Imprints on time

Mona Al Khanjare traces the origins of Arabic print media in the UAE

The year is 1927 and in the middle of an old dusty market located close to where Sharjah is today, people are gathered around a sun-beaten copy of the Oman newspaper hung on the wall.

Despite the oppressive heat and low literacy rates, a crowd is gathered around – those who don't know how to read rely on those who do to read it to them.

The birth of journalism in the pre-federation UAE can be traced back to the semi-monthly Oman, the handwritten newspaper that was in circulation for a year. The paper's print run extended to five copies – one hung in the market for the general public and others distributed to the publisher's friends and other literate individuals, including Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr bin Khalid Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah from 1924 to 1952.

The UAE's print media has come a long way since those early days. Today, there are six Arabic daily newspapers in the UAE.

Although no copies remain of the Oman, something is known about its history. The newspaper's founder, Ibrahim Al Madfaa, sourced his news from other publications in Egypt, Iraq and Kuwait to incorporate alongside market prices and self-compiled reports of Bedouin and nearby crimes like the stealing of slaves.

Local news of the day also included news of the pearl divers and their travels. Al Madfaa, a political analyst, also wrote about the situation in the country when it was still a colony, about the Italians and the legendary Omar Mukhtar and Palestine during Qawoje and Hussaini days.

Al Madfaa then decided to imitate the popular light-hearted Iraqi newspaper Habz Bouz, whose circulation extended into this area. He came up with the comic newspaper Al Amood (The Column), which was also handwritten and hung in the market square.

Within a few years, another newspaper of the pre-federation UAE was born. Sotul Asafeer (The Sound of Birds) was founded in 1930 by a handful of young men from the Dubai and Sharjah area. Their handwritten daily also absorbed news from other regional publications, but took a strong anti-colonisation stand.

In the 1950s, Musabah Obaid Al Dahre began another newspaper called Nashrat Al Nakhee (The News of Chickpeas). The oddly-named paper was born when Musabah, a chickpeas trader, realised the paper he packed his wares in was very attractive to write on. His first issues, envisioned as a sales tool, detailed the health and fitness benefits of chickpeas. Later on, he started to carry news of weddings, deaths and births and eventually moved on to writing serious news.