SIH hosts meeting on Arab Traditional Architecture Encyclopaedia

September 03, 2025 / 7:50 PM

Sharjah 24: On Wednesday, the Sharjah Institute for Heritage (SIH) hosted a meeting to coordinate the leaders of the scholarly teams working on the Encyclopaedia of Traditional Architecture in the Arab World. More than 20 Arab countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan, and others, will send specialists and academics to the two-day gathering.

The conference was headed by Dr Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of SIH and Head of the Encyclopaedia's Higher Research Committee. Dr Zinab Qanduz Ghirbal, Coordinator of the Encyclopaedia, and Abu Bakr Al Kindi, Director of SIH, were also there. Dr Mani Bouanama, the Institute's Director of Content and Publishing, facilitated the debate. The programme featured an overview of the Encyclopaedia, how it operates, a timeline, the publication of the first volume, and discussions about challenges and how to fix them.

Dr Abdulaziz Al Musallam described the gathering as a crucial step towards Arab cultural cooperation. He described the Encyclopaedia as a groundbreaking initiative that preserves architectural heritage while also demonstrating who Arabs are and what their culture is. He further stated that having specialists visit demonstrates that the Institute is committed to preserving this history for future generations and establishing Sharjah as a cultural centre.

According to Abu Bakr Al Kindi, Director of SIH, the gathering demonstrated Sharjah's status as a scientific and cultural centre. He stated that it helped maintain track of group study activities and assisted professionals in protecting Arab architectural uniqueness.

Three panel sessions
The meeting's second day includes three panel sessions. The first focuses on traditional architecture in the UAE and Gulf, the second on architectural legacy in the Levant, and the third on traditional building patterns in North Africa.

Place memory
People believe that the Encyclopaedia of Traditional Architecture in the Arab World is a way to recall and preserve Arab architectural history. Recording architectural words, elements, and components is one of SIH's most important tasks. This work is significant since many countries are losing their cultural history.

Scholars and professionals
The Encyclopaedia's scientific teams include a well-known group of professionals and professors who specialise in Arab architectural heritage studies.