Emirati collector’s slice of UAE history in his own home

The Emirati has boxes full of gold and silver coins, faded bank notes, valuable stamps, expired passports, worn out paper driving licences and even military medals awarded to long dead soldiers.

Ahmed Al Hasawi collects historical artefacts from the UAE. Most of his collection dates from before the union. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

UMM AL QUWAIN // Ahmed Al Hasawi’s home is a veritable treasure chest of UAE history. The Emirati has boxes full of gold and silver coins, faded bank notes, valuable stamps, expired passports, worn-out paper driving licences and military medals awarded to former soldiers.

Most of his collection, which also includes uniforms and traditional outfits, dates back to the days before the formation of the union.

“His Highness Sheikh Zayed, may God bless his soul, said ‘a nation without a past is a nation without a present or a future,’ and this hobby has motivated me to read the history of the UAE,” said Mr Al Hasawi, 35.

“I love my country’s past. Through reading I noticed how the life of our fathers and grandfathers was hard, and I have appreciated what they did.”

The oldest coin in his collection was discovered in the Maliha archaeological site in Sharjah and dates from about 200BC. The rare artefact was a gift from a merchant.

He also owns medals awarded to members of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force and the Dubai Defence Force, which operated before and after the creation of the UAE.

Mr Al Hasawi is unable to put a figure on how much his collection, which he has been adding to since he was 10 years old, is worth, although he does not think twice about spending cash on items of historical importance or items that catch his eye. He once paid Dh45,000 for a set of commemorative UAE coins at auction.

“I don’t mind how much I pay, all I care and think about is collecting,” he said, adding that he aimed to one day be able to display his wares properly in a small museum he intends to build in a room at his home.

“My collectables are all at my place and I want to open a museum to display everything I have collected, to spread culture and be a reference for every amateur like me,” said the Ministry of the Interior employee.

As his collection grows and gets closer to completion, Mr Al Hasawi does not feel satisfied. So, he switches his attention to another subject, and his hunt begins all over again.

“As I am close to finishing the UAE collection, I moved to collect Oman’s currency, which I’ve finished. Now I am collecting Qatari, Saudi Arabian and Bahraini currencies from each nation’s founding to the present time, in addition to Sudan and Egypt.

“Besides all this, I have a complete set of local stamps from before and after the union as well as a collection of old telephones used from 1980 to 2000 in the UAE.”

Although notes and coins are an important part of keeping in touch with the history of a country and a region, they only represent one element of the past. With this in mind, Mr Hasawi branched out to gather more personal items such as clothing and even perfumes, to reflect the everyday lives of Emiratis.

“I have Emirati outfits dating back more than 50 years and perfumes, cosmetics, accessories from my family, and items obtained at auctions and souqs,” he said.

Collections such as Mr Al Hasawi’s, while invaluable, are not uncommon. Abdulghani Bahlooq, who lives in Ajman, has hundreds of official documents chronicling births, deaths and marriages of citizens dating to 1927.

Speaking earlier this year, Mona Abdullah Abdul Hadi, a senior specialist at Abu Dhabi National Archive, said it is essential to preserve historic items, particularly those from a time before official statistics were collected.