A new Emirati achievement: inclusion of the elephant on the UNESCO World Heritage List
A new Emirati achievement…inclusion of the elephant on the UNESCO World Heritage List
In a world where there is increasing awareness of the value of cultural roots and historical identity, the importance of protecting cultural heritage is highlighted as one of the basic pillars that enhance the stability of societies and support sustainable development efforts. Every archaeological site carries within it a deep human story, expressing the stages of human development, and giving successive generations the keys to self-understanding. Hence, many countries continue to invest in protecting their historical sites, not only as symbols of the past, but as living resources that enhance cultural tourism, support education, and stimulateCommunity awareness.
The United Arab Emirates is considered one of the most prominent regional models in this path, through an integrated cultural vision led by the Emirate of Sharjah and the efforts of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, who has dedicated her work in recent years to enhancing the status of national heritage on the global stage, based on her deep belief that culture and sustainable education are the keys to the advancement of societies.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi has adopted an approach that combines cultural diplomacy and institutional influence, supported by her experience as president of the International Publishers Association – and other high-ranking positions in the Arab world and globally – where she raised the voice of Arab culture on global platforms, defended freedom of access to knowledge, and the necessity of connecting peoples to their heritage in a contemporary development context.
This contributed to the UAE recording a remarkable achievement in this regard, represented by the inclusion of the prehistoric cultural landscape of Al Faya on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thus, the number of internationally recognized Emirati sites will increase, and a new page will be added to the record of the efforts of the Emirate of Sharjah in preserving human memory.
This recognition came during an official ceremony hosted by the French capital, Paris, under the patronage of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, who led this path with steady steps, as the official ambassador for the nomination file, and was keen for it to be presented before the World Heritage Committee supported by scientific and historical evidence that highlights its uniqueness and importance in the human journey.
This achievement is considered a step and an extension of the vision of Sheikha Baddour, who combined international cultural work with her local institutional efforts, in her capacity as President of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, and President of the Kalimat Foundation for Empowering Children, which translates her vision of making reading a human right, and connecting children and youth in the Arab world to their identities and cultures, through books that mimic local heritage and present it in a contemporary language. Which contributes to raising children’s awareness of the importance of protecting cultural heritage, and strengthening the bond between generations and their shared history.
During her opening speech, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi expressed her pride in this step, praising the collective efforts that led to this achievement, and explaining that “the success achieved reflects the determination of the Emirate of Sharjah to protect its cultural heritage and present it to the world within an integrated scientific and humanitarian framework,” while stressing that the story of the inclusion of the elephant is not just an archaeological discovery, but rather a window that provides a broader understanding of the history of the first humans in the Arabian Peninsula.
The importance of the Al Faya location
The Al Faya site in the Emirate of Sharjah is considered one of the oldest evidences of human presence in the Arabian Peninsula, and is distinguished by being a living geological record documenting the effects of human activity in the region for more than 200 thousand years. Its uniqueness lies in the scientific evidence it provides of the ability of ancient man to adapt to conditions in one of the harshest desert environments on the face of the Earth, which makes it a focal point for understanding early human evolution in this region of the world. The world.
With the inclusion of Al Faya on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it becomes the second Emirati site to obtain this international recognition after the cultural sites in the city of Al Ain, which were included in 2011, which strengthens the UAE’s presence on the map of human heritage, and confirms its commitment to protecting the common cultural heritage of humanity.
The Sharjah Antiquities Authority, over more than thirty years of research and cooperation with distinguished international scientific missions, has been able to document 18 successive geological layers, each of which records a stage of human activity in Al Fayah, which makes this site a unique testimony to the genius of early man, and his ability to adapt and innovate, and gives scientists a window to a deeper understanding of the beginning of human settlement in the region, outside the stereotype that limited the Arabian Peninsula to being a mere crossing. For migrations.
In this context, Issa Yousef, Director General of the Sharjah Antiquities Authority, indicated that this listing represents the culmination of decades of institutional effort, which began with the vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, and is being completed today under the leadership ofSheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, by working to provide a sustainable and supportive scientific environment for research and documentation. He also explained that the Al Faya site reshaped our understanding of the geography of human migration, confirming that the Arabian Peninsula was not just a crossing, but rather an authentic homeland for human innovation in the early stages of history.
Protecting heritage promotes sustainable development
Efforts to protect cultural heritage are not separate from sustainable development paths, but rather represent a vital tributary that supports its economic, social and cognitive dimensions. Protected archaeological sites contribute to stimulating sustainable tourism, provide job opportunities related to preservation, documentation, and cultural services. They also constitute educational and research platforms that enhance knowledge production and expand the participation of communities in preserving their heritage.
From this standpoint, the inclusion of the Al Faya site on the World Heritage List reflects a strategic direction for the UAE towards investing in its cultural heritage as a renewable development resource, consolidating cultural identity on the one hand, and opening windows for international cooperation on the other hand, in accordance with the goals of sustainable development, and affirming the country’s position in protecting the common human heritage.
What is noteworthy here is that Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi contributed indirectly, through her knowledge initiatives, to creating community awareness that supports the preservation of this heritage, starting from incorporating it into school books, all the way to including it in cultural programs for children and youth. So that all these efforts contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In conclusion, theThe Earth Guards Foundation confirms that the inclusion of the Al-Faya on the World Heritage List does not merely represent an Emirati achievement in the field of antiquities protection, but rather embodies a qualitative shift in how cultural heritage is used as a tool for achieving sustainable development. The site that bears the imprint of the first man on the Arabian Peninsula is today transformed into a source of knowledge, a platform for international cooperation, and a bridge linking the past, present, and future.
The development achievements achieved by the Emirate of Sharjah – with the efforts and leadership of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi – reflect an advanced model of heritage governance, a model that combines the scientific dimension, the symbolic value, and the developmental function of cultural sites. HenceEarth Guards calls for the generalization of this approach in the Arab world, in a way that enhances the presence of the Arab region in the global cultural narrative, and places its archaeological sites on the map of the future, as a driving force towards progress, awareness, and connection to identity.
