UAE to highlight rich culture and history for World Heritage Day

From cultural festivals to its Unesco World Heritage site, the country celebrates its past and present in equal measure

The lush palm groves of the Al Ain Oasis form part of the country's only Unesco World Heritage site. Pawan Singh / The National

The site is spread of over multiple locations including Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and the Oases Areas. In addition to the sites, the UAE's date palm culture and associated traditions were added to the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019. Victor Besa / The National

The historic falaj irrigation system is regarded as a marvel of early engineering. It allowed Emirati farmers to grow produce in the toughest of conditions. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Jebel Hafeet tombs in rural Al Ain also attract great interest from visitors and academics. Courtesy: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Within Hili Archaeological park is an ancient tomb built centuries ago. Lee Hoagland / The National

The Ayyala dance is performed at Qasr al Hosn Festival 2015. Silvia Razgova / The National

A Razfa performance as part of the celebrations of UAE's 44th National Day at Heritage Village. Reem Mohammed / The National

Al Taghrooda is one of the seven cultural Emirati practices recognised by Unesco. Delores Johnson / The National

Al Sadu is a traditional form of weaving and is also recognised by Unesco. Delores Johnson / The National

Gahwa coffee is prepared over an open fire in the grounds of Qasr Al Hosn fort on the opening day of the Qasr Al Hosn Festival 2015. Courtesy: Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Falconry is close to the hearts of Emiratis and their Gulf neighbours. Leslie Pableo for The National

The UAE will mark World Heritage Day on Saturday, using the occasion to reflect on its rich cultural assets and recent history.

The country's buildings, culture and people are celebrated in daily life and during festivals throughout the year.

World Heritage Day - also known as International Day For Monuments and Sites - was first proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and approved by global heritage body Unesco in 1982.

Each year, it puts the spotlight on the diversity of humans' cultural heritage - and the need to protect and conserve it.

The UAE boasts one Unesco World Heritage Site, the oases of Al Ain, and last year its date palm culture and associated traditions were added to the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Last month, Dubai's authorities began a project to preserve and document some of the city's modernist landmarks built in the 1960s to 1980s.

Aside from its own assets, country has helped to preserve world heritage monuments and protect them from destruction, especially those not included in world heritage lists, state news agency Wam noted on Friday.

Among the most prominent is the Dome of the Rock, the Umar ibn Al-Khattab Mosque, (Mosque of Umar), the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and its iconic leaning minaret.

Others include the Clock Church and Al Tahira Church in the Iraqi city of Mosul, as well as the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Theatre, formerly the Château de Fontainebleau’s historic Imperial Theatre, the Museum of Islamic Art in Egypt, the McMillan Memorial Library, Nairobi, and Nuzul Al Salam in the Bahraini city of Muharraq.

The UAE views these historic monuments as global human heritage that could be damaged or lost without special efforts to protect them.

In recognition of efforts, the Emirates last year obtained permanent membership on the Council of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, ICCROM.

The UAE is the only country apart from Italy to have permanent membership.

The move will enable the UAE to fully participate in various working groups formed by the council.

UAE's rich date palm culture - in pictures

Liwa Date Festival 2017: After five years of second best at the Liwa Date Festival, Rashed Abdulla could now say he is the number one. All photos by Christopher Pike / The National

Rashed won with a 106kg branch of dates that hangs in pride of place at the festival.

Taking place at the fringe of the Empty Quarter, an estimated 2,500 farmers descend each year on the remote oasis town to compete for over Dh6 million in prizes

Al Dhabbas dates at the festival.

No less than 60,000 dates in six varieties are expected to be presented for the judges each year to inspect.

Rashed Abdullah, winner of the largest date branch for the Liwa Date Festival in 2017, at his farm. The winning branch weighed in at 106.5kg.

The festival will this year run until July 27, and is open to the public daily from 4pm until 10pm.

Ali Al Mehri at his nephew's farm in 2017.

A single palm is worth its weight in gold.

One kilogram of dates sells for an average of Dh30.

Since the age of twenty, Abdullah has been studying from his uncle Ali, 70. Ali was raised in a time when the palm was the difference between life and death: its branches were used for shelter, its fruit provided food.

Abdullah at his farm in the Al Dhafra region.