Petra
Petra - Jordan

It is a challenging time for cultural heritage in parts of the Middle East and North Africa that have seen large-scale devastation, including the desecration and destruction of temples, shrines, cities and monuments.

Now more than ever, ICCROM’s work on cultural heritage protection and preservation in conflict areas is needed. Since it opened its doors in 2012, ICCROM’s Regional Centre in Sharjah (ICCROM-ATHAR Centre), United Arab Emirates, has proven vital to fulfilling the organization’s mandate in the Arab Region by being closer to stakeholders and by leveraging regional collaboration mechanisms and community engagement in a region of many risks but also considerable opportunities. The centre in the UAE has become an important force for cultural heritage advocacy, providing substantive logistical and operational support to ICCROM’s work in the region.

In partnership with Arab Member States, ICCROM-ATHAR aspires to protect the cultural heritage of the Arab region and to broaden access, appreciation and understanding of its history. The Centre focuses on architectural and archaeological tangible heritage, including heritage collections and historic places, sites and monuments. It primarily aims to enhance the capacity of official heritage institutions to manage heritage sites and museum collections on a sustainable basis. It does this through an array of regional educational and field activities, capacity building and training, consultation, information dissemination, symposia, workshops and seminars.

ICCROM-ATHAR’s mission is generously supported by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, as well as Member States and other partners.

Featured

March 2023 Bahrain workshop

Advanced Workshop on Climate Action for World Heritage in Arab States

The ICCROM-IUCN World Heritage Leadership (WHL) programme and the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) joined forces for a three-part capacity-building action focused on strengthening Arab regional capacities on disaster risk management and resilience building for World Heritage.

The proceedings of the second Arab Forum for cultural heritage now available

The proceedings of the second Arab Forum for cultural heritage now available

The Arab region is home to diverse cultural heritage with many themes to consider. This complexity called for a continuation of the ICCROM Arab forum for Cultural Heritage, the second edition of which centred on the theme of “authenticity, community and heritage conservation.” The forum’s proceedings (in Arabic) are now available for free digital download.

UAE flag

Congratulations to the newly-elected UAE Minister of Culture and Youth

ICCROM congratulates the UAE’s former UNESCO Delegate HE Mr Sheikh Salem Khaled Abdulla Mohammed Alqassimi, who has been named Minister of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates.

Regional workshop on climate change adaption in Arab historic cities creates set of participatory recommendations

The three-day regional workshop on “Climate Change and Historic Cities in the MENA Region: Integrating Traditional Knowledge in Climate Change Adaptation and the Sustainable Development of Historic Cities,” in Sharjah, UAE, concluded on 2 February 2023. Participants call for awareness raising about the essential role of cultural heritage and traditional practices in addressing challenges of climate change and integrating cultural heritage into national climate change policy. 
Mosul graduation

25 young architects and engineers graduate from the ICCROM Heritage Recovery Programme in Mosul and launch new NGO

Last week, we celebrated two milestones in Mosul as 25 young architects and civil engineers graduated from our nine-month course on professional development, and we welcomed a new cohort. The course is implemented in partnership with UNESCO under the ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’ initiative and in collaboration with the Government of Iraq, the University of Mosul, the United Arab Emirates and the...

ICCROM-Sharjah organizes workshop on climate change adaption in Arab historic cities

A regional workshop on "Climate Change and Historic Cities in the MENA Region: Integrating Traditional Knowledge in Climate Change Adaptation and the Sustainable Development of Historic Cities" is inaugurated today in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Jodhpur, India

Gathering indigenous knowledge to mitigate climate crisis in five climate hotspots – Net Zero: Heritage for Climate Action

A first-of-its-kind capacity development project, Net Zero is engaging five multidisciplinary teams and communities at five climate hotspots to leverage indigenous knowledge and local practices on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Through collaborative learning, research and community-led action in the field, the five teams from Brazil, Egypt, India, Sudan and Uganda will develop and field...

Dena Assaf visit

Visit from UN Resident Coordinator for the UAE

We were happy to welcome Dr Dena Assaf, United Nations Resident Coordinator for the United Arab Emirates, to our Regional Office in Sharjah, UAE, on 12 January.

visit Sharjah Jan 11 23

Visit from ICOMOS and Climate Heritage Network at our Regional Office

Dr Zaki Aslan, Director of the ICCROM-Sharjah Regional Office, welcomed Mr Andrew Potts and Ms Haifaa AbdelalHaleem at our Regional Office in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mr Potts is the coordinator of the Climate Heritage Network and has previously served as ICOMOS Focal Point for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Ms AbdelalHaleem is an ICOMOS Jordan Heritage...

ASOC 3

Protecting heritage at the intersection of conflicts, disasters and epidemics: Stories of Change in MENAP

A people-centred approach to heritage preservation can help reinstate peace and build disaster resilience, contributing to a sustainable recovery. The Alliance for Cultural First Aid, Peace, and Resilience project, conceived by ICCROM and the ALIPH Foundation, has helped provide strong evidence supporting this idea. ICCROM is grateful to the ALIPH Foundation, the implementing partners of the...