Emirati cultural champions among winners of Dh1m Zayed National Museum Research Fund

Projects to explore deep-rooted history of UAE's native trees and celebrate its modern architecture get support

The much-anticipated Zayed National Museum is due to open by the end of this year. Photo: Foster+Partners

Four Emirati researchers have been named among eight recipients of an annual Dh1 million fund aimed at deepening understanding of the UAE's rich history and culture.

The group of winners in the second Zayed National Museum Research Fund, announced on Thursday, comprises leading university academics, lecturers and professors drawn from the Emirates, Italy, India and the US.

They have been chosen for crucial funding support by an expert panel which assessed the projects of 79 applicants from around the world.

They will share the Dh1 million grant pool in order to further work exploring the UAE's past and present, including a comprehensive encyclopaedia of the country's native trees and a study of its modern architecture and contemporary landmarks.

“Zayed National Museum’s Research Fund exemplifies Sheikh Zayed’s commitment to learning about our past and fostering knowledge of the region’s history and culture,” said Mohammed Al Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism.

“The research fund not only supports researchers but also contributes to preserving the rich tangible and intangible heritage of the United Arab Emirates.

“Through these diverse research projects, the research fund spans a variety of topics which will shed new light on the deep history and culture of the United Arab Emirates and broader region.”

Landmark museum takes shape – in pictures

The Zayed National Museum is named after the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. All photos: Zayed National Museum

A 1974 photograph of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

The five steel structures looming from the museum were inspired by the country’s tradition of falconry

Al Masar Garden will feature native plants in three zones: desert, oasis and urban

The Zayed National Museum will be a highlight at the Saadiyat Cultural District

The 18-metre-long reproduction of the Magan Boat will be displayed in the museum’s atrium

The Magan Boat during the sea trials off the coast of Abu Dhabi

Through Our Connections will examine the development of the Arabic language and the spread of Islam

To Our Roots will showcase the traditions, customs and social practices in the inland areas of the UAE

Our Beginning will be a gallery dedicated entirely to the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Peter Magee, director of Zayed National Museum, said the awarded highlighted how the flagship museum – which is due to open at the end of this year as part of the Saadiyat Cultural District – will seek to be at the heart of efforts to champion national culture.

“This research fund is one of the many ways Zayed National Museum is supporting research into the culture and heritage of the UAE and the wider region,” he said.

“Following the success of last year’s inaugural round of funding, we’re proud to announce the new cohort of researchers. We were very impressed with the applications which represent a wide range of specialisms – from archaeology and architecture to Sheikh Zayed’s lasting legacy.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the recipients, and I look forward to hearing about the outcomes of their research.”

How winners will promote UAE's rich history

Dr Fatema Al Mazroui, head of the Historical Archives Department at Abu Dhabi's National Library and Archives, is delving into the origins of the capital's education system for a project called History of Formal Education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi: A Reading of Qasr Al Hosn Documents (1957–1966).

Fatema Al Shehhi and Hessa Al Shehhi, of the Department of Antiquities and Museums, are joining forces to investigate how the nation's love of pottery developed. Their work is called Reconstructing the History, Technology, and Uses of Pottery through the Study of Pottery Shards from Ras Al Khaimah Archaeological Sites.

Marwan Al Falasi is writing the Encyclopaedia of Native Trees in the UAE: Perennial and Annual Trees, Compilation, Collection, Analysis and Commentary. The book will feature illustrations and details of the rich array of trees native to the Emirates.

Dr Khaled Alawadi will continue work on a project celebrating modern day architectural wonders which dominate the country's skyline in a project called Transnational Heritage: Putting UAE's Modern Architecture and Contemporary Landmarks on the Map.

Michele Degli Esposti, from Italy, is an associate professor at the Institute for Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences.

He received funding for the Abraq Research Project: Life and Death in South-East Arabia in the Second Millennium BC.

Dr Akshyeta Suryanarayan, from India, is a Gerald Averay Wainwright postdoctoral fellow at the McDonald institute for archaeological research at the University of Cambridge.

She was recognised for her work, Understanding Long-Term Vessel Use in South-Eastern Arabia Through Organic Residue Analysis.

Prof Yasser Elsheshtawy, from the US, is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

His research project is Zayed's Gift to the People: A Typo-Morphological Study of the UAE National House.

Dr William Zimmerle, also from the US, is a senior lecturer in arts and humanities and an affiliated faculty member of the Arab Crossroads Studies Programme and History Programme at New York University Abu Dhabi.

His research is The Rock Art of Southern and Eastern Arabia; A Virtual Study Centre for the Digital Preservation of Petroglyphs in the UAE.