Rewaq of History and Heritage Magazine, issued by Hassan bin Mohamed Center for Historical Studies, celebrates its 10th anniversary. In this occasion, Mr. Mohammed Hamman Fekri, the editor general supervisor, said: “in this month ten years ago, Rewaq of History and Heritage Magazine was launched to be a sound academic platform dedicated to history and heritage, and to bring together promising scholars and researchers in a purposeful academic arena. Throughout a decade, the magazine established itself as a distinguished intellective platform thanks to the published high-level academic research and studies. Had it not been for the informed vision of His Excellency Sheikh Hasan bin Mohammed Al-Thani, founder of the center and the sponsor of this ambitious project; and for his valuable academic research on Qatar’s history, which played a major role in enriching the magazine’s topics in this field, Rewaq of History and Heritage Magazine would not have attained this reputation. I really owe him gratitude, for the magazine has never ceased its issues despite all challenges throughout the decade, rather it continued fulfilling its mission with determination thanks to his support”.
Professor Jamal Hajar adds: “Hassan bin Mohamed Center for Historical Studies gave the name Rewaq of History and Heritage to its academic magazine to be the window from which it overlooks the fields of history and historiography on the one hand, and to attract dedicated historians to contribute their works on the other hand. No doubt that the name of the magazine attracted many dedicated historians and researchers to seek it out and contribute their works on history and heritage. Hence, its pages became a forum for historians, through their sound research, and for readers of history who yearn for knowledge. By doing so, Rewaq magazine efficiently managed to establish interaction between authors and readers, in a give-and-take manner, throughout its first ten years. This is proven by the diversity and comprehensiveness of studies and research works published in the magazine during that period. Within its pages, readers will find various historical and cultural topics that deal with worldwide historical and intellective causes”.
Yousef Al-Abdullah stated that “Rewaq of History and Heritage is not a mere magazine, rather it is a cognitive project that aims at reviving the historical memory and provoking critical thinking in our major narratives. This is through publishing articles that combine profundity and clarity and documentation and vision. Since published its first issue in January of 2016, sponsored by His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed’s Center for Historical Studies, Rewaq of History and Heritage Magazine represented a cultural leap and a significant addition to the cultural life in the State of Qatar. It adopts an academic approach that fosters the historical and heritage aspects in the history of Qatar and the Arab Region as a whole. Rewaq of History and Heritage Magazine is distinguished by its unique method that combines academic accuracy and aesthetics of the narrative. It presents the historical material in a simple language without losing the academic depth. This combination of enjoyment and credibility makes it within the reach of the general reader, without neglecting its methodical requirements, which is rarely achieved by specialized magazines”.
Mustafa Mawaldi states that “Rewaq of History and Heritage is one of the leading magazines in this specialization in the Arab World, in terms of its academic and cultural levels, editing, production, publishing, and introducing research works. It is a refereed biannual academic magazine, supervised and managed by a group of prominent professors who are known for their qualifications and professional experience in issuing high-level magazines. The magazine is characterized by publishing original research works for the first time and meeting all methodical requirements of academic research. The magazine emphasizes academic integrity through providing research works with detailed Arabic and English references and sources. This gives the magazine’s publications their academic credibility. The editorial board subjects contributed research works to private refereeing at the hands of specialists to avoid any scientific or historical fallacy that may occur in a research work”.
Suhail Saban Adds that “this academic magazine publishes research works in Arabic and English. It follows the method of academic scientific magazines whether in refereeing all received research works, committing to publishing deadlines, or in the required technical and academic production. To highlight this aspect, it was mentioned in the introduction of its second issue that ‘in the era of information flow and its spread through various sources of knowledge, the need for the quality of the source and its authenticity becomes a goal sought by information seekers. This is the role played by refereed academic magazines and sought by some academic centers that adhere to original values that govern and regulate academic research.’ By that, the magazine clarified its compliance with academic standards and received wide acceptance from those interested in reading historical material as well as from academists. This promoted the magazine to move forward to continue its historical journey”.
Nasir Ibrahim says that “the published list of subjects shows the magazine’s interest in openness to everything new in the field of humanities. This is what made Rewaq Magazine forms, within a few years, an important platform for Arab researchers. It was not limited to allowing the publication of research works and studies related to Qatar and its historical heritage, or to what is related to its Gulf surroundings, rather it went further to accept original research works on Arabic and non-Arabic writing experiences in a wide variety of knowledge fields, such as history, culture, architecture, the field of critique of orientalism, methodological issues, problematics of text interpretation. It also welcomed critical studies in codicology and cartography. In addition, Rewaq magazine showed interest in studies on the critique of heritage, and it allocated pages to reviews of newly published books and studies. Overall, readers interested in such studies will perceive high-level sound writings that found in Rewaq Magazine an environment of academic freedom, where new ideas and methodologies prevail over all other considerations”.
This is confirmed by Lutfallah Gari when he said, “the praiseworthy role of Hassan bin Mohamed Center for Historical Studies manifests in issuing and sponsoring the refereed periodical Rewaq which managed, from its start until today, to maintain regular publication and to present high quality materials”.
Husam Abdulmu'ti says “Rewaq Magazine is playing a major role in raising historical awareness in the Arabian Gulf region as well as in the Arab cultural arena, for it worked on presenting reliable academic studies based on authentic sources and on manuscripts that have significant impact in highlighting Arab thought through documented academic studies. The magazine also presented many studies that casted light on the stages of development of Arab civilization from the political, social, scientific and intellective perspectives. This allowed a reinterpretation of history from a modern point of view. Hence, many of the articles published in Rewaq have helped in reinterpreting some historical events in a more balanced and profound vision”.
Muhammad Hamza Ismail Al-Haddad adds “a true testimony that demonstrates the importance of this magazine and of the refereed research and studies it issued in history and heritage in the last ten years. The magazine has played a role in enriching the cultural and academic life not only at the Arab and Islamic Worl level, but also at the global level. In fact, it was and still a platform of communication between generations through the continued series of research and studies that cover different aspects of both history and heritage, contributed by many scholars and researchers of various nationalities”.
Finally, Moez Dridi says “Rewaq Magazine aimed at taking us back to those places, without leaving us lost alone in the labyrinths of the past. It represents a bridge, even if it never declared this openly, between an obscure past alluring with mysteries and a present full of the questions of researchers and historians. It provided a great opportunity to welcome the writings, opinions, and visions of researchers, but it warned those who are interested in embarking on the experience of writing that historical and human sciences have their fixed principles; and that publishing within it has strict academic rules. Thus came the challenge and the adventure, and the result was: publishing issues and articles that clarified many obscure aspects of the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf; a space for freedom, creativity and reflection; and a scope that may open different horizons for future generations, who abandoned writing and books to embrace screens and virtual platforms”.
