UAE, Sultanat Oman to submit joint Al-Iyala and Al-Taghruda file to UNESCO

Abu Dhabi, Mar 24th, 2011 (WAM)--The UAE and Sultanat Oman signed here today at the UAE Armed Forces' Club a joint file of Al-Iyalah and Al-Taghruda in their drive to register them in the UNESCO's list as tangible heritage.

Al-Iyalah is a traditional dance that is performed in different occasions such as weddings and welcoming of guests, while Al-Taghruda is an ancient form of Nabaty poetry chanted by Bedouins while crossing the desert on camels.

Dr. Nasser Ali Al Hemairi, Director of the Intangible Heritage Department at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Heritage and Culture (ADACH), signed on behalf of the UAE, while Saeed bin Sultan Al Busaeedi, Director of the Department of Heritage and Arts at the Omani Ministry of Culture and Heritage signed on behalf of Sultanat Oman.

Al Hemairi told Emirates News Agency (WAM) in a statement after the signing of the joint file that the move "reflects Al- Iyalah and Al- Taghruda are at the core of folklore in the UAE and Sultanat Oman", indicating that the file will be submitted to UNESCO on March 30, and viewed by experts commmittee of UNESCO in May, and the results of assessment will be announced in November at Indonesian Island of Bale.

He noted that the ADACH has been supporting all the activities of UNESCO, among others, the organisation's efforts to translate the UNESCO Message Magazine. It has translated a number of publications of UNESCO, notably, Falconery Archive in East and Preservation of Heritage Documentary of Arab Falconery.

Al Hemairi referred to the UAE's huge efforts in listing of the falconery in the UNESCO's intangible heritage list in Nairobi in November 2010.