His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on Wednesday morning launched Al Qawasim application and digital platform, dedicated to documenting the history of Al Qawasim family. The launch took place at Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.
Emphasis on family ties and social cohesion
The Ruler of Sharjah stressed the importance of documenting lineage and maintaining family ties, highlighting their vital role in strengthening social cohesion. He cited the Hadeith Shareef emphasising that maintaining kinship brings blessings in life, clarifying that extending life refers to divine guidance in making good use of it, rather than increasing the number of years.
Role of lineage in building a strong society
His Highness explained that kinship strengthens relationships among people, bringing individuals closer together and contributing to a unified and cohesive society. He noted that documenting lineage is a divinely established principle that benefits society as a whole, not just individuals.
Support for documentation efforts
The Ruler of Sharjah expressed his readiness to support all efforts aimed at documenting lineage, drawing on his knowledge, expertise, and extensive connections. He noted that such initiatives enhance communication, compassion, and social solidarity among people.
Promoting values across generations
His Highness emphasised the importance of maintaining communication among family members and raising future generations on strong moral values, commitment to prayer and worship, and good character, reinforcing the role of the family in building a cohesive society.
Overview of the digital platform
The Ruler received a detailed briefing on Al Qawasim application and platform, which documents the family’s history in a modern format combining scientific accuracy, ease of access, and clarity within an integrated digital environment.
Advanced features and user experience
The platform offers an advanced visual model of the family tree through a unified interface, allowing users to trace family branches and navigate between generations smoothly. It also provides flexible viewing, zooming, and tracking options, transforming data into a clear and engaging knowledge experience.
Interactive sections and search functions
The platform includes several sections such as an interactive family tree, a complete family tree, and individual profile pages. It also offers multiple search options, including searching for individuals, conducting individual profile searches, and exploring relationships between two individuals.
Digital “Lineage Certificate” feature
His Highness reviewed the “Lineage Certificate” feature, a verified digital certificate for each individual showing their lineage within Al Qawasim family tree, based on accredited scientific references. He also viewed electronic versions of his publications used as key sources including “The Decisive Distinction in the Lineage and History of Al Qasimi Family”, “History of Alqawasim” and “Kinship Index”.
Historical significance of Al Qawasim Family
Al Qawasim family is among the most prominent historical families in the Arabian Gulf, having played influential political, social, and economic roles across successive eras, shaping the region’s history and identity.
Commemorative gesture and team recognition
The Ruler of Sharjah received a commemorative gift from His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, representing a lineage tree tracing back from Ali bin Abi Talib to Sultan bin Saqr I and onward to His Highness. He also greeted the project team, praised their efforts, and took group photos with them.
Objectives of the platform
The platform aims to strengthen family ties among extended families, reinforce connections between generations, and document Al Qawasim family history through a structured, source-based approach. It also seeks to enhance awareness of historical and social identity, support researchers, enable community engagement, and ensure the sustainability of historical content in a digital environment.
A step toward digital transformation
The project represents a digital extension of long-standing scholarly efforts in documenting lineage and history in Sharjah. It transforms traditional records into an integrated knowledge system that allows efficient browsing, searching, and interaction, supporting digital transformation while preserving identity.
Advanced digital infrastructure and knowledge integration
Al Qawasim application and platform are built on transforming lineage data into a structured digital database that is continuously updatable. This enables the creation of an interconnected knowledge network linking individuals with relevant historical contexts, within a flexible digital environment that is scalable and adaptable for future development. This represents a qualitative shift from traditional archiving to a fully integrated interactive digital model that balances the accuracy of scientific documentation with enabling engagement and participation in a comprehensive manner.
Cutting-edge technical architecture
The platform relies on advanced technical base, including an organised and expandable digital database, modern interactive user interfaces designed for ease of use, and a seamless, highly dynamic browsing experience. It also features intelligent linking between data and familial and historical relationships, integrated multimedia support, and a balanced model that combines scientific documentation with community interaction, alongside the application of appropriate standards to ensure data protection and privacy.
Attendees
The event was attended, alongside Their Highnesses, by Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority; Sheikh Dr Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Ruler’s Office; Sheikh Khalid bin Issam Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Department; Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations; Sheikh Majid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Districts Affairs Department; Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Charity International; Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Archives; and Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council.
Also in attendance were Sheikh Saeed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Deputy Chairman of the Ruler’s Office in Khorfakkan; Sheikh Haitham bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Deputy Head of the Office of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in Kalba; Sheikh Saud bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Director General of Sharjah Digital Department; Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director General of Rubu’ Qarn for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators; Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah International Airport Authority; Sheikh Salem bin Mohammed bin Salem Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; Sheikh Eng. Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Majid Al Qasimi, Director of the Department of Municipalities Affairs; Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Director of the Finance Department; Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab Parliament for Child ; and a number of senior officials.
