The President of Portugal awards the Ruler of Sharjah the Grand Medal of the highest sovereign cultural honor in Portugal

The President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, awarded His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the Grand Medal of the Camoes Medal, the highest sovereign cultural honor in the Republic of Portugal. His Highness is the first Arab personality to receive the Camoes Medal, and the sixth in the world. This came during a ceremony held by the Portuguese President for His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, yesterday, at the Presidential Palace in Lisbon, in the presence of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Book Authority, and a gathering of officials, intellectuals and media professionals, where His Highness was celebrated in appreciation of his global standing, as one of the most prominent symbols of culture, thought and civilizational dialogue.

The President of the Republic of Portugal delivered a speech during the ceremony, in which he pointed out that the visit of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah is evidence of the historical ties of friendship and brotherhood that unite the two countries and the two peoples, pointing to the shared personal commitment with His Highness to promote cultural dialogue and build trust and understanding between cultures, stressing his conviction that future generations will recognize cultural diversity as a common public good that constitutes an essential driver for social inclusion.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said: “As we celebrate this year the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and Portugal, I can find no better way to celebrate this occasion than to celebrate your intelligent, bright, and open personality, and also this effort in our relations as peoples and countries, than to honor Your Highness and your precious contribution to intercultural dialogue based on deep dedication to intellectual research, mutual respect, and shared sympathy.”

The President of the Republic of Portugal touched on the long and distinguished relationship that His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah has with Portugal and its cultural institutions and representatives, which is deeply appreciated and a source of great admiration, pointing to the close and exceptional relationship that was established with the University of Coimbra, where His Highness received an honorary doctorate in 2018 from the University of Coimbra in appreciation of His Highness’s scientific, literary, cultural and humanitarian contributions, and to the study of the Portuguese presence in Asia and the Middle East, explaining that the close relationship was further strengthened during the visit. The latter witnessed the opening of the Center for Arab Studies, and the Joanina Library digitization project.

The President of the Republic of Portugal added that in the near future and during next February, Portugal will be the guest of honor at the Sharjah Heritage Days Festival with the participation of a delegation from Portugal led by the Minister of Culture.

For his part, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, in his speech, expressed his happiness with this honor, addressing the significance of the honor and the role of culture in building bridges between peoples. He said: “I am pleased to receive this honor from Your Excellency, and I deeply appreciate it, because of the sincere significance it carries of a country ancient in its scientific and cultural history, and of a people known for their openness and appreciation for science.”

His Highness added, “Every time I stand in Portugal, I feel that I am standing in front of a whole history, which is the history of relations between this country, and between our countries in the Arabian Gulf in particular, and I see through you, through this hospitality, how history can direct its path towards cooperation and construction. And when I look at this history now, I see a past that has been done justice by culture, and I see a present of cooperation built by culture, and I see a future that culture promises us will be as befitting the future of our children, so I am proud that this honor is linked.” “In Arab culture, in the cultural vision of the United Arab Emirates, and in the cultural path followed by Sharjah, a path based on a firm conviction that culture is a need and that its absence is a great cost.”

His Highness thanked the Portuguese Republic for its cooperation with world cultures and its belief in dialogue between civilizations and said: “Thank you for extending your hands to the world’s cultures and knowledge, and because you believed that dialogue between civilizations is not a luxury but a human necessity, and that culture is not an inheritance that we keep, but rather a bridge that we build with others. Our shared cultural and knowledge journey with you continues, God willing, and we are keen to support and develop it to benefit both sides and open to Future generations will have broader horizons for learning and partnership.”

His Highness offered his condolences and deep solidarity with the Portuguese Republic for what happened due to the recent storm that claimed the lives of some Portuguese.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah’s awarding of the Camoish Medal comes in recognition of His Highness’s high-level contributions in the cultural fields and in appreciation of his efforts and continuous role over several decades in supporting and implementing various cultural initiatives and programs at the regional and global levels, which enhance cultural and civilizational exchange, and open horizons of cultural and human convergence and dialogue.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah is the first Arab figure to receive this high award since its issuance, in an honor that reflects a rare international appreciation for an authentic Arab role in formulating a humanitarian cultural project that made knowledge, language and history permanent bridges of understanding between civilizations. His Highness added rare historical works and great creative writings to the humanitarian library, and his cultural project extended from Sharjah to all parts of the world through initiatives in translation, restoration, documentation, honoring intellectuals and creators, and establishing and supporting knowledge institutions. And creativity, Arab and international.

The Grand Camoes Medal is awarded by a sovereign decision of the President of the Republic of Portugal. It bears the name of the Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes, an icon of Portuguese cultural identity, and is dedicated to honoring exceptional personalities who have left a profound impact on human culture and contributed to enhancing dialogue between peoples through language, literature and thought.

The medal is awarded at its highest level in the form of a pendant hung around the neck, a symbolic reference to the rarity of its award and the high status of it, as it is limited to a very few leaders and thinkers whose influence has transcended the borders of their homelands to the broader humanitarian space.

The medal represents international recognition of the cultural achievements achieved by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah through his cultural project that he worked on for more than 50 years, out of belief in the profound role of culture in enhancing communication between peoples, and the contribution of knowledge to achieving development for countries and societies as an element of progress and development, and its documentation of civilizations and their history.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah is a thinker, writer, historian and man of letters who has published nearly… ‎ 200 Many of the publications were translated into 20 foreign languages, and their publications varied in the historical, literary, cultural and theatrical fields, and included important investigations and corrections of historical fallacies. Through his deep research and access to sources such as manuscripts and precious documents, His Highness was able to refute historical fallacies and put the truth in its correct context documented with clear evidence.

This honor embodies the global status achieved by the cultural project that His Highness led over decades, a project that stems from a vision that sees in man the essence and purpose of culture, in language as a tool for deep human communication, and in history as a field for understanding, not exploitation.

Through this project, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah contributed to presenting a contemporary cultural model that makes knowledge a permanent bridge for civilizational dialogue, conscious openness to the world a moral choice and cultural responsibility, and culture a common language spoken by humanity outside the logic of conflict and domination.

The efforts of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah extended to Portugal over the years, through initiatives that focused on supporting academic research and enhancing the presence of the Arabic language in European universities. This path witnessed direct cooperation with ancient Portuguese scientific institutions, most notably the University of Coimbra, where specialized programs and centers in Arabic studies were established, in addition to honoring His Highness academically in recognition of his contributions to history, culture and scientific research. These efforts also included specific projects in the field of preserving the written human heritage, by supporting initiatives to digitize manuscripts. And rare collections in Portuguese historical libraries, and making them available to researchers around the world. These initiatives reflect a clear cultural vision that sees knowledge as a common human heritage, history as a field for mutual understanding, and culture as a practical tool for building sustainable bridges between peoples, which is consistent with the values embodied by the Camoes Medal at its highest levels.