Imran Bin Salem Bin Abdullah Al Owais, historian and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award, has passed away on Monday, April 6, 2020. He was 88. He is the father of the late Rashid Bin Imran (may Allah have mercy on him), Sultan Bin Imran, the late Abdullah Bin Imran (May Allah have mercy on him) and Mohammed Bin Imran.
The late historian was born in Sharjah in 1932. He studied at Al Islah School and later at Al Falah School in Dubai before joining an English school in Dubai in 1947. He also took Arabic language and Arabic calligraphy lessons. In 1949, he travelled to India to study at an English school in Mumbai, where he obtained his high school certificate. Moreover, he also studied at the Kuwaiti School in Mumbai, an Arabic-speaking school that was established for Kuwaiti and Arab expats in Mumbai at the time. In 1958, he obtained a diploma in English language from the Higher Institute of Languages in India, after which he returned to the UAE. He embarked on his career in trade, like other members of his family, which qualified him to become a member of the Municipal Council in Sharjah. He also became a board member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The late Imran Bin Salem Bin Abdullah Al Owais was born into a family that worked in the field of pearl trading, travelling and agriculture. However, working in the field of trade did not stop him or other members of his family from pursuing knowledge in other fields such as history, news and genealogy. The late Imran soon became a source of reference for information about the UAE and the Gulf region. Moreover, his command of the English language and the education he received in India also helped him to read and study both Arabic and foreign historical sources as well as the reports of English agents and voyagers.
Furthermore, due to his extensive knowledge of genealogy, lineages and the history of the region, he was appointed as a member of the Heritage and History Committee, which was formed when the United Arab Emirates was established. He later became the deputy head of the Committee and was responsible for the Committee’s bureau in Sharjah.
In addition, the late Imran Bin Salem Bin Abdullah Al Owais was one of the founding members of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award and was appointed as a member of the Award’s Board of Trustees. He was also a former member of the Al Ahli Literary Club (currently known as Al Nasr Club), which was founded in 1945. Moreover, he was one of the founding members of the Cultural and Scientific Association.
Some of the Imran’s writings were published in “Al Diyar Al Umaniyya” journal, which was issued in Sharjah at the first half of 1964. On June 6, 1989, he gave a lecture, titled ‘Features of the Past in Arabian Gulf”, at the Cultural and Scientific Association within the framework of its 1989 cultural season. He was granted the ‘Cultural Personality of the Year’ Award by the Cultural and Scientific Association in 2003, and was also honored by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah at the Sharjah International Narrators Forum in 2017.
