Sharjah: H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended a ceremony honoring the winners of the fourth edition of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region and the third edition of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for Young. The event was held at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Sharjah.
According to Emirates News Agency, Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral, Director General of ICCROM, expressed her gratitude to H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah for his support of ICCROM’s regional activities and his patronage of this award, which highlights projects aimed at preserving cultural heritage in the Arab region. Gujral emphasized that the award recognizes the transformative power of heritage conservation and celebrates individuals who defend this cause.
Nasser Al Darmaki, Deputy Director of the ICCROM Regional Centre in Sharjah, rem
arked on the importance of cultural heritage as a connection between past and present. He highlighted the unprecedented number of submissions from across the Arab region, which demonstrated excellence in preserving cultural heritage and maintaining historical architecture.
The event featured a video presentation of the participating works that qualified for the final stage. Winners of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for Young included Saud Shahil Zamel Al Shahil and Fahd Shahil Zamel Al Shahil from Saudi Arabia, Maryam Younis Abdul Rahman Al Feel from the UAE, and Hala Dhafir Shaghleel from Syria. A special commendation was awarded to Abdul Rahman Hassan Al Asaad from Syria.
In the photography category, Nadeem Abdul Rahman Ali Qaid from Yemen took first place, followed by Ruba Ali Abdul Rahim Tawalbeh from Jordan, and Selina Fakhr Al-Din from Lebanon. The Folkloric Dance category saw Al-Taqaddum School from Libya take first place, with other winners from Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan.
The Awareness Film
category awarded first place jointly to Al-Firdaws Private School in Iraq and Al-Rawdah Al-Fayha Secondary School in Lebanon. Other winners included Helen Muhammad Al-Bilal from Syria and Ritaj Boufateh from Algeria.
The winning project of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices was the Cultural Heritage Management Project in Libya, recognized for its approach to managing cultural heritage in the Ghadames area. Additional commendations were given to projects from Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Sharjah.
The ceremony concluded with H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah touring an exhibition showcasing the prominent works participating in the awards. His Highness received explanations about the works, the participating countries, and the efforts of the participants to qualify for the final stage.