New publications and events documenting the last fifty years and celebrating the next fifty years

The National Archives participates in Sharjah International Book Fair 2021

The National Archives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs participates in the 40th Edition of Sharjah International Book Fair 2021, given its interest in bridging the gap between the readership and its publications specialized in the history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region as well as its activities and cultural events pertaining to its main objective of preserving and making the Nation’s memory accessible. The NA emphasizes in its publications and events the importance of its role in documenting the last fifty years of the UAE history and planning for the next fifty years in line with the approach adopted by the wise leadership.

H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah, reviewed the latest NA publication, Zayed, The Saadiyat Miracle and listened to the explanation given by H.E. Abdulla Majed Al Ali, NA Executive Director, for the book during his visit to the book fair.

The NA pavilion at the book fair celebrated the publication of its latest book, Zayed, The Saadiyat Miracle, which identifies Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan efforts in agriculture and agricultural lands reclamation in Al Saadiyat Island when he was the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

The pavilion includes the new issue of Liwa journal, which is a refereed academic journal dedicated to the study of the history, heritage and archeology of the UAE and the Arabian Gulf region. In this issue, the journal highlights historical subjects, most notably “Arabia from the Perspective of the Moroccans in the 11th Century Hijri”, “The Omani Military Forces in the 17th and 19th Centuries”, “Al Saidiya Schools: An Academic, Cultural and Educational Phenomenon” and “Weapons Trading in the Gulf”.

Moreover, the book, Qasr Al Hosn: The History of the Rulers of Abu Dhabi, 1793-1966, will be available, in the pavilion, in various languages, most prominently Arabic, English, French and Russian. It focuses on the history of the 11 Al Bu Falah Rulers, rulers of Abu Dhabi for nearly two centuries. Qasr Al Hosn served as the royal residence and administrative headquarters of the Al Bu Falah Rulers.

During the book fair, the NA organizes many events in the context of educational programs such as virtual tours, educational reading workshops, etc. This is in addition to a number of lectures such as Subtitling and Debugging Translation Challenges, the NA Efforts in Documenting Oral History, Electronic Archiving, Academic Research Resources of the UAE History, The Emirates Library of the NA: Researchers Portal of Knowledge, etc.

With regard to the NA participation in the book fair, H.E. Abdulla Majed Al Ali, NA Executive Director, said: “The participation of the National Archives in the 40th Edition of Sharjah International Book Fair reflects the importance of this fair, which is a global cultural phenomenon and one of the major fairs in the world. Its new edition is a key cultural event that highlights the UAE’s interest in books and belief in the importance of fostering the relation of generations with books as they serve as the main instrument for development. The National Archives will make the optimal use of the fair days by providing educational programs and lectures that keep the fair visitors closer to the Nation’s memory while they continue the procession of development for the next fifty years”.

“The National Archives presents its distinctive publications to the fair visitors and participants. The pavilion holdings will enrich the book fair with significant aspects of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan biography, which the National Archives strives to document in its publications so it would serve as a resource for the next generations and as an example of serving the future of the homeland. Furthermore, the pavilion will contain books that point out chapters of the UAE documented history and present the biography of the great leader who promoted the UAE to reach a prestigious global rank”, he added.

His Excellency expressed his hope that the book fair will act as a forum for the exchange of experience and knowledge and enhancing mutual cooperation. He assured that the Emirates Library at the NA will spare no effort during the book fair days to search for new and rare publications pertaining to the NA interest and objectives in order to enrich its collections and meet the need of its visitors including researchers, academics and those interested in the UAE history and heritage.

The Executive Director emphasized that the NA will offer its publications showcased in its pavilion at discounted prices.

The National Archives announces the launch of the 12th edition of the Young Historian Award



The National Archives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced the launch of the 12th edition of the Young Historian Award in the academic year 2021-2022 in line with its interest in strengthening joint national programs with educational institutions in the country.

