Sharjah Museums Department’s Adult Learning Programme Going Strong

Department of Interpretation and Education presents rich lectures, workshops and trips during December

As part of the adult educational programme organized by the Department of Interpretation and Education at Sharjah Museums Department (SMD), It is presenting series lectures, workshops, and trips in the second half of December. On 19 December, the Sharjah Archaeology Museum held a lecture on the history of religious beliefs in Arabs in Pre-Islam era, delivered by Ali Al Matrooshi, Heritage and Local History Advisor at the Department of Tourist Development in Ajman.

Al Matroushi highlighted the topic on religious beliefs embraced by pre-Islamic Arabs, including paganism, which was the common religion of the majority of Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula. He explained that paganism dates back to many centuries before the advent of Islam and encompassed a range of different and simple forms of worship due to the simple Bedouin life style adopted by the majority of Arabian Peninsula’s population. Talks on Judaism and Christianity are to follow at a later date.

With these valuable programmes, the Sharjah Archaeology Museum provides information through a series of monthly lectures, rich in historical and cultural information, in order to give an opportunity to people interested in history and Archaeology to exchange knowledge, as well as to meet prominent intellectual personalities in the UAE and Arabian Peninsula.

SMD’s Department of Interpretation and Education, will also organize a field trip to an archaeological site in Sharjah on 26 December. Participants will be taken on a tour of the Sharjah Archaeology Museum before heading to Mleiha site in Sharjah along with the Archaeology Supervisor of Directorate of Archaeology at Department of Culture and Information Mr Issa Abbas Hussain. The participants will learn about the ruins found at the Mleiha site as well as Sharjah’s new discoveries. The trip is aimed at familiarising community members with Sharjah’s rich archaeology and the importance of preservation of heritage.

The Department also organized a lecture and workshop titled “Blending Heritage with Modernity” at Sharjah Archaeology Museum which was presented by the UAE Handicraft Centre on 12 December at Sharjah. The lecture and the workshop were aimed at educating participants about Emirati women’s wear, which is characterised by simplicity, elegance and colour combinations relevant to Arabic and Islamic traditions and customs.

The lecture focused on the burqa as part of Emirati women’s wear and how why it is worn by Emirati women. The participants got the opportunity to learn more about the burqa as they engaged in decorating a burqa with modern instruments and explored the modern stylish burqa. The workshop was designed specifically to educate the audience about original UAE women’s clothing and the importance of preserving the UAE’s rich and authentic heritage.

Commenting on the occasion, Alya Burhaima, Manger of the Department of Interpretation and Education at the Sharjah Museums Department, said “We are always keen to organize a diverse range of enjoyable, educational, stimulating, and enlightening programmes, events, and materials based on the sites and collections of the museums so that we may foster an understanding and appreciation of the Department’s collections as active cultural resources".

SMD’s pointed out that these events and activities featuring lectures and workshops are held in line with SMD’s strategy to enhance its role in creating a learning environment through interactive programmes for all community members of different ages and at all levels, through its 16 museums in Sharjah that cover Islamic arts and culture, archaeology, heritage, science, the marine environment, and the history of Sharjah and the region.
 

Emirate:  Sharjah

Date: Dec 27, 2012

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