Ghaith’s project preserves the history of the AlSiri family, a lineage tracing its UAE roots to 1800 AD and descended from the Al-Qemzi tribe
Ghaith AlSiri has spent over a year documenting his family’s legacy from 1828 to the present day, covering more than 300 family members. He spent six months just painstakingly translating the source code of family tree software.
Last month, he was awarded the prestigious Best Family Heritage Documentation Award for his work at the Erth Dubai Awards by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
But the journey, he admits, was fraught with doubts.
“When my cousin asked me to do this task, I said, ‘Why should I make a family tree?’” Ghaith recalls. Then, everything changed when his own daughters Shamsa and Wadeema were born.
“We used to go to family gatherings, and my daughters would ask me about close relatives like my brother’s son. And I said to myself: If my daughter doesn’t know my brother’s son, then there is a problem.”
Labour of love
That moment ignited a painstaking labour of love. “I started entering the data as soon as I got the documents from my cousin,” he said. “I was surprised by the amount of documents and photos the family members had. I decided this has to be on a platform so the rest of the family can see it.”
With only basic experience in website development, Ghaith found a family tree programme. But it was in English. Undeterred, he spent six months translating the website’s source code to produce it in Arabic.
The journey became far more than data entry.
“Most of the information came from the elderly among my family members,” he said. “It strengthened the bond between me and them. I started communicating with them more regularly, and I felt a stronger family tie. Discussions would happen: Who is this person? How are we related? It helped me understand my family on a deeper level.”
The AlSiri family
Ghaith’s project preserves the history of the AlSiri family, a lineage tracing its UAE roots to 1800 AD and descended from the Al-Qemzi tribe.
Notably, family members were entrusted with managing the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s historic farm in Al Khawaneej for over five decades, a farm that was recently declared a national landmark.
The Erth Awards, which received over 25,000 submissions, honour those preserving Dubai’s living memory. Others who were honoured at the event included Nasser Al Serkal and the institution Uncle’s Shop.
Speaking at the event, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, noted that “whoever does not document their legacy will be forgotten by time.”
According to Ghaith, the recognition validated his mission. He now hopes to inspire others to document their own family stories. He added that his work is far from over.
“Until today, I am still adding family members,” he said. “There was a marriage recently, my brother Saeed’s daughter’s. Newborns, too. And my own addition in November, my newborn daughter Hessa, was the last addition along with the newborns. The journey is still ongoing.”