This edition of the school student award derives greater importance from the fact that it coincides with the Year of the 50th, because planning for the next fifty years calls for the proper national upbringing of students and enrichment of their knowledge of the UAE’s history and heritage. As a result, their ability to strengthen the foundations of the Union and consolidate the UAE's reputation globally will be enhanced to preserve the gains of the country, and subsequently celebrate the Centennial of the UAE in 2071 as the best country in the world.

This scientific award, which deals with national topics, aims at promoting belonging to the nation and loyalty to wise leadership, and nurturing national identity in student generations. Furthermore, it seeks to develop their awareness of their glorious history, urges them to put forward authentic ideas and expressions, encourages them to research the history of the UAE and protect its documentary heritage in all forms, and promotes interest in the study of the history of humanity, tribes and genealogy, and dialogue of civilizations.



The National Archives directs this award to school students from grades 5 to 12. Thus, the 5th - 8th graders may participate through preparing a report on one aspect of social, economic or geographical life in the UAE.

The assigned topics for Cycle 2 are as follows:  the National Identity, Al-Sinaa, Social Cohesion, Customs and Traditions, Personal Impression of Celebrating the National Day, Emirati Women, Commemoration Day, and Volunteering.

 



The topics assigned for Cycle 3 participation include stories and narrations about the founding fathers, tolerance, folklore, heritage topics specific to the United Arab Emirates, architecture in the UAE (museums, markets, Qasr Al-Hosn, castles and forts, Wahat Al-Karama, Zayed Memorial). There are other topics such as A Story of a Document which involves writing a story or collecting information about a certain document. The Emirati Explorer, which involves exploring unknown archaeological sites, documenting stories with new or unique information, writing about personalities about whom no information has been written before, or explaining orally transmitted knowledge in astronomy, travel, marine science, calculating Al Duroor, etc. Topics also include Historical and archaeological sites, the UAE’s civilizations, Martyrs of Duty, The role of Emirati women, notably the Mother of the Emirates (Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak), women's empowerment, influential Emirati personalities and the UAE’s Efforts to Curb Covid-19, History of arts and theater in the UAE, Cultural associations, Emirati costume, Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Union, Sports activities, Expo 2020, Smart education (distance education), stories and anecdotes about distance learning, and Landing on Mars.



The National Archives advises participants to take advantage of the holdings of the Emirates Library at its headquarters, the website of the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive (AGDA) and the documents which it provides through the Customer Happiness Hall at its headquarters, as well as using the school and public libraries.



The competition jury will start receiving entries in the first week of February 2022. The concerned committees have completed their preparations to meet with students in order to provide them with more comprehensive and detailed information about the award categories and objectives, assessment criteria, and reports, research and oral interviews acceptance conditions.

It is worth noting that the National Archives launched the Young Historian Award in 2009 under the slogan “School Trips Competition”, and it published some important entries such as Zayed and Education, Zayed and Women, Zayed and Development, Zayed and the Environment and the Three Emirati Islands. Recently, it has also published two important publications prepared by participants in the Young Historian Award, namely “The Young Historian Award, 8th Edition, 2016-2017” and “The Young Historian Award, 9th Edition, 2017-2018”.

About the National Archives

 The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates, affiliate of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, was established in 1969 upon directives from the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan in order to collect and document all relating to the history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region. Forty years later, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued Federal Law No. (7) of 2008 renaming it the National Center for Documentation and Research mandated with organizing the archives of the UAE governmental entities. Recently, the name of National Center for Documentation and Research as stated in the above mentioned law  was changed to the National Archives following Federal Decree No. (1) of 2014, which is issued by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE.

As part of accomplishing its mission of historical archives’ collection and preservation

The National Archives received the historical archives transferred from the Ministry of Justice 

The National Archives received important historical documents transferred from the Ministry of Justice archives including the UAE various legislations, relations and international judicial agreements since its establishment in 1971.

