London – A. S. Shakiry
My decision to publish a German-Arabic edition of Islamic Tourism alongside the other English, Spanish and French editions is the result of an accumulation of 50 years memories of travels in Germany. They remained deeply engrained in my mind.
My first voyage took place in 1955, following an invitation by Bayer Company for a training course in the chemistry of the rubber industry and the use of rubber in making sports shoes, belts and other articles. Rubber was the second material, after leather, in these goods. At that time there were no plastic products derived from oil, such as PVC and polyethylene, which replaced rubber. But the science of rubber production provided a strong technological base for plastic products and their derivatives.
Bayer’s invitation meant an all expenses paid trip to Germany. I was invited to this training course, because I decided to create a production facility for manufacturing rubber shoes. Thus, many trips followed each with its objectives and prospects embracing the technical, economic and managerial aspects of this industry and additional activities. The most significant visits related to specialized exhibitions.
In spite of the industrial objectives of these trips and the hard work required, they were also tourist travels, resulting in increased happiness, confidence and knowledge. Obviously, work was not the only thing in life: there were holidays during the courses and spare time between business appointment and exhibitions. And there were also periods of long stays, because of the unstable situation in Iraq, from which I benefited scientifically and economically. I also enjoyed Germany’s numerous tourist attractions and sites.
My fifty years of trips to Germany is a concrete example of other travels in Europe and elsewhere. My memories in countries such as Great Britain, Italy, France and Czechoslovakia, are no less important than those of Germany. I have lived in Great Britain for 25 years. It is the base for my comings and goings to professional shows in Europe and elsewhere. I was the editor of two magazines, the first dealing with the leather shoe industry and the second with the clothing industry. Both were published for ten years.
My experience with various kinds of tourism led me to publish tourism magazines during the past five years. My memories in this sector would require volumes to recount: there were many benefits, some difficulties and a few risks.
I will limit myself to publishing some photographs which illustrate my beautiful memories of the years I lived in Germany both as a visitor and as a resident. As they say, a photo is worth a thousand words. |