The University of Coimbra in Portugal, one of the world’s most prestigious universities, awarded His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, with an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa Doctorate Degree) in recognition of his efforts for supporting culture, literature and history on local and international fronts.

His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, was also honoured in appreciation of his fostering and developing the emirate as a platform bringing global cultures together, and establishing new frontiers of respect and tolerance through diversity and appreciation of differences.

The University of Coimbra described His Highness as "the man who brings cultures together" via his unparalleled efforts and achievements in many fields such as culture, history and literature. Through these achievements, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad unveiled a series of significant historical facts on the historic relationships between numerous nations, and how they developed over time.

The University of Coimbra underscored that awarding His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah with an Honorary Doctorate represents the recognition of a symbol for human cultures, who played a critical role in strengthening the fabric of cultural relationships between nations.

During the ceremony, the University of Coimbra commended the role of His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, in promoting culture, supporting intellectuals, arts and theatrical performances in the Arab world. The university expressed their appreciation of the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi aimed at protecting the global human cultural legacy regardless of its location and intellectual or ideological indications.

The University of Coimbra pointed out that under the directives of His Highness, Sharjah has become an incubator of the world’s most important humanitarian and cultural events, and they commended the literary, cultural and historical publications written by His Highness, highlighting that they attribute value to the Arabic and world literature.

The Ruler of Sharjah has published an array of literary, historical and theatrical works, such as ‘Tale of a City’, ‘Under the Flag of Occupation’, ‘The Conflict between Power and Trade in the Gulf (1620-1820)’, ‘Economy of the Emirates of Arabian Coast in the 19th Century’, ‘Selected Speeches’, ‘About the Theatre’, (Nashij Al Wada’), ‘A Message to the Theatre People’, as well as a number of plays, such as ‘Daesh wal Ghabra’, ‘Aliyaa and Osam’, ‘The Black Stone (Al Hajar Al Aswad)’, ‘Turgot’ and ‘Alexander the Great’, among others.