Al-Saidan, Hamad Muhammed (حمد محمد السعيدان)

Hamad Muhammed Al-Saidan (حمد محمد السعيدان; November 25, 1939 - August 27, 1991) was a prominent Kuwaiti researcher and historian. Al-Saidan was born in Kuwait City. His father was a carpet merchant as well as a pious and devout Muslim, leading Hamad to study the Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, and related topics. He attended high school but not graduating due to taking a job at Kuwait Radio (إذاعة الكويت). Soon afterwards, he went to Britain to study English and topographic drawing before returning to Kuwait in 1959 to again work at Kuwait Radio, which was the only local station in operation, radio signals otherwise coming from Baghdad or Kuwait. In 1962, Al-Saidan was transferred to work at the Radio station's library, which allowed him to access a wide range of information. In 1963, due to his education and language skills, he was hired to work at Kuwait's nascent Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1965, he was assigned to diplomatic work in Nairobi, Kenya, where he wrote a primer for Kuwaitis to understand the outside world (العالم حقائق وأرقام), as well as the first edition of his most influential book, The Concise Kuwaiti Encyclopedia (الموسوعة الكويتية المختصرة), first published in 1970 and, despite its title, consisting of three volumes of more than 1,600 pages. In 1972, he was sent to the critically important Kuwaiti Embassy in London, where he would work for the next fourteen years as a media attaché. During his time in London, he published many works relating to history and geography, including maps and street guides for Kuwait City, as well as works on vexillology and philately. In 1985, Al-Saidan returned to Kuwait to work as Secretary-General of the library of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He died in 1991 while seeking medical treatment in London, but wrote continuously until his death, fired by patriotic fervor in the wake of Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Al-Saidan compiled a considerable personal library including rare books and manuscripts, though sadly much of it was damaged or destroyed during the 1990 Iraqi invasion. After his death, the surviving works were distributed among several libraries and research institutions in Kuwait.