuscripts and artefacts from different civilisations 30 years in the making.
“If they have Toys R Us, we have Weapons R Us,” Ahmad Obaid Al Mansoori told Gulf News in jest during an exclusive tour of his newly opened museum called Crossroads of Civilisations Museum at the Shindagha Heritage Area.
As the name suggests, the 17,000-square-foot little castle by the Dubai Creek houses at least 875 pieces from different civilisations that passed through Dubai and the region centuries and even thousands of years ago.
The collection is Al Mansoori’s most treasured possessions painstakingly collected for over 30 years. It is believed to be the largest private collection of artefacts from different civilisations on public display in the UAE.
Al Mansoori, a Federal National Council member, said among the rare pieces include a 7,500-year-old bull-shaped vase crafted during the Ubaid civilisation between 3,000BC and 3,800BC, the first English translation of the oldest documentation of the Arabian Gulf published in 1601, musical pieces from the time of Beethoven, and many others.
During the visit, Al Mansoori reserved one item as the tour’s highlight — the first original print of a book published in 1589 that first recorded the modern names of the cities and islands of the UAE. The book, which was from the private collection of a certain duke of Venice, was Italian jeweller Di Gasparo Balbi’s historical account of “Dibei” [now Dubai] when he came to the region in search of pearls. There are only 20 prints around the world, most of which are found in Japan.
“This is the first mention of the name Dubai on an international source. This is very important as a document also. There was one Dutch copy printed in 1700, but this is the earliest one.”
Al Mansoori’s passion for the bygone era started at age six when he was exposed to his grandfather’s collection of artefacts at his house by the creek. At age 19, he started collecting his own pieces, along with a few inherited ones from his father and grandfather.
Al Mansoori said all his collections had been tested and carbon-dated by experts, acquired through legal channels, and registered internationally.
Al Mansoori, however, remained tight-lipped as to how much he has spent on his entire collection. He said he makes ways whenever the cash goes low and an important artefact needs to be acquired.
“One time, I sold my car to buy an [artefact]. I value my collection a lot. If you think about it, if you buy the most beautiful car, after 100 years, will this add value to the country? But when you buy a manuscript, when you put it here, it goes a long way and adds value to history, to the country, and will reflect about the culture.”
Al Mansoori said he wants to share his collection with the public by opening the museum in order to communicate the history of the world under one roof.
“I always believe that whatever I have is one small piece in a puzzle or a mosaic painting and we’re completing that. If you share what you have and I share what I have, we will have better understanding of history. And if we understand history, we can have a better world to live in.”
