Workshop on the Preparation of a National Heritage Inventory for Cultural Heritage of Yemen
Following the official request from the General Organization for the Preservation of Historic Cities in Yemen (GOPHCY), ARC-WH initiated its project by organising a two-day online orientation workshop from 22-23 February 2021 to provide technical assistance in the preparation and implementation of a national inventory programme for Yemen’s diverse and rich cultural heritage.
A number of representatives from GOPHCY, the General Organization of Antiquities and Museums (GOAM) from across the country, and the UNESCO Project Office (Yemen), participated in the capacity building training workshop. At the same time, UNESCO Regional Office in Doha also joined the two-day meeting.
The workshop aimed to increase the capacities of Yemeni experts in the understanding and methodology of documentation and analysis of built heritage, which aims to provide a roadmap towards the establishment of a national inventory. Developing a national inventory of cultural heritage is a crucial step towards the management, identification, research and protection of sites.
ARC-WH invited Dr Mario Santana, Professor at Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS), Carleton University, who provided comprehensive and technical guidance on the challenges and steps towards creating a national inventory of cultural heritage, such as extensive data collection, the various forms of documentation, as well as the administrative and technical tools required for such an undertaking.
Mr Ghassan Chemali, a project manager from the Bahrain Authority for Cultural and Antiquities (BACA), also provided a detailed intervention and presented case studies of previous experiences with inventorying significant heritage buildings in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy (Bahrain), and the Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen).
ARC-WH will continue to work closely with the local partners to provide technical and financial support to help establish the foundation of a cumulative database of Yemen’s cultural heritage sites.
