Arab States

A fire, a flood, a storm surge. A hail of bullets, or an exploding projectile. Collateral and deliberate damage. All these pose an immediate threat to people and heritage, whether monumental building, tangible cultural object or intangible cultural custom. In an emergency, both life and way of life require fast-responding expertise. From Monday 11 November to Friday 06 December 2019, international...

Twelve new members have been elected to serve in the ICCROM Council during the period of 2019-2023. We extend our congratulations to all the elected members and look forward to working closely with our newly formed Council.

ICCROM’s Programme of Activities and Budget (PAB) for the 2020-2021 biennium has been approved by the 31st General Assembly. For the next two years ICCROM will be operating in adherence to the Strategic Directions set out by ICCROM Council in 2017. There have been conscious importance placed on effective planning and setting priorities to ensure the highest efficiency and impact of its work.

The unanimous decision was made by ICCROM’s Council 93rd session in Rome, in recognition of the UAE’s support and contributions to the organisation, including hosting the only regional ICCROM Centre for the Arab region in Sharjah, UAE.

Under the patronage and presence of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the ICCROM-Sharjah Regional Office for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage organized a symposium from 23-26 September on conserving Sudanese heritage titled, “Active Exhibitions for Active Museums”.

A new Master’s Programme in Cultural Heritage Preservation and Management will be offered at the University of Sharjah following an agreement signed between ICCROM and the University. The programme will target heritage professionals from a diversity of backgrounds in the Arab region, and will consist of two tracks: Management of Museums (movable heritage) and Management of Cultural Heritage Sites...

From 10 February to 21 February 2019, ICCROM-Sharjah and its project partners conducted two workshops on Education and Museum Management in Khartoum for the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM) in Sudan, funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport.

Mosaics heritage is increasingly threatened by modern construction, looting and lack of qualified personnel to carry out much needed conservation and maintenance work. To address this need, a five-week international training course for the conservation of in-situ mosaics was held from 26 March to 26 April 2019, at the ancient site of Byblos, Lebanon. The training event, which included six DGA...

As part of the “Community Museums of Western Sudan” conservation and rehabilitation project for museums in Omdurman, El Obeid and Nyala, ICCROM has conducted a series of workshops entitled “Enhancing the Social and Cultural Role of Community Museums.” The project “Community Museums of Western Sudan” is funded by the British Council's Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the Department for...

ICCROM-Sharjah, in partnership with the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) in Lebanon, is organizing a field school on the conservation of mosaics in-situ in Byblos, Lebanon.