“Let Them Know She Is Here”: A Journey Through Memory, Sand, and the Women Who Came Before Us
- Enheduana
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
There are moments at book fairs when the noise fades—the rustle of pages, the hum of visitors, even the bright lights overhead—and something quieter, more intimate, rises to the surface. That is what happened this week at the Sharjah International Book Fair when Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi stepped forward to launch her newest work, Let Them Know She Is Here: Searching for the Queen of Mleiha.
This wasn’t just a book launch. It felt more like an unveiling—of memory, of forgotten queens, of the deep undercurrents of identity that connect us to the land and to the women who shaped it long before our time.
A Book Rooted in Soul and Soil
In the foreword, Bodour writes words that stop you in your tracks:
“This book is not just a story. It is a spell, an invocation, a sacred weaving of memory and myth… As I unravel my roots, I unravel my soul.”
It’s rare for a public figure to speak this vulnerably, but that is precisely what makes the book compelling. It is not written from a distance; it is written from inside the experience—from the heart of a woman searching for answers in deserts, mountains, archives, and within herself.
Two Pathways, One Story
The book moves along two intertwined paths.
The first is personal: Bodour reflects on belonging—how land shapes identity, how ancestry becomes a quiet but persistent echo, and how exploring one’s roots can become a journey toward self-understanding.
The second is scholarly: she documents archaeological research, especially discoveries from Mleiha, that reveal a chapter of Arabian history too often overlooked. Coins—known as Abiel coins—suggest that the region once had a dynasty of Arab queens whose names were literally minted into history.
In her pages, Bodour is both the seeker and the scholar.
Women of Power, Women of Sand and Moonlight
The book honors queens whose stories deserve greater light—Zenobia, the Queen of Sheba, the Moon Queens of Saba, Queen Shams, and others. These are women who ruled, led, and shaped civilizations, their influence stretching across centuries and shifting sands.
Through research, travel, and mountaineering, Bodour pieces together a cartographic map of women’s leadership across the Arabian Peninsula—an intellectual and emotional tribute to the region’s matriarchal legacy.
A Bridge Between Memory and Imagination
Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the work is how it merges personal memory with collective history. It reminds us that identity is not something we inherit passively; it’s something we continually rediscover.
In searching for the Queen of Mleiha, Bodour is also searching for the threads of womanhood, heritage, and strength woven through generations.
Why This Book Matters Today
In a world where so much of women’s history has been buried or erased, this work opens a window. It reclaims the stories of Arab queens not as footnotes but as central figures. It invites readers to reimagine history through a different lens—one that values women’s power, intellect, and leadership.
And beyond its historical importance, it carries a universal message:
To understand who we are, we must be willing to journey into the past. Sometimes, what we find there is not just history.
Source: WAM
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