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Zayed’s interest in heritage praised
ABU DHABI - Studies of the archaeology and heritage of the United Arab Emirates owed much to the personal interest of the late president Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, an obituary posted on the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) web site (www.adias-uae.com) says: 'Shaikh Zayed had displayed his interest in the country's archaeology long before the establishment of ADIAS.'
- PUBLISHED: Sun 7 Nov 2004, 11:07 AM UPDATED: Mon 2 Sept 2024, 3:20 PM
- By:
- WAM
It is written by the ADIAS Executive Director, Peter Hellyer. It notes: “He was a keen observer of the first archaeological excavations ever to take place in the UAE, at the island of Umm Al Nar, back in 1959, and personally led the Danish archaeological team then working there to the inland oasis of Al Ain, to show them the great bronze age tombs on Jebel Hafit and in the Al Ain oasis.”
“Later, he personally supported Danish and other archaeological expeditions to Al Ain, and was responsible for the establishment of the country's first archaeological museum, again in Al Ain.”
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“Becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and then the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, Shaikh Zayed devoted the last 40 years to the development of his country, and to the use of its oil revenues in the service of its people. Despite the increasing demands of government, however, he retained his deep and abiding interest in the study of the country's past.”
“He followed eagerly, for example, the work undertaken by palaeontologists on the 6-8 million year old late miocene fauna of Abu Dhabi's western region during the late 1980s and early 1990s, meeting them to be briefed on their work.”
“In 1991, he requested the carrying out of the first detailed archaeological survey of three of the main islands of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas, Dalma and Marawah... he then ordered the formal establishment of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS).”
“In the years that followed Shaikh Zayed continued to follow closely the results of ADIAS work... including the discovery of the pre-Islamic Christian monastery on Sir Bani Yas ... and, more recently, the discovery of major late miocene fossil finds in the Ruwais area, including two elephant tusks and other finds.”
“One of the most-quoted phrases of His Highness Shaikh Zayed was that “a people that does not know its past cannot deal with the present or face the challenges of the future.”
“He believed, deeply, that it was important that the people of the United Arab Emirates knew about their past, cherished it and learned lessons from it.”
“Archaeology in the United Arab Emirates owes him a great debt. Without his consistent interest in and support for the investigation and preservation of the cultural heritage of the country, including its archaeology, much that is now known would have been lost, or would not have been discovered, and the country itself would have been poorer for the lack of it,” the obituary said.