Sharjah Heritage Days (SHD), organised by Sharjah Institute for Heritage (SIH), offered visitors unforgettable days and memorable moments over the course of 8 days in KhorFakkan, attracting more than 15 thousand visitors. Yesterday, Saturday evening, the activities of Sharjah Heritage Days were concluded, where various folk arts performances and cultural competitions were held at the heritage area’s theatre.

The love of Sharjah and its place in the hearts of all

His Excellency DrAbdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the 18^th Sharjah Heritage Days, said, “We are always working to embody the directives and visions of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, in order to preserve our nation’s heritage. We are extremely pleased at what the Sharjah Heritage Days 18^th edition accomplished at KhorFakkan, and I would like to praise the great efforts and unlimited generosity of everyone involved who made the event a great success.”

His Excellency added that he was happy with the broad participation of official and private bodies, citizens, residents, and heritage lovers, which is evidence of the love for Sharjah and its place in the hearts of all. His Excellency thanked all members of the public for attending, with more than 15 thousand visitors welcomed to the event despite current exceptional circumstances.

A symposium on the foreign customs and traditions of the Emirati society

Within the cultural sessions organized by SIH for the SHD event, Dr Ali Obaid Al-Zaabi, Vice Assistant Chancellor of Financial and Administrative Affairs – Khorfakkan Branch, and Mrs Fatima Al-Mughni, a former member of the Consultative Council of Sharjah, and social researcher and expert in folklore, presented a session entitled “Customs and traditions alien to the Emirati society”. Attending the seminar were: the researcher and expert in Emirati folklore, Abdullah Khalfan Al Hammour, Dr. Rashid Al Naqbi, Chairman of the Municipal Council in Khorfakkan; Khaled Al Shehhi, Director of the Sharjah Heritage Institute, Khorfakkan Branch,Mohammed Khamis Al Naqbi, Deputy Governor of Shees Region of Khorfakkan, and a number of heritage and culture lovers, and was moderated by Safia Al-Naqbi.

Dr Ali AlZaabi talked about customs and traditions and how to preserve cultural, social, and religious heritage. He said, “We, as institutions, individuals, and departments in society, must contribute as an integrated system in aligning the ranks, so that this generation has a cultural and social legacy towards customs and traditions. This is not just an annual show, but must become a way of life.” He stressed that this would require everyone to join hands in education, health, and media, and everything that would contribute to concerted efforts to transfer a new culture.

In turn, Abdullah Khalfan AlHammour addressed several aspects, most notably how to preserve customs and traditions, as well as the challenges we face as an Emirati society in the midst of the presence of more than 200 nationalities in the country, as the UAE is like another globe by embracing so many nationalities.He expressed his confidence and hope in the Emirati youth in preserving Emirati customs and traditions, and thanked the Sharjah Institute for Heritage for organizing Sharjah Heritage Days, which everyone benefited from.

For her part, Fatima Al-Mughni talked about authentic educational customs, such as those of receiving guests, and the customs surrounding the wearing the abaya and traditional Emirati clothes, explaining that they represent modesty. She showcased some changes in the clothing, such as changing colours and shape.

She called for education programs related to customs and traditions not only to be presented as studying, but rather presented in a more practical and hands-on way for children. She also called on the new generation to preserve what was bequeathed to us by Zayed the Good, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, who made heritage a symbol of progress when he famously said: “Who is not?” He has a past, there is no present and he has no future. ” Al-Mughni added that, today, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, is completing the march and taking care of these cultural heritage days.

Workshop on how to make a “AL ShaShah”

Within the activities of Sharjah Heritage Days in KhorFakkan, a workshop was held in the “Al ShaShah” industry, in the presence of a number of observers, interested parties and the public, in the courtyard of the heritage area. Hassan Abdullah Muhammad Suleiman spoke about the industry, who explained that the screen is the fishing boat that our parents and grandparents used long ago, even before the union of the UAE was formed.He added, “The screen consists of the palm tree, and all parts of the palm except for Al Ghus and Al Shalmal, which are both from the Sidr tree, in order to fix the edges and fix the screen, from the bottom to the cover, and of course the paddles are also not from the palm.”