On this occasion, His Excellency Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Executive Director of the National Archives, said: The National Archives collects and properly preserves the memory of the nation in its highly equipped stores to safeguard it and ensure its maximum possible life span. Thus through its receiving the historical archives of the Ministry of Justice, the National Archives enriches the UAE archival repository, highly needed by Researchers and all interested in the history and heritage of the UAE, and accumulates an invaluable cultural repertoire from which future generations may learn and draw important lessons of wisdom.

H.E. expressed his happiness with this important step, commended and praised the Ministry of Justice for its proper coordination and fruitful cooperation, which in turn further enhances professional relations with the National Archives for the benefit of the UAE and the memory of the nation. H.E. considered this significant step the first of many following fruitful effects to out-come from the memorandum of understanding signed between the National Archives and the Ministry of Justice at the beginning of this year.

His Excellency Khalid Nasser Al Raisi, Advisor to the Minister of Justice and Head of the Joint Documents and Archives Regulatory Committee at the Ministry of Justice, praised the National Archives great efforts to preserve the UAE historical archives, and also the efforts of the Joint Committee’s members and the National Archives team in completing this significant archiving stage. His Excellency pointed out that the historical documents of the Ministry of Justice include important information on both the individual and institutional levels, in addition to the ministry’s history and its establishment by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who was highly interested in providing a fair and just judiciary system and in developing its important role and establishing essential laws to eliminate crime in the UAE. Researchers will find these documents a rich source for needed knowledge on this great journey and on the history of the judiciary System of the UAE.



The National Archives

The National Archives of the UAE was established under the Ministry of Presidential Affairs in 1968 upon the directives of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with the aim of collecting and documenting information relating to the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region. Forty years after its establishment, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, issued Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 transforming its name to be the National Center for Documentation and Research, entrusted with the task of organizing the UAE government entities’ archives, and later its name was changed to be the National Archives in accordance with Federal Law No. 1 of 2014 issued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The National Archives Organizes Two Lectures on the Union Foundation Stages and Positivity in the Workplace Environment

In conjunction with the Year of the Fiftieth, the National Archives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs organized two lectures broadcasted via the interactive media, as part of its educational program that aims to qualify its employees.

The first lecture entitled “The UAE Foundation Stages”, delivered by Dr. Khalid Al Bolushi, an academic and researcher in the UAE history, started with a geographical and historical overview of the UAE and pointed out the emergence of political formations after the Portuguese withdrawal. It also discussed the attempts of Sheikh Zayed the First to unify the Arabian Gulf region in 1932 as well as the establishment of the Trucial States Council in 1952, which was a significant turning point in the Emirati society.

The lecture highlighted the nine-states Union meetings, the role of the neighboring states in the Union foundation and the role of Sheikh Zayed in the UAE foundation on December 2, 1971, in addition to the Union objectives and authorities.

Furthermore, the lecture assured that the credit for establishing the Union should be given to the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the founding fathers for their unique capabilities in dealing with challenges wisely and in spirit of harmony and cooperation.

On the other hand, the second lecture entitled “Positivity in the Workplace Environment” was presented by Hend Al Zaabi, Educational Programs Specialists at the NA. She started the lecture with a saying of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum: “Positivity is a way of thinking, and happiness is a lifestyle. In other words, it is not what you own or do that makes you happy; it is how you think about things”.

Having discussed the definition of positivity as a personality trait that is to change from egocentrism to openness to the outside world with a real desire to reform oneself and the society and to have a will to change for the better and the ability to effectively interact with others, Hend identified the importance of positive energy and how we can be positive.

The lecturer also tackled the impediments to positivity, and she gave ten pieces of advice to achieve and foster positivity at work and another ten pieces of advice to enhance positive relations among employees. In conclusion, she quoted a number of sayings of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid on positivity, derived from his book Reflections on Happiness and Positivity.

The two lectures attracted a large turnout of the public and the NA employees.

