17 July 2022
H.E Shaikha Mai Receives ICCROM Director-General and Accompanying Delegation, Shared keenness to continue cooperation and support to World Heritage in Arab countries
H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, received in her office, on 17 July, 2022, a delegation from ICCROM (the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), headed by Mr. Webber Ndoro, its Director –General. The meeting was attended by Dr. Hiba Abdulaziz, the Director of the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage, (ARC_WH), Dr. Mounir Bouchenaki, Advisor to the Center, and Dr. Zaki Aslan, the Regional Director of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM-Sharjah).
During the meeting, H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said that cooperation between the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage and ICCROM contributes to strengthening the status of world heritage in Arab countries and promoting its gains around the world, praising the achievements made thanks to effective and permanent communication between the two sides. In addition, H.E thanked Dr. Webber Ndoro's support and efforts for the ARC-WH’s and its projects that touch all Arab World Heritage sites.
Moreover, the meeting also discussed the cooperation agreement between the three centers: the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage, ICCROM and ICCROM-Sharjah, a cooperation that has certainly contributed to building the capacities of Arab experts through training programs and experience exchange activities. It also shed light the possibility of renewing the agreement for the coming years, which would ease the task with regard to future challenges and threats facing the natural and cultural World Heritage sites in the Arab region.
After the meeting, the ICCROM delegation visited the Bahrain National Museum, whereby a number of cadres of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities welcomed them and tour guided the delegation. Bahrain National Museum acquisitions story telling the history of the Kingdom dating back to more than 4,000 years ago were highly appreciated by the members of the delegation. Their visit included the burial hall, the hall dedicated to the archaeological site of the Dilmun Burials, which is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
