Sharjah Archaeology Authority recently hosted a group of experts, who visited the archaeological sites in the central region and provided their feedback on the Cultural Landscape of the Central Region in the Emirate of Sharjah file. The Cultural Landscape of the Central Region in the Emirate of Sharjah is part of the tentative list of UAE in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

The experts included Young Christopher, Archaeologist, expert member of the ICOMOS scientific committees and former head of International advice at the English Heritage and Margaret Gowen, Archaeologist and expert member of the ICOMOS scientific committees. Cynthia Dunning (Archaeologist) and Ellinor Dunning (Archaeologist) were invited as heritage consultants.

The committee from the Emirate of Sharjah was represented by Eisa Yousif, Chairman of the committee and Director of the Excavation and Archaeological Sites and tangible heritage, Kamyar Kamyab, Historic Conservation Architect, and Yazan Abu Al-Hassan, Historic Conservation Expert.

In January 2018, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, issued an administrative decree establishing a committee of the World Heritage File for the Cultural Landscapes of the Central Region in the Emirate of Sharjah. The Administrative Decision No. (1) decreed the establishment of a committee in the Emirate, called “The Committee of the World Heritage File for the Cultural Landscape of the Central Region in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The objectives of this intense workshop included answering all queries regarding to the content in the file, and highlighting all points that are required to be implemented by the state party. Doing so can help the Sharjah Archaeology Authority protect the archaeological sites in the central region and other areas in the emirate of Sharjah. The process of the file preparation was also assessed, along with the work of the committee members in evaluating the nominations. This area was the cradle of civilization dating back to hundreds and thousands of years ago and was in constant contact with the civilizations of the Mediterranean Sea, South Asia, and the South, North, and East of the Arabian Peninsula and Mesopotamia.