28 December. The 4th Regional course on Conservation and Management of Heritage: Sites and Museum Collections concluded its study visit with a farewell event held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. In attendence were Zaki Aslan, Director of ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Centre, Thilo Rehren, Director of UCL-Qatar, and Aisha Al Khater, Director of Islamic Art Museum in Doha, who presented alumni certificates to the participants.

The course was organized by the ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre in Sharjah in partnership with the Government of Sharjah (Sharjah Department of Culture and Information, Sharjah Museums Department, American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah) and University College London, Qatar (UCL-Qatar), with the support of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).

The final week spent in Qatar was enriched by significant participation from regional and international experts in the fields crucial to the future of cultural heritage conservation in the Arab States. Site visits to Souq Waqif, Zubara and costal villages were incorporated with panel discussions on the subjects of risk management, World Heritage sites in the Arab World, as well as the role of communication and sharing conservation decisions in an overall scope of cultural heritage area management. The final days  of the course witnessed interactive discussions from the participants in regards to their future plans and strategies on the application of what was learned to their future projects. The follow-up phase of the course will be a practical implementation by the participants of home projects that will span over a period of four months; the proposals include site documentation, re-habitation of heritage buildings, curriculum development, and the implementation of new strategies/policies to protect cultural heritage.

During the closing session, which took place in the Museum of Islamic Art, on 13 December, Zaki Aslan highlighted the importance of the course in building the capacity of the participants, and the benefits in their future plans. He also extended his gratitude to the partner institutions and UCL-Qatar for hosting the final week of the course, and their constant efforts in support of the advancement of cultural heritage preservation efforts in the Arab world.

At the final session, the participants presented the outcomes and results of the five weeks, and their future strategies for implementing the individual projects in their countries of origin.

Member States represented: Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen

updated on: 28 December, 2012