The Department Of Culture And Tourism - Abu Dhabi Concludes 2nd Edition Of Abu Dhabi Manuscripts Conference And Exhibition
Intensive discussions and recommendations regarding the future of heritage preservation and understanding and in the presence of leading experts, researchers and academics
Following two days of inspiring discussions on the future of manuscript preservation and the importance of understanding and passing on heritage to subsequent generations, the 2nd Abu Dhabi Manuscripts Conference and Exhibition has come to a close. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the event was held on 17 and 18 February at Manarat Al Saadiyat, under the theme ‘Issues and Insights’.
The conference provided a platform for intellectually rich debate and attracted a leading group of experts, academics and researchers from across the GCC and further Arab world to participated in six interactive dialogue sessions. The attendees addressed the current and future issues pertaining to documenting heritage, geographical, literary, historical, scientific and linguistic texts, as well as the solutions that promote the value of these historical treasures.
Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Acting Executive Director, Dar Al Kutub Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “A successful second edition of the Abu Dhabi Manuscripts Conference has concluded, having produced fruitful discussions and having a positive impact on efforts to address issues facing the documentation of manuscripts. This has been possible thanks to the expertise and efforts of our distinguished guests and speakers, who that enriched the conference and gave added intellectual value to its sessions and activities. This forum enhanced our efforts to preserve and protect the documented heritage, history and knowledge of the nation.”
The Old Manuscripts in the UAE Seminar
In addition to several panel sessions, the first day of the 2nd Abu Dhabi Manuscripts Conference and Exhibition included a special seminar under the title ‘The Old Manuscripts in the UAE’. The seminar addressed a range of topics related to studying historical manuscripts found in the UAE covering classical and folk poetry, history and navigation. Additionally, the session focused on the cultural heritage of Emirati families, especially manuscripts about the UAE or manuscripts of Arab heritage which were written in the UAE before printing age.
Day Two Sessions
The final day of the conference consisted of three main sessions, the first addressing ‘General Issues in Documenting Heritage Texts’, with participation from Mr. Ahmad Mohammed Obaid from the UAE, Dr. Bashar Awwad Ma’arouf, Dr. Issam Uqla and Dr. Mahmoud Mahran Al Zu’bi from Jordan.
The second session focused on ‘Issues of Documenting Geographical Texts’, and was presented by Dr. Mohammed Jad Kamel of Egypt, Dr. Ammar Al Talibi from Algeria and Dr. Maher Abdulqader Ali from Egypt.
The third and final session of the conference covered ‘Issues of Documenting Literary Texts’, and featured Dr. Ayyad Al Thubaiti, Dr. Ali Tawfik Alhamad, Dr. Abdulla Al Falah and Dr. Sulaiman Al Ayed from Saudi Arabia.
