The UAE's Federal National Council on Wednesday approved a draft law aimed at safeguarding cultural heritage – with fines of between Dh500,000 and Dh10 million and prison terms of up to 10 years for the most serious offences.
The proposed legislation will provide for tough punishments for deliberate damage to tangible cultural heritage or archaeological sites, theft and smuggling.
It will also clamp down on those carrying out construction, alterations or relocation works at heritage sites without authorisation.
Preserving UAE heritage
The latest session of the FNC, the UAE's parliamentary body, was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture.
The draft Cultural Heritage Law aims to protect, document, preserve, manage and promote the UAE's cultural heritage in all its forms.
The legislation includes the protection of digital heritage, which includes online materials and resources of cultural, historical, scientific, social, environmental or economic value, whether originally created in digital form or converted into digital formats.
The draft law also permits the nomination of elements of cultural heritage for inclusion on regional and international heritage lists, subject to the ministry's approval.
Nationwide drive
The move is in support of a broader drive by the UAE government to preserve and protect areas and artefacts of historic significance.
In May, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, issued a law that will seek to identify and preserve ancient sites and antiquities.
Under the law, antiquities and archaeological sites are deemed the property of Dubai, except for privately owned movable or immovable artefacts and sites proven through possession, official documentation or registration in the official register.
The law prohibits damaging, altering, relocating or defacing any antiquity or archaeological site, including its surroundings, and bans dumping waste or placing signs except for approved guidance.
It also prohibits entering closed sites without approval from the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority or using sites and surrounding areas for activities that may be damaging in any way, such as dumping, storage, quarrying, or industrial, military or hazardous uses.
Celebrating cultural roots
While the Emirates is a fairly young country, it is home to culture and heritage dating back thousands of years.
The Faya palaeolandscape in Sharjah last year became the second site in the UAE to earn Unesco World Heritage status. The ancient desert location in central Sharjah has one of the world’s oldest and most uninterrupted records of early human presence, dating back more than 210,000 years.
The UAE recently marked the 15th anniversary of Al Ain being named the nation's first Unesco World Heritage site. Several sites of historic significance in the Garden City were collectively inscribed in the prestigious list by the UN agency on June 27, 2011.
The Cultural Sites of Al Ain consist of Hafeet, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and the Oases areas, featuring tombs from the Bronze Age and complex ancient irrigation systems that supplied the oasis city.