National Archives continues to showcase UAE history at Sheikh Zayed Festival



The National Archives continues its participation at the Sheikh Zayed Festival 2020/2021, showcasing in its 'Memory of the Nation Pavilion' historical documents, photographs and national documentaries on the UAE.

The National Archives participates in the Sheikh Zayed Festival 2020/2021 with the Memory of the Nation Pavilion, which is displaying historical documents, photographs and national documentaries that draw visitors to the long history of the UAE, informing them about the lives and achievements of its great leaders who were able to build a civilization that dazzled the world.



Taking a tour of the Memory of the Nation Pavilion starts with the section displaying historical documents, such as letters, treaties, and sketches of a number of forts including the Kalba Fort and a Portuguese fortresses in Khor Fakkan. The oldest of these historical documents dates back to the seventeenth century, and this collection is brought together as part of the first historical phase, which covers the period from 1620-1922. The second section, which covers the historical period from 1918- 1970, highlights the work of Sheikh Zayed in the Al Ain region and his efforts for the establishment of the Union. It includes a large number of coins, medals and badges.



The start of the prosperity phase is covered in the period from 1971-1980. This section introduces numerous photographs documenting Sheikh Zayed’s hard work to advance the UAE and to develop its international relationships. Through his efforts, these great achievements have been immortalized in history.



In the period from 1981-1990, the UAE accelerated its amazing progress under the rule of founding leader Sheikh Zayed and his fellow Rulers of the Emirates. With careful attention paid to the Emirati people and the residents of the Emirates, the nation continued to prosper with a prevailing sense of peace and security. The stellar success of this period is showcased by a glass panel on which the image of the founding leader is etched, inscribed with his famous words: “He who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future, for it is from the past that we learn.”



The section of the Memory of the Nation Pavilion covering the period 1990-2020 presents key quotes from Sheikh Zayed and pictures of the leaders who followed in his footsteps and pursued the path of prosperity and launched the 50-year Development Strategy to mark the UAE Centennial 2071. This period also underscores the defined role of the National Archives, which was established in 1968 under the special directive of the founding leader, who realized the importance of documenting the affairs of the nation from the beginning. At the front of this section is a large screen charting important points in the history of the National Archives. Adjacent to the screen is the Emirates Library Corner, which includes the publications of the National Archives along with tablet computers displaying the Smart Applications of the Chronicles of the Sheikhs.



The Memory of the Nation Pavilion also introduces festival visitors, via a large screen and some pamphlets, to the Quadrennial Congress of the International Council on Archives, which Abu Dhabi will host from October 17-22. Furthermore, the UAE Space Section leads visitors, through the use of advanced technologies, on a virtual trip to Mars and informs them of the importance of the Hope Probe on the local, Arab, and international levels. The tour of the Pavilion ends with a visit to the Education Corner, which provides children with a variety of educational and entertaining games.    

Research and studies highlight chapters of the history of the Arabian Peninsula region and others

The National Archives publishes a new issue of Liwa Journal

The National Archives has published the 15th Issue of Liwa Journal, which is a referred academic journal pertaining to the history and heritage of the UAE, Gulf region and Arabia.

The academic research papers in the recent issue published by the National Archives in Arabic and English highlight a number of historical subjects, most notably “Arabia from the Perspective of the Moroccans in the 11th Century Hijri”, “The Omani Military Forces in the 17th and 19th Centuries”, “Al Saidiya Schools: An Academic, Cultural and Educational Phenomenon”, “Weapons Trading in the Gulf”, etc.

Dr. Ahmed Al Saidy, talked, in Chapter 1, about Arabia from the perspective of the Moroccans in the 11th century Hijri, based on their books on journeys, indices and biographies. That perspective reveals their pride in Arabia and their tendency to talk about various religious, historical, geographical, economic and social aspects.

