A new article has just been published together with Sophie Mery, Jim  Blackman and Kevin Lidour. This is about the remarkable Ubaid pot which was discovered at the MR11 site on Marawah Island. This forms Chapter 17 within a new book dedicated to Christine Kempinski, published by Archaeopress.

Méry, S., M.J.Blackman, M.J. Beech & K. Lidour. 2016. 5500 av. notre ère: le vase de Marawah MR11 et l’Obeid du Golfe. Chapter 17, Pages 155-174, in: B. Perello and A. Tenu (eds.), Parcours d’Orient: Receuil de textes offert à Christine Kepinski. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd, Oxford. [ please contact me by email if you wish to have a copy of the pdf – please visit Archaeopress if you want to purchase a copy of the book ].

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, and the Christian Bishops of the Gulf come to visit the Sir Bani Yas Church and Monastery on 17 January 2017 (Photo credit: WAM Emirates News Agency).

For more information please read the various press stories, including:

The National – 19 January 2017 – UAE Minister and clerics say monastery site in Abu Dhabi is a lesson in tolerance for all

Al Etihad – 19 January 2017 –
لبنى القاسمي: الإمارات حريصة على نشر قيم التسامح

as well as three short films about the visit:

TCA Abu Dhabi – 19 January 2017
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi and Christian Bishops of the Gulf visit Sir Bani Yas Church and Monastery

WAM – Emirates News Agency – 19 January 2017
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi and Christian Bishops of the Gulf visit Sir Bani Yas Church and Monastery

WAM – Emirates News Agency – 19 January 2017
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi and Christian Bishops of the Gulf visit Sir Bani Yas Church and Monastery

Archaeological excavations continued at the Baynunah Camel site, from 2-15 November 2016. The team comprises, from bottom left in a clockwise direction: Dr Sonia O’Connor, Professor Terry O’Connor, Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Ahmed Abdalla Elhag Elfaki, Abdulla Khalfan Al Kaabi, Will Higgs, Dr Mark Jonathan Beech, Karyne Debue, and Dr Marjan Mashkour.

You may see some photographs of this recent work via my Twitter account. Please visit:

https://twitter.com/abudhabiturath

You can also follow us on:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/BaynunahCamelDig?src=hash

Archaeological excavations at site MR11 on Marawah Island were recently recommenced on the 10th October 2016, and will continue until the 27th October 2016. The team comprises, from left to right: Ahmed Abdalla Elhag Elfaki, John Martin, Richard Cuttler, Abdulla Khalfan Al Kaabi, Mark Jonathan Beech, Khalid Khan and Zahir Khan.

You may see some photographs of this recent work via my Twitter and Instagram accounts. Please visit either:

https://twitter.com/abudhabiturath

or,
https://www.instagram.com/mjbeech/

Inspirational teacher and mentor… A giant in Bioarchaeology… Proof that some successful academics can be genuine nice guys … Many things will be said about Don Brothwell (born 1933), who sadly passed away on Monday 26th September 2016.

Don was my favourite professor when I did my undergraduate studies at the Institute of Archaeology (1982-85). I signed up for all the courses he taught there at that time including Introduction to Environmental Archaeology, Vertebrates in Archaeology and Food in Antiquity. Each class he taught was an inspirational journey… He would spend ages in his office beforehand preparing each lecture, in those pre-powerpoint days, arranging hundreds of slides into a series of round carousels that he would use to tell a special story in each class. His wide ranging knowledge and enthusiasm for a wide range of subjects was infectious.

Besides myself there were two other students attending these same classes, Louise Martin (now Reader in Zooarchaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology) and Simon Parfitt (now Principal Research Associate, UCL Institute of Archaeology, currently on secondment to the Natural History Museum). Don inspired all three of us to continue in archaeology and gave us a passion for studying bones.

Some years later I was fortunate enough to have a second chance to learn from Don. When I conducted my Phd research at the University of York between 1997-2001, Don became my supervisor. I have fond memories of eating lunch with him in the Kings Manor canteen. He had an extraordinary mind and always had some useful suggestions for what I should read, who I should contact, or what other approaches might be useful to consider. It was usually best to catch him over lunch as he was so much in demand, even when “retired” and as a Emeritus Professor… Scholars from all over the world would be visiting him, and TV people were always chasing him for the latest story about bog bodies, mummies, human skeletal analysis or palaeopathology. I was amazed by his capacity to deal with all these things and yet remaining cheerful and calm.

