Archivists, librarians and records managers have an unenviable task of trying to preserve access to our history. But problems exist for countries ravaged by war and a complete lack of interest in doing so. Mankind is its own worst enemy when it comes to preserving many of the important things...including human life.

Gulfnews: Institutions urged to preserve archives

We inspected archives across the UAE ... They were in immense mess ... We did not see rats. We witnessed acts of nature, which dealt some fatal blows to archives .. We also watched the heavy impact of harsh environmental factors, including the lack of controlled climate, accidental fires, and pests and moulds... But I can tell you for sure that humans themselves remained the greatest threat to archives... I witnessed the crime of shredding rare documents, other documents about to perish that were rescued by seeming miracles, or sheer coincidence. I have seen massive destruction of archives, culture and records on a disturbing scale - a TV station destroys its treasures of documentaries and movies that date back to the 1940s ... protocols and agreements to which the UAE is a signatory are on the verge of ruin.

I really cannot say how much of our history and the nation's memory has been destroyed. It will take us sometime before we know for sure the extent of this tragedy.