Chapter 2, written by Dr. Bahia Bint Saeed Al Ohtobia, identifies “The Omani Military Forces in the 17th and 19th Centuries”. She tackled several disputes and wars erupted in Oman during historical periods, resulting in the need for forming Omani military forces to defend the country against any external attack.

Dr. Huda Bint Abdulrahman Al Zidjalia presented the Saidiya schools as an academic, cultural and educational phenomenon that spread broadly in the Arab and Islamic World. These shcools were named after prominent figures in the history of the countries in which they emerged and had academic and cultural contributions. The research reviewed Al Saidiya School in Cairo, the Emirate of Dubai, Muscat, Salalah, Zanzibar and Gawadar in Pakistan.

In the last research paper of the new issue of the journal, Dr. Mohammed Faris Al Faris discussed the evolution of weapon trading in the Gulf, Dubai incident, the British response to that in Dubai in 1910, the subsequent situation and the related reactions. This is in addition to the British policy in the Gulf region and how it closed its eyes to weapon sellers and buyers as well as its reasons for fighting weapon trading.

The English version of the journal included a research paper entitled “Al Saidiya Schools: An Academic, Cultural and Educational Phenomenon”.

In its new issue, the journal presented the NA’s latest publications: “Young Historian Award – 8th Edition (2016-2017)”, “Young Historian Award – 9th Edition (2017-2018)”, “Their Memory Our History (Part 2)”, and “Informing People of Bandar Abbas Conditions”.

Liwa Journal is published in print form as well as on the internet by the NA. It welcomes academic research papers pertaining to its specialization in Arabic and English at liwa@na.ae.      

The National Archives receives the historical documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation



The National Archives received 251 boxes of historical documents from the Central Archives of the Documents and Archives Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. This step reflected the two parties' keenness to perform their national role in building the UAE documentary record.

The National Archives received the historical documents in the first stage, which included facts and information about the ministry's building foreign relations following the establishment of the union, and its historical achievements, as an important and integral part of the memory of the nation.

On this occasion, His Excellency Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Executive Director of the National Archives, said: This is an important step within the framework of collecting and preserving the memory of the nation for future generations, and making it available to researchers and all interested in the history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region. He extended his sincere thanks and great appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for handing over their historical documents to be kept at the National Archives stores in the Center for Preservation and Restoration, which is equipped with the best environmental conditions and international practices for preserving paper archives.

His Excellency said: We are approaching all government entities' archives to hand over their historical documents to the National Archives to preserve and protect them against loss or damage, especially that the restoration laboratory located at the National Archives’ Center for Preservation and Restoration is highly equipped for and efficient in the restoration and treatment of fragile, fraying or perishable historical documents.

His Excellency Abdullah Mohammed Al Bulooki, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - praised the National Archives’ Center for Preservation and Restoration, noting the National Archives’ readiness to receive the documents transferred to it, being fully equipped with all requirements and highest standards to provide the necessary environment for the permanent preservation of transferred archives. His Excellency thanked the National Archives for its highly appreciated cooperation with the Documents and Archives Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, stressing that handing over the Ministry’s historical archives to the National Archives comes within the framework of enhancing constructive and fruitful cooperation between the two parties for the benefit of the UAE and preserving the documentary heritage of the nation.

Hamad Al-Mutairi, Director of the Archives Department at the National Archives, said: The National Archives is always keen, to adopt the best practices and quality standards in the various stages of archiving the documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, starting with the preparation of an inventory of the historical archive which will be handed over then classified in special lists, following which a specialized team from the National Archives paid a field visit to the Minestry’s headquarters to inspect its archives and check the lists stating the historical documents to be transferred to the National Archives to ensure these lists match the stored documents, to be later transferred for permanent preservation in the National Archives stores.



National Archives

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs’ National Archives of the UAE was established in 1968 upon the directives of the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with the aim of collecting and documenting information relating to the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region. Forty years after its establishment, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE issued Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 changing its name to be the National Center for Documentation and Research, entrusted with organizing the UAE government entities’ archives, and later the name was changed by H.H. the UAE President to be the National Archives in accordance with Federal Law No. 1 of 2014.