In late July this year I was back in the UK on my annual summer holiday from the Middle East to escape the intense summer heat of Abu Dhabi. I was attending the Seminar for Arabian Studies at the British Museum. I could not resist purchasing from a bookstand at the conference a copy of one of Don’s latest books, “A Faith in Archaeological Science: Reflections on a Life” (2016, Archaeopress Publishing Ltd, Oxford). Reading this book brought back many happy memories of the classes I attended in the early 1980’s and reminded me of Don’s philosophy and approach to bioarchaeology, archaeological science and life. He was really a special human being.

Don will be missed by the many students and colleagues with whom he worked over his long career. I send my sincere condolences to his family.

Rest in Peace Don.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Thursday 15 September 2016, gives Pope Francis a photo book of archaeological findings on Sir Bani Yas Island. I helped to prepare this special book about Sir Bani Yas and the Church of the East. It featured details of our excavations of the church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island, as well as showing some of the plaster stucco decoration with crosses found at the church. The book included information on different archaeological discoveries on the island, including the landmark historic church and monastery dating back to the 7th and 8th century AD, demonstrating the clear spirit of religious tolerance and coexistence that prevailed in the region historically (Photo credits: WAM).

Date:
October 4-5, 2016

Location:
NYUAD Conference Centre, NYUAD campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Convened by:
Robert Parthesius Director of CIE, Centre for International Heritage Activities; Visiting Professor of Heritage and Museum Studies, NYUAD

Hosted by:
NYU Abu Dhabi Institute

Heritage and national identity are closely connected. In order to appreciate the process of heritage production we have to understand how the past is documented and used. The focus of this workshop is the UAE, a country which has gone through 45 years of rapid development while still very much engaged in connecting its past to its present and future.

This workshop explores how the UAE’s heritage has been documented so far and puts into conversation new avenues for the path forward. Academics, heritage managers, architects, curators, archaeologists, and artists working in the UAE are invited to come together to discuss their roles in heritage recording and preservation and how each practitioner’s work informs the work of others. Public awareness and support are key elements for the preservation and protection of heritage. Therefore, this workshop will also explore the ways the cultural heritage of the UAE is presented.

Speakers and participants include those working on the documentation and preservation of tangible heritage, such as archaeological sites, historic buildings and collections, and intangible heritage, such as traditions, practices and memory. This workshop will discuss both established documentation systems and the role of new high tech methods, such as 3D scanning, drones, visualization techniques and new interactive media to see how best to preserve and present heritage for scholarly and wider audiences.

Day One

The first day of the workshop will be dedicated to understanding the practices of documenting heritage in the UAE. Though separated thematically into four sessions, these themes are united in respect to how intangible and tangible heritage are viewed as interlinked. Furthermore, one session will focus primarily on the question of how technologies are able to bridge this link and provide new and interesting ways of engaging the audience. Keynote speakers will open the sessions, after which different presenters will discuss heritage preservation in their specialization. The first day will conclude with a round table discussion.

9.00-9.30 AM – Registration

9.30-10.00 AM – Opening Address

10.00-11.30 AM – Panel 1. Uses of Tangible Heritage Recording and Preservation in the UAE (Moderator: Tim Power, Zayed University)

In this session we look at the development of heritage documentation and presentation in archaeology to date, taking into account the UAE’s strong grounding in both the heritage of the sea and the desert. Using examples of past and current projects the panel explores the practices in the UAE (and Gulf Region at large). The panel will address the complexity of regional specific heritage management issues such as heritage sites and their living roles in education, tourism and national identity, and the role of the international community in developing documentation systems

Mark Beech (TCA Abu Dhabi – Historic Environment Department) – New techniques for the documentation of Palaeontological sites in Abu Dhabi

Rashad Bukhash (Director of Architectural Heritage Department, Dubai Municipality) –Documentation of the Saruq al Hadid archaeological site

Ahmed Hilal (National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah) – Documenting the coastal town of Jazirat Al Hamra, Ras Al-Khaimah

