Dubai, United Arab emirates 7th April 2018:  The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) is sponsoring the ‘Dubai Historical Documents Conference’ on April 11-12 at Zayed University in Dubai to advance the study of the emirate’s early history - with the intention of making them accessible to researchers, students and the general public.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural ‘UAE Heritage Research Conference’, the convention this year will continue to serve as an important platform for intellectual dialogue through a series of lectures, workshops and practical corroboration for students and academicians.

At the Conference, leading authorities and speakers will present a set of original papers to raise awareness about the importance of ancient documents in historical fact-finding and academic research.

“We will review a number of historical documents and help spread awareness on Wathiqati initiative and the role of old documents in the process of investigating and verifying historical facts,' said Fatima Mohammed, senior researchers at HHC.

“Over the past years, we have managed to build an archive of documents that have been collected, preserved, restored and archived, either at institutions in the country or personal libraries, “she added.

‘Dubai Historical Documents Conference’ is also aimed at raising the level of heritage appreciation, boosting cultural literacy, bridging the generation gap, and instilling the sense of patriotism among the new generation by teaching them lessons from the founding fathers.

Running parallel to the two-day conference is an exhibition called Wathiqati initiative, showcasing original historical documents that chronicle the history of Dubai and its development and achievements in various fields.

The exhibition is also aimed at spreading awareness of the Wathiqati initiative which highlights Dubai’s vital part in UAE's development and civilization.

The Conference will also award the winners of the 3rd Undergraduate Student Research Programme of the UAE Heritage Competition that was launched by the HHC  in 2014. The annual magazine ‘Emirati Flashes’, sponsored by HHC, which specializes in scientific research, will also be launched with a special edition commemorating the Conference.

‘Dubai Historical Documents Conference’ will be attended by Dubai Municipality, Historical Documents Centre, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage, Crossroad of Civilizations Museum (CCM), Saruq Al-Hadid Archaeology Museum, Emirates Philatelic Association and Urban Heritage Society.