Confirming the UAE's leadership in planning for the fourth industrial revolution and in information security

The National Archives educates its cadres and audience about the fourth industrial revolution and computer protection methods



The National Archives organized two virtual scientific lectures: "The Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Artificial Intelligence Applications" and "Protecting Your Computer", which deal with computers and the Internet. The National Archives is interested in enriching its cadres with vast information in this regard believing that the rapid growth of the fourth industrial revolution requires equipping human resources with knowledge and skills to keep abreast of the developments. As to computer protection, the National Archives considers it a must since its computers are full of important documents and information both on the personal and work levels, and everyone must be attentive to the endless hacking attempts to which personal and institutional computers and accounts are exposed worldwide.

The first lecture "The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence Applications ", was delivered by Dr. Ibrahim Hamad Al-Hinai, advisor and faculty member of the Higher Colleges of Technology. He talked about the future state, which is a state with vision, flexibility, initiative and successful and sustainable proactive ability to anticipate and explore early future challenges and crises, and ways to address them, and to exploit future opportunities based on national visions, values and objectives. He reviewed the most important drivers and trends that will affect the future of the overall development plans for the next 50 years in the social, economic, environmental, political, technological and demographic fields.

The lecture focused on the "UAE Centennial 2071", which aims at making the UAE the best country in the world, so the wise leadership identified specific pillars for the government, education, economy and society. It shed light on each pillar separately, noting that the UAE is working to attain the best education and the best economy, and to establish the happiest society and the best government in the world.

He pointed out that the Corona crisis sped up the UAE's orientation toward a scientific and digital future, adding that the UAE of the 21st century is heading rapidly to digital and technical evolution.

DR. Al-Hinai reviewed the UAE's strategy for the fourth industrial revolution, the framework of which consists of six axes: future leadership, future productivity, future experience, future security, future human beings, and the foundations of the future.

He pointed out that, today, the UAE is launching strategic initiatives to activate artificial intelligence, including financial technology, to contribute to promoting economic growth and sustainable development.

He noted that each of the previous industrial revolutions was characterized by technical innovation, and that the fourth industrial revolution is characterized by advanced technical innovations such as genetic modification, artificial intelligence and machine learning, including data storage technology and money transfer methods.

In the second lecture, "Protecting your computer", Mr. Abdullah Al Zarouni of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and   the Digital Government, confirmed the great interest shown by the UAE in building a secure information society. Then, he talked about information security, which deals with confidentiality, credibility and availability of information and cybersecurity, indicating the importance of information security.

Al-Zarouni spoke in detail about confidentiality, credibility and availability, and the importance of passwords to protect personal and work computers. Additionally, he pointed out some examples to highlight the importance of a password as a first line of defense against access to information.

He reviewed the most common passwords and provided examples of strong passwords and best practices.

He shed light on malicious software designed to access information, or damage computers without the owner's knowledge, adding that attackers use these programs to steal information, encrypt data and ask for money, destroy data, or manipulate victims for further attacks.

He shed light on the sources and signs of malware and virus infection to computers. It listed the most common types of malware, such as Ransomware, Virus, Worms, Trojans, and Spyware.

With the aim of spreading positive energy, fostering psychological health, and cheering employees up,

The National Archives organizes two workshops on Psychological Resilience and Quality of Life in Workplace Environment



The National Archives has organized two virtual training workshops on Psychological Resilience and Quality of Life in Work Environment, in collaboration with the Emirates Center for Happiness Research of the UAE University. The workshops aimed to maintain psychological health, foster quality of life in workplace environment, promote performance levels and improve efficiency. The NA strived to enrich its staff knowledge, thus enhancing the psychological health and embracing positivity.