Aqeel Aqeel (TCA Abu Dhabi – Historic building conservator) – Documentation of historic buildings and sites in Abu Dhabi

11.30-11.45 AM – Break and Refreshments

11.45AM-1.15PM – Panel 2. Uses of Intangible Heritage Recording and Preservation in UAE (Moderator: Nathalie Peutz, NYUAD)

A great deal of what comprises the heritage that is lived and experienced from day to day in the UAE is contained within the traditions and oral histories of its people. Dependent on the intimate and sometimes fragile process of transmission between one generation and the next, the documentation of intangible heritage requires a certain level of urgency as well as sensitivity and personal respect to preserve its value and continuity.  In this session we investigate what constitutes intangible heritage and what does not?  How is it best preserved and how is it shared with the community.  How has intangible heritage been preserved to date in the UAE, and how has it been of value in terms of locating, preserving, and orienting the heritage process in the UAE and the region as a whole?

Aisha Bilkhair Abdulla (National Archive, Abu Dhabi) – Oral history of the UAE and the National Archives

Jane Bristol-Rhys – OR James Redman (Zayed University) – Bedouin life and Majlis Culture

Ismail Al Fihail (TCA Abu Dhabi – Intangible Heritage Department) – Documenting and inscribing UAE Heritage onto the UNESCO List of Intangible World Heritage

Alia Yunis & Student (Zayed University, Abu Dhabi) – Film as a Chronicler of the Past and the Future Past

1.15-2.00 PM – Lunch

2.00-3.30 PM – PANEL 3: Recovering the Past in the Future (Moderator: Mark Beech, TCA Abu Dhabi)

This session will look at where new technologies and ideas can lead us in both tangible and intangible heritage. This panel will help to build arguments for the round table discussion on how the future of new frameworks, new media and technologies will affect understandings of the past

Amel Chabbi (TCA Abu Dhabi – Historic Environment Department) – Mobile documentation system for recording the Modern Heritage of Abu Dhabi

Robert Parthesius & Dhakira (NYUAD) – Inter disciplinary legacy research sites NYUAD in UAE

Michele Bambling (Sheikha Salama Foundation, Abu Dhabi) – Lest We Forget and new future projects

3.30-4.00 PM – Break and Refreshments

4.00-5.00 PM – PANEL 4. Round Table Discussion: the way forward (Moderator: Rashad Bukash (Dubai Municipality)

The panelists will all give a short introduction to highlight aspects/arguments for the discussion about the way forward reflecting on discussions and presentations from the previous sessions.  

The UAE’s special capacities and resources provide it with a unique opportunity to strengthen its position as an influential beacon of cultural heritage management practices. In this session we explore whether it is possible to develop a regional and local tradition of heritage management within the context of a globalizing world?  How does the UAE compare in the management of its heritage (regionally and globally) and how does it move ahead.  What have been the UAE’s strengths and weaknesses in heritage management?

Panelists:
Zaki Aslan (ICCROM-ATHAR, Sharjah)
Mark Beech (TCA Abu Dhabi – Historic Environment Department)
Peter Hellyer (National Media Council)
Sabah Jasim (or Eissa Yusuf) (Directorate of Antiquities, Sharjah)
Robert Parthesius (NYUAD)

7.00 PM – Dinner

Day Two  (Case Study: Saadiyat Island)

8.00-8.30 AM – Registration

8.30-9.15 AM – Introduction Case Study – Strategies for recording, preservation and presentation of the heritage sites on Saadiyat Island

Mark Beech (TCA Abu Dhabi) – Previous surveys of the cultural heritage sites of Saadiyat Island
Tim Power (Zayed University) – The Saadiyat Oral History Project
Dhakira Heritage Lab group (NYUAD) – Explaining the fieldwork and case study

9.30-12.30 PM – Field Trip

1.00-2.00 PM – Lunch

2.00-3.30 PM – Discussing the Fieldwork results

3.30-3.45 PM – Break and Refreshments

4.00-6.00 PM – Excursion to Warehouse 421

6.30 PM – Dinner

Ancient Abu Dhabi, a feature article by Rachael Perrett, has just appeared in Abu Dhabi Week, Volume 9, Issue 27, 7-13 July 2016, pages 1 and 16-17.

Click here to read the online version.

To download the article as a pdf click here.