12 November. The ATHAR Programme recently concluded a review meeting, held to discuss the activities of the specialist course on the Conservation and Management of Organic Materials in Heritage Sites and Collections, which took place last spring in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

The event was held under the patronage of H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah. He graced the closing ceremony with his august presence and also distributed certificates to all of the participants at the course venue, the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilizations.

The meeting commenced on 31 October and included presentations on course topics by the participants. Themes covered by the presentations and discussions included:

• historic buildings and timber structures
• risk assessment and conservation treatments
• informed assessments for conservation
• capacity building

The participants also visited several sites in Historic Sharjah and Dubai, as they were connected to the case studies presented in the meeting. Additionally, the participants explored preventive conservation methods by understanding and evaluating the conditions within the different types of organic materials in historic buildings and museum collections.

The meeting was the third phase of a six-month long course designed to develop qualifications and build the capacity of conservation professionals in the Arab Region. The course had a special focus on organic materials, including wood and timber constructions, manuscripts, and textiles, which can be found in built heritage and museum collections. During the first phase, a three-week training workshop was held in Sharjah (26 April – 16 May 2011). The knowledge and experience gained from the workshop was applied to the second phase of the course, during which participants designed and implemented projects for their own workplace. During this phase, course instructors served as advisors, providing feedback and support to the participants.

This final review meeting brought together the 20 participants from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates (Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Fujarah), and Yemen, and two course experts (United Kingdom and Brazil), in addition to members of ICCROM staff.

updated on: 12 November, 2011