Recording the past for the benefit of the future in UAE

Recording the past for the benefit of the future.
The National Archives, NA, affiliated with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, was established in 1968 as the Centre for Documentation and Research by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for the purpose of collecting and documenting all materials related to the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates and Gulf region.
Renamed the National Centre for Documentation and Research in 2008, it took its current identity, the National Archives, in 2014 under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Dr. Abdulla El Reyes, Director-General of the NA, explained that the name National Archives describes more accurately the work carried out throughout the country by the centre, which is to document and preserve the country’s heritage.
Dr. El Reyes added that the name National Archives bestows the right to collate documentary records and to preserve and organise them. He emphasised the importance of recording and preserving the details of the modern history of the UAE with all its significant events, such as the establishment of the union and the fast-growing renaissance, to enable the state to be a role-model in both unity and the establishment and revival of nations.
The Director-General said that 2014 has seen the NA make exceptional efforts in restoring world heritage documents to enrich its library with rare international records that attract researchers. An example of these efforts is an Agreement of Cooperation signed between the NA and the Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism aimed at preserving and sustaining that nation’s cultural heritage and digitising the document store at the Napoleonic Museum on the Italian island of Elba, along with the museum’s library containing over 1,000 historic books and more than 373,000 pages of manuscripts that need restoring and digital archiving.
The NA has recently finished preparing for its innovative national project, "Wathaq", which encourages citizens to submit originals or copies of any historical documents, records or photographs they own to the National Archives to further document the nation’s heritage, which the NA is trying to collect, document and preserve.
The NA is currently focused on its participation in the 5th Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival of 2014 in Wathba, showcasing hundreds of records detailing the achievements of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as well as some of the most renowned historical figures from the UAE, along with records of the history and past cultures of the UAE. This will all be displayed using state-of-the-art technologies, as the National Archives presents these materials in high quality 3D formats.
Fulfilling the needs of researchers is at the top of the NA’s list of strategic goals, and so it strives to provide research and integrated informational services. The staff work towards advancing communications with researchers who are the group that most benefits from the services of the National Archives which, in turn, takes into consideration their requirements as it works on growing its database of records and making this information more readily available.
The NA also opens its doors to local and international researchers and academics. It has welcomed, among others, Japanese researcher Dr. Shohei Sato, Assistant Professor at Kanazawa University, who was finishing his academic research on the historical usages of water resources in the country.
The NA works diligently to organise official archives in all the emirates, and has set up archives in more than 93% of all federal and local authorities.
It coordinates work in government archives by organising training courses, workshops and seminars, with the participation of more than 1,600 specialists and employees who work in print and digital documentation management.
Additionally, efforts are being made to establish a centre for high-quality preservation and restoration, equipped with world class quality state-of-the-art technologies. The NA is also in the process of building an audio library, compiling the quotations and opinions of its late founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
As an initiative to ensure the qualifications of staff members and improve their educational and occupational standards, the National Archives has started an electronic education and training programme that consists of several educational and training courses, as well as a programme of participation in organisational excellence awards.
Among its educational programmes, the National Archives has launched a project called the "Historian Students Club," which seeks to develop awareness among students about their history, heritage and their country’s achievements. The NA has also signed an agreement to have a special location set aside for it at the children’s edutainment city, KidZania Dubai, a first-of-its-kind initiative.
The National Archive contributes its publications to all major local book fairs, such as the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and the Sharjah International Book Fair, hence insuring that it reaches interested audiences with its publications.
The NA has published a number of specialised books this year, the most prominent of which were: "Zayed, Son of the Dessert and Builder of Civilization", "Third River", "Letters of the Prophet PBUH" and "Zayed’s Legacy", in a new edition.
As part of its participation in the Sharjah International Book Fair 2014, the NA released "Zayed Bin Sultan: Ruler of Al Ain" and "The Modern System of Documentation", in addition to its bi-annual peer-reviewed journal ‘Liwa’, which publishes research and studies specialising in history, heritage, archeology and the oral history of the UAE and Gulf region. The NA also distributes the seasonal publication ‘Thakira’, which specialises in the activities and events of the Archives.
The NA received the Sharjah International Book Fair award in 2013 for the book "Zayed, a Man who Built a Nation", in The Best Emirati Foreign Translated Book category.
The book provides the most detailed analyses of the life of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, enriched by the collective memories of those who shared his long journey. The contents of the 800-page book are accompanied by essential reference materials collected from around the world, as it tells the story of a unique and captivating character.
The NA has also presented its latest historical documentaries at cultural and national events, such as the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition and events by Arab and foreign embassies, and has distributed many of these documentaries for readers and researchers to experience the history and heritage of the UAE and Gulf region.
Locally, a variety of NA historical documentary exhibitions have been held throughout the emirates to present to the public many aspects of UAE history and its ancient past.
Additionally, the National Archives organised a photography exhibition, "Zayed, a Man Who Built a Nation", at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during Ramadan 1435 Hijri [2014], where it documented many of the philanthropic and humanitarian practices of the late Sheikh Zayed.
The NA also celebrated International Archives Day by organising a cultural programme at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and an exhibition of historical photographs documenting aspects of the life of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The NA contributed to the "One nation One City" initiative organised by the Teachers’ Association in Sharjah by sponsoring an exhibition of historical photographs relating to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, where it also displayed its top documents detailing the history and heritage of the UAE and Gulf region, as well as participating in parades and cultural events throughout the country.
Also, thanks to the National Archives, the UAE is the first Arab country granted membership in the International Oral History Association, allowing the Archives to participate in the association’s 18th conference in Barcelona, Spain. Thus the UAE became the first Arab country to represent the continent of Asia.
The NA oral history project started in 2008 to document events as witnessed by older generations of Emiratis and those who lived through them. Within this framework, the NA contains more than 800 audio-visual recordings of Emirati storytellers and elderly citizens.
Oral history is used to document and further discover the local dialect and songs, as well as folk tales that are abundantly present in Emirati heritage.
The NA believes that social responsibility is of great importance, so it cooperates with authorities by providing care and protection for documents, and by participating in events that are of importance to society and its people. In the past, it has participated in events with the Emirates Red Crescent and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, and celebrated International Day of Older Persons with a visit to a residential Care Home in Sharjah.
In terms of curating the Presidential archives documenting the activities of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, both locally and internationally, and its mandate to secure the preservation of old photographs and documentary films, the NA is continuing to work to enrich the collection of documents in its archives by sourcing and collecting all images and footage related to its interests inside and outside the United Arab Emirates.