25 September. The ATHAR course on Conservation of Stone and Earthen Structures is starting this week in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The course will be held under the patronage of H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of UAE and Ruler of Sharjah, in partnership with the Government of Sharjah (Sharjah Department of Information and Culture, Sharjah Museums Department, American University of Sharjah, University of Sharjah), UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ALECSO (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization), US Department of State, with the support of the Directorate General of Development Co-operation, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCS).

This five-week course will enhance professional capacity building in the Arab region on heritage site conservation and management. Specific focus will be given to traditional materials in masonry and the conservation of damp buildings.

By the end of the three courses, participants will have:

• familiarized with the traditional materials in masonry and earthen structures used in the region, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses;
• identified priorities for conservation and treatment interventions of masonry and earthen architecture;
• understood the mechanical, chemical and electrolytic processes involved;
• comprehended the why and how buildings get wet;
• recognized the methods for the identification of traditional means of water protection;
• identified the treatments for dampness taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of each one of them (at micro and macro level).

Participants include site managers, archaeologists, architects, engineers, and planners from twelve countries: Iraq, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Resources persons come from the following countries: France, Iraq, Italy, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

Member States represented: Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen

updated on: 27 January, 2010