Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, founder and CEO of Kalimat Group and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, unveiled her latest book, ‘Let Them Know She Is Here: Searching for the Queen of Mleiha’, at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025).
In the book’s foreword, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi explains: “This book transcends mere storytelling. It is a spellbinding invocation, a sacred tapestry of memory and myth. It unravels my deep-seated roots, intertwined with spirit, sorrow, yearning, and love. As I uncover my roots, I lay bare my soul—following the footsteps of those before me, whose echoes linger in the sand and wind.”
The book is structured in two parts, integrating personal narrative and research. The first part shares her reflections on life, land, and self-discovery, exploring themes of belonging, culture, and heritage, as she seeks the essence of human existence and its ties to identity.
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The second section delves into scientific research on matriarchal kingdoms in the Arabian Peninsula, especially Mleiha. It draws on archaeological findings and intriguing artefacts like the Abiel coins, which hint at a dynasty of Arab queens depicted on currency unearthed in Mleiha. This book is published by Rewayat, Kalimat Group’s literary imprint.
The narrative embarks on an intellectual and experiential quest to explore cultural identity through travel, mountaineering, and specialized archaeological studies. It examines Mleiha’s history and rich local culture, reflecting its varied social and cultural heritage.
Through this journey, Sheikha Bodour intertwines personal and collective memories with scientific research, highlighting the historical role of Arab women, as seen in female-led kingdoms of various periods.
The book showcases notable Arab queens, including Queen Zenobia, the Queen of Sheba, the Moon Queens of Saba, and Queen Shams. It proposes a cartographic map of these queens and their kingdoms across the Arabian Peninsula, offering a scholarly and cultural perspective to revisit Arab history.
Alongside excavated artefacts, ancient Arabic literary and poetic texts, such as those by Al‑Mutanabbi and Abu Nuwas, are contrasted with global voices like Federico Lorca and Joseph Campbell. Sheikha Bodour also references religious texts and Sufi heritage to enrich the book’s content.
