Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre commemorates Sharjah Ruler's UAM PhD

The award was presented during an official ceremony held in Madrid on October 10, 2019.

The ceremony was attended by the university's president, deans of colleges, and a number of Spanish academic and political leaders. This international academic honour reflects His Highness's prominent role in supporting culture and knowledge.

Historic ties

During the ceremony, held at the university's headquarters, His Highness expressed his pride in this prestigious academic achievement from UAM, a renowned institution of excellence among universities in Spain and Europe.

His Highness pointed to the deep cultural and academic ties between the Emirate of Sharjah and Spain, emphasising that cooperation between them dates back to 1996, when the Spanish archaeological excavation mission affiliated with UAM began its work in the central region of the Emirate of Sharjah, in cooperation with the Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA). The results of these ongoing campaigns have yielded rich discoveries of architectural remains and archaeological finds, presenting a vivid picture of a large settlement that flourished during the Iron Age in the first millennium BC. Among the most notable discoveries was made in 2002, when the mission unearthed ancient underground irrigation canals operating according to a sophisticated engineering method dating back to the Iron Age.

This system is considered the oldest of its kind discovered to date. Its invention, coinciding with the domestication of the camel, facilitated migration and the transport of goods, as well as helped agricultural communities adapt to their desert environment. A factory for preparing mud bricks used in the construction of permanent dwellings during that era was also discovered.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the launch of these joint projects, a joint exhibition between UAM and SAA was held in November 2016 at the National Museum of Madrid. The exhibition featured selected models of Sharjah's antiquities and was well-received by visitors.

Collaborate to develop

His Highness expressed his aspiration for further cooperation, saying, "We are pleased to continue supporting the collaboration between UAM, SAA, Sharjah's universities and scientific academies. We call on everyone to work together in all fields to push the boundaries of knowledge and develop applications that lead to the progress and development we all aspire to."

On this occasion, His Highness recited a poem dedicated to the occasion.