Heritage specialists, Dr. Fatima Al-Umairi, Aisha Al-Hassan, and Fatima Al-Mansouri, emphasized the need to integrate individual and institutional efforts to protect UAE heritage. They confirmed this during a session organized by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage under the title 'Protecting UAE Heritage: The Institutional Approach and Individual Work', as part of the Sharjah International Book Fair events. The speakers noted that preserving cultural heritage is a collective responsibility that requires cooperation between researchers and interested parties with the relevant official authorities. Al-Umairi explained that tangible heritage requires efforts in excavation and restoration, while intangible heritage needs protection from distortion and distortion, stressing that the institutional umbrella ensures the continuity and development of the work. Al-Hassan, for her part, stressed the importance of a scientific approach in individual efforts, pointing out that cultural institutions are now adopting heritage projects according to clear academic criteria, and recalling the efforts of heritage pioneers such as Hamad Bu Shehab and Ahmed Rashid Thani. Al-Mansouri, in turn, praised the role of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, which has published more than 1200 publications documenting various aspects of national heritage, considering that the journey of preserving heritage began more than five decades ago to become today a cornerstone of the UAE's cultural identity.
