Ruler Of Sharjah Recognises Winners Of ICCROM-Sharjah Award For Cultural Heritage Excellence

H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended a ceremony to honour winners of the fourth ‘ICCROM’-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region. The event also celebrated the third edition of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for Young, held at ICCROM in Sharjah.

Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral, Director General of ICCROM, expressed gratitude to H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah for his unwavering support of ICCROM's regional initiatives. She praised his generous patronage of the award, which recognises outstanding projects that preserve cultural heritage in the Arab region.

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Nasser Al Darmaki, Deputy Director of ICCROM Regional Centre in Sharjah, emphasised the importance of cultural heritage as a link between past and present. He stated that these awards were created to honour efforts in protecting heritage and fostering innovation in sustainable solutions for its preservation.

The current edition of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award received an unexpected number of submissions from across the Arab region. This significant interest was surprising given some challenging circumstances in the area. Selected projects demonstrated excellence in preserving cultural heritage and maintaining historical architecture.

In the drawing category, Saud Shahil Zamel Al Shahil from King Abdullah Middle School and Fahd Shahil Zamel Al Shahil from Al-Muqaddam Bin Amr School won first place. Maryam Younis Abdul Rahman Al Feel from Applied Technology School took second place, while Hala Dhafir Shaghleel from New Vision School secured third place.

The photography category saw Nadeem Abdul Rahman Ali Qaid from Al-Nibras Private School win first place. Ruba Ali Abdul Rahim Tawalbeh from Loret Educational Academy came second, with Selina Fakhr Al-Din from Haj Bahauddin Al Hariri School taking third place.

Celebrating Folkloric Dance

Al-Taqaddum School for Basic Education in Tripoli won first place in folkloric dance for a performance representing Libyan attire. Haj Bahauddin Hariri School secured second place with a dance at Khan Al-Ifranji. The Mayasam Association for Culture and Arts and Rose City Mixed Basic School shared third place for Palestinian Dabka dances.

In the Awareness Film category, first place was jointly awarded to Al-Firdaws Private School in Iraq for "Mosul Markets" and Al-Rawdah Al-Fayha Secondary School in Lebanon for "Khan Al-Khayyatin." Helen Muhammad Al-Bilal from Martyr Hikmat Nadeem Mubarak School took second place with "One of the Khamsanat."

Special Recognition Projects

The fourth edition’s winning project was Libya's Cultural Heritage Management Project (MaLiCH), recognised for its comprehensive approach to managing cultural heritage in Ghadames. It focuses on community collaboration and capacity building to restore traditional buildings effectively.

Five other projects received commendation awards: preserving Souk Al Qissariya in Gaza; managing Ahmed Pasha Kamal's Dictionary at Alexandria Bibliotheca; building capacities for architectural heritage preservation in Riyadh; documenting rock art in Sharjah; and restoring Touqan House in Nablus.

The Ruler of Sharjah toured an exhibition showcasing prominent works participating across different categories during the award ceremony. His Highness listened to explanations about paintings, drawings, participating countries, and efforts made by participants to qualify for the final stage.

With inputs from WAM