The contents of the two workshops that were attended virtually by participants via interactive media, were in line with the NA’s interest in its staff who are considered its core wealth. The NA aims to spread positive energy in the working environment in support of development, teamwork, corporate loyalty and increasing job satisfaction.

The two lectures were delivered by Ms. Nouf Al Junaibi, Director of the Emirates Centre for Happiness Research. In the first lecture, she defined psychological resilience as the individual’s ability to successfully adapt with everyday tasks in the face of difficult situations.

Furthermore, she tackled some difficult situations and challenges and uncovered some reasons behind our need for psychological resilience such as the hard life, endless challenges, sudden challenges and the need to get away from depression.

The lecturer supported the workshop with some exercises that help to find solutions to some challenges. She also listed the types of resilience and its strength degrees and called for optimism and thinking of the present and future. She shared the audience with an exercise on the main methods to develop psychological resilience when dealing with the family and community members.

In the second lecture entitled “Quality of Life in the Workplace Environment”, Ms. Nouf Al Junaibi discussed the concept of quality of life and identified its importance as a modern concept. She revealed that quality of life in the workplace environments relies on the physical and mental health, ways of thinking in response to work challenges, communicating freely, etc.

The workshop presented a number of exercises and identified the difference between the positive and negative employees. It also pointed out some practices that create a better working environment such as determining priorities, selecting influential persons at work, etc.

It is worth mentioning that the abovementioned workshops have received great attention at the NA due to their significant impact on promoting quality-of-life concepts and practices and fostering psychological health in a way that cheers employees up and increases their productivity.

In confirmation of their valuable content and importance in presenting the historical dimension of the UAE,

The National Archives’ Publications Arrive at the Library of Congress

The US Library of Congress displays among its collections a number of the National Archives’ publications. The Library of Congress, which is the largest one worldwide shows an interest in the NA publications due to their valuable documented content on the situation of the emirates before and after the foundation of the Union and due to the attention, they received at Arab and foreign libraries from researchers and academic staff who are keen on the UAE history. It is worth mentioning that the NA publications provide precise documentation of the UAE civilizational and cultural legacy and the foundation of its federation, supported with photographs, maps and statistics.

The NA is proud of the fact that its publications have reached the shelves of the Library of Congress, the global cultural resource, as it is fully confident that these publications, which are increasingly available at Arab and international levels present to the world the historical dimension of the UAE. The NA strives to make both paper and electronic publications available in all cultural circles since their serious contents meet the needs of intellectuals, researchers and those who are interested in the UAE history and heritage.

With respect to the acquisition of the NA publications by the Library of Congress, H.E. Abdulla Majed Al Ali, NA Executive Director, said “The achievements of the NA’s publications with their significant contents encourage major libraries to acquire them. These publications meet the needs of knowledge seekers and researchers who study the history of the UAE and Gulf region because of their significant value and documented historical information. That is why researchers, specialists and those interested in the history of the region have been impressed by these publications. We are proud that the NA publications are available in the Library of Congress, which serves as a promotion for and a global testimonial to these publications”.

“The NA has variant publications as some are related to historical studies about the UAE and Arabia while others are related to archival sciences. The publications also come in various forms including encyclopedias, academic and school trips, chronicles of their Highnesses Sheikhs of the UAE, and aspects of the glorious biography of the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. They present areas of the civilizational and cultural legacy, which the UAE is known for in the modern history. What made these publications more attractive is their sophisticated design”, he added.

