Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and political scientist specialized in social and political developments of the Gulf over five decades. Her particular focus is the UAE, where she worked for 39 years at the Centre for Documentation and Research, which became the National Archives of the UAE.
Born in Berlin in 1941 as second daughter of Rear-Admiral Erich Bey, who died in 1943 as the Commander of the German task force when the battleship “Scharnhorst” sank.
She studied History, Political Science and English at Heidelberg University from 1961 and continued her studies at the ‘Freie Universität’ of West Berlin, where she graduated with a Ph.D. in 1967.
Her doctoral thesis on the fate of the capital Berlin during the political upheavals, following the First World War, won a prize for the best historical research on urban society and was published as a book in 1968 by Kohlhammer in Stuttgart.
She married in September 1967 and followed her British husband David Heard to Abu Dhabi. David first came to Abu Dhabi in 1963 and participated as a petroleum engineer in finding some of the largest oil fields in the Middle East.
Dr. Frauke Heard-Bey joined the Centre for Documentation and Research in Abu Dhabi in 1969, which was then part of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi’s Court in the Qasr al Husn. Under the leadership of H.E. Ahmad Khalifah Al Suwaidi and the directorship of Dr. Muhammad Morsy Abdullah, the Centre was able to assemble over many years the most complete collection under one roof of source material on the history of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula from the Archives of nations, which had interacted with the Gulf region.
Dr. Frauke Heard-Bey was involved in all aspects of the Centre’s development – including training new colleagues for their tasks of referencing the foreign language material and providing the Centre’s input for the restoration and refurbishment of the Old Fort. During the 39 years of her association with the Centre she was instrumental in forming its relationships with many academic institutions abroad. Federal Law No. 1 of 2014 transformed the ‘National Centre for Documentation and Research’ to become the ‘National Archives‘.
More than five decades of research into the social, economic and constitutional history and current developments of the countries of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula resulted in writing about this region, lecturing locally and abroad and participating in conferences, seminars and workshops in Europe and the USA.
Her research resulted in several books and over 75 articles in foreign academic journals, joint books, published seminar papers and reviews.
Life in Abu Dhabi is shared with husband David and three children, born between 1975 and 1983. Until 2005 David was the representative of the Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company ADPC and looked after the 40% shareholding, which this subsidiary of the IPC retains in the onshore concession of Abu Dhabi. Both continue to live in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Frauke Heard-Bey is/was a member of:
the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in London since 1971
the Royal Over-Seas League since 1972
the British Institute for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) since 1985
the Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Vorderer Orient (DAVO) since its inception in 1993
the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) from 2002 to 2014
the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London from 1973 to 2006
She was on the Board of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) for the duration of its function
She was a member of the Board of the German Business Council of Abu Dhabi (GeBCAD) for several years
She has been a member of the Board of Abu Dhabi Music and Art Foundation ADMAF since its inception in 1996
She has been a member of the Emirates Foundation since 2014
Frauke was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz bei President Richard von Weizsäcker in 1994
Frauke was honoured with the Abu Dhabi Award by H.H. Shaikh Muhammad bin Zayed in 2007
Born in Berlin in 1941 as second daughter of Rear-Admiral Erich Bey, who died in 1943 as the Commander of the German task force when the battleship “Scharnhorst” sank.
She studied History, Political Science and English at Heidelberg University from 1961 and continued her studies at the ‘Freie Universität’ of West Berlin, where she graduated with a Ph.D. in 1967.
Her doctoral thesis on the fate of the capital Berlin during the political upheavals, following the First World War, won a prize for the best historical research on urban society and was published as a book in 1968 by Kohlhammer in Stuttgart.
She married in September 1967 and followed her British husband David Heard to Abu Dhabi. David first came to Abu Dhabi in 1963 and participated as a petroleum engineer in finding some of the largest oil fields in the Middle East.
Dr. Frauke Heard-Bey joined the Centre for Documentation and Research in Abu Dhabi in 1969, which was then part of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi’s Court in the Qasr al Husn. Under the leadership of H.E. Ahmad Khalifah Al Suwaidi and the directorship of Dr. Muhammad Morsy Abdullah, the Centre was able to assemble over many years the most complete collection under one roof of source material on the history of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula from the Archives of nations, which had interacted with the Gulf region.
Dr. Frauke Heard-Bey was involved in all aspects of the Centre’s development – including training new colleagues for their tasks of referencing the foreign language material and providing the Centre’s input for the restoration and refurbishment of the Old Fort. During the 39 years of her association with the Centre she was instrumental in forming its relationships with many academic institutions abroad. Federal Law No. 1 of 2014 transformed the ‘National Centre for Documentation and Research’ to become the ‘National Archives‘.
More than five decades of research into the social, economic and constitutional history and current developments of the countries of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula resulted in writing about this region, lecturing locally and abroad and participating in conferences, seminars and workshops in Europe and the USA.
Her research resulted in several books and over 75 articles in foreign academic journals, joint books, published seminar papers and reviews.
Life in Abu Dhabi is shared with husband David and three children, born between 1975 and 1983. Until 2005 David was the representative of the Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company ADPC and looked after the 40% shareholding, which this subsidiary of the IPC retains in the onshore concession of Abu Dhabi. Both continue to live in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Frauke Heard-Bey is/was a member of:
the Royal Society for Asian Affairs in London since 1971
the Royal Over-Seas League since 1972
the British Institute for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) since 1985
the Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Vorderer Orient (DAVO) since its inception in 1993
the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) from 2002 to 2014
the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London from 1973 to 2006
She was on the Board of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) for the duration of its function
She was a member of the Board of the German Business Council of Abu Dhabi (GeBCAD) for several years
She has been a member of the Board of Abu Dhabi Music and Art Foundation ADMAF since its inception in 1996
She has been a member of the Emirates Foundation since 2014
Frauke was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz bei President Richard von Weizsäcker in 1994
Frauke was honoured with the Abu Dhabi Award by H.H. Shaikh Muhammad bin Zayed in 2007
