Sharjah Ruler attends honouring ceremony of ICCROM Award winners

 Sharjah Ruler attends honouring ceremony of ICCROM Award winners

H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended on Thursday an honouring ceremony of the third cycle’s winners of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region (2022-2021), and the second cycle of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award The Arab cultural heritage for young people, in the House of Wisdom.

The ceremony began with a speech delivered by Dr. Zaki Aslan, Regional Director of International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Sharjah. He expressed his gratitude, showing appreciation to the Ruler of Sharjah for his effortful support to the Regional Center and all cultural initiatives and programmes. He also welcomed all the attendees, including officials and participants from different countries, congratulating the winners.

Dr. Aslan mentioned the award’s goal to spread the notion of cultural and heritage preservation in the region within international standards through initiatives and events that help exchange knowledge and experience.

The Regional Director extended his appreciation to the judging committees along with the employees, supporters, and partners.

Then John Robbins, Chairman of the Executive Board of ICCROM, thanked the Ruler of Sharjah, for sponsoring this event and all other activities in the region.

H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah and the audience watched several visual films about the ICCROM-Sharjah Award and the winning projects.

H.H. honored the winners of the 3rd cycle of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region; and the 2nd cycle of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young.

The grand prize for the 3rd cycle went to Beirut Assist Cultural Heritage (BACH), a project to recover the affected area following the 2020 blast in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon; and the rehabilitation and restoration of residential courtyards and historical buildings in the vicinity of Al Aqsa Mosque, Palestine.

In the Special Excellence category, four projects won: sheltering and protecting Hicham’s Palace’s mosaic floor, Palestine; Collart-Palmyre: a comprehensive project on the Baalsahamîn temple in Palmyra; the revitalization and conservation of the cultural heritage of Al Qarara Village in Gaza, Palestine; and the digital documentation of historical documents in Jerusalem, Palestine.

As for the 2nd cycle of the Award for the Young, the student Sarah Hassan Al Hosani, from the Al Amal School for the Deaf – United Arab Emirates, and the student Al Yasar Al Masry, from the Omar Bin Al Khattab College – Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Association – Lebanon, won first place.

The student, Ghala Abdel Rahim Mahmoud Al Raheel, from Bayouda Al-Sharqiya Mixed Secondary School – Jordan, won first place in the photography category, while the first place in the folk dance category, Al Takadum School for Basic Education – Libya, won the old street dance, and Qasr Al-Hallabat Al-Gharbi Mixed Secondary School – Jordan won first place in the awareness film category for the movie “A Story of Joy from the Heart of the Badia”.

The honouring ceremony was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office, Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Department Of Statistics and Community Development, Sheikha Alyazia bint Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, and several senior officials, ambassadors and representatives cultural organisations.

WAM