Sharjah Institute for Heritage, SIH, digitally marked the World Heritage Day, which is celebrated on 18 April each year.

This year's celebration was marked by exceptional events including the first ever virtual heritage programme, presented using digital technologies. The virtual programme could be accessed through the institute’s website and provided an insight into the world heritage and its immortal masterpieces.

Dr Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, said, "The Sharjah Heritage Days festival has been held annually since 2003, and has been popularly acknowledged as a festival bringing people from all cultures under one roof. The outbreak of the COVID-19 that has plagued nations globally might have deterred our plans to organise this year’s festival, but we sincerely hope that the world emerges stronger from this crisis and global peace and unity is restored."

Dr Al-Musallam speech was followed by reviewing several videos on the World Heritage Walk of 2019 and previous years, along with testimonies from Sharjah Institute for Heritage.

Several folklore shows were also organised as part of the programme, along with workshops on sewing, (Tele) craft, puppet making, identifying millets and a promotional offer for the issuance of World Heritage Day.

The ceremony included a virtual seminar titled "The Popular Heritage of epidemic times in the Arab world- Emirates and Kuwait as a model," organised by the Arab Heritage Center, which received an outstanding response from audiences.

The virtual symposium was presented by Dr Seif Al-Badwawi from the United Arab Emirates, and Talal Saad Mubarak Al-Rumeidi from Kuwait and was moderated by Professor Fahad Al-Maamari.

The theme of the symposium focused on nature and the universe related to pandemics, folk and fairy tales, proverbs and riddles bearing the contents of pandemics, rituals, ceremonies and social practices dating the time and settings of pandemics, trades and professions transmitted by individuals and groups related to epidemics and pandemics.

Aisha Al Shamsi, Director of the Arab Heritage Centre, said, "The coronavirus pandemic prompted us to focus the seminar on discussing this pandemic from the perspective of the popular heritage, and delve into similar historical events, taking into consideration the great difference in the realities of life, modernity and progress. "