Visitors of the Library of Congress’ electronic catalogue (Catalog.loc.gov) can access to many of the NA’s publications, most notably: Zayed Chronicles (2003), Al ’Adeyat: A Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Horses (2005, Al Ma’moura: A Comprehensive Arabic Encyclopedia of Camels (2005), New Perspectives On Recording UAE History (2009, in Arabic and English), Black Gold and Frankincense: photographs of south Arabia taken by first explorers of oil (1947-1971) and it was issued in 2010 in Arabic and English), Memoirs of the Emirates: proceedings of the seminar convened by the National Centre for Documentation and Research (NCDR) in December 2010 (in Arabic and English), Zayed, Man Who Built a Nation (2013, in Arabic and English), The Chronicles of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 1968-2010 (2012), Legal Settlement for the Emarati Iranian Dispute Regarding the Three Islands: an analytical and strategic study in accordance with historical documents and the international law provisions (2013), Third River: aspects of oil in the Middle East 1887-1979 (2014, in Arabic and English), Fifty Years in Al Ain Oasis: memories of Abdulhafeez Khan (2015, in Arabic and English), A Fateful Intrusion: The British India Steam Navigation Company in the Arabian Gulf 1862-1982 (2018, in Arabic and English), A Soldier in Arabia (2018), etc.

It is worth mentioning that while it strives to make its publication available, the NA tends to launch most of them electronically for easy access via smart phones and tablets.

Being rich in accurate information that are supported with historical photographs, maps and important statistics, the NA publications are also characterized by their beautiful design and high-quality output, which make them more appealing to readers.

The National Archives promotes professional safety in the working environment and considers it a necessity, not a luxury.

The National Archives, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer), organized a remote lecture entitled Occupational Safety in the Working Environment, with the aim of spreading a culture of prevention and occupational safety,  maintaining a safe working environment,  promoting interest in applying the best and latest international practices that ensure safety, and continuing  to work hard to promote positive behavior at workplace.

The lecture was delivered by Younis Suhail Al Murshidi, environment, health and safety officer at Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre. He began by emphasizing that professional safety measures are not a luxury, but rather a necessity by which all must abide to secure a safe working environment where no accidents occur to people, environment, property, or anything related to work procedures.

The lecturer highlighted many important topics, such as the difference between risk and danger, risk assessment and steps, identification, classification, common risks of occupational safety and health in the workplace, personal protective equipment, first aid, awareness and guidance, and reporting and recording accidents.   He also shed light on ergonomics and the reasons for taking interest in it.

He stressed the importance of personal protective equipment used by workers to prevent injury or disease resulting from contact with chemical, physical, radioactive, electrical, mechanical, and other materials. He also pointed out the need for awareness and guidance through various means such as career guidance, awareness leaflets, various awareness materials including posters, foldables, brochures, awareness and training lectures, workshops, meetings,  seminars, etc.

Al Murshidi urged participants to report incidents through emergency and maintenance telephones, explaining the methods of reporting impending incidents. He provided an explanation about the ergonomics, which involves modification of work to suit the employees in terms of offices, tools, and equipment

The lecturer reviewed a list of the most important definitions and terms of the Abu Dhabi Environmental, Health and Safety Management System, such as auditing, biological hazards, commercial waste, corrective actions, risk of injury or harm, damage or loss as well as possibility of sustaining an injury, and an illustration of the damage severity.

The lecturer stressed the importance of risk assessment, which means the process of examining the risk analysis results against the provisions, standards and specifications that have been developed as the basis for decision-making. Risk assessments are carried out in five steps:  identifying risks, identifying people at risk, recording and implementing results, and taking decisions regarding precautions, evaluation, review and updating.

The lecturer reviewed the risks of engineering, physical, chemical and biological, motor and human element, and reviewed the most common risks of occupational safety and health in the working environment.

Under the slogan “Translation and Preservation of the Memory of the Nation: The Image of the UAE in Cultures, Literatures and World Intellectual Heritage”

The National Archives announces its readiness to organize the 2nd edition of the International Conference on Translation



The National Archives of the UAE announced its readiness to organize the 2nd edition of the International Conference on Translation under the slogan: “Translation and Preservation of the Memory of the Nation: The Image of the UAE in Cultures, Literatures and World Intellectual Heritage”. The conference aims to build bridges between other cultures and civilizations worldwide to exchange global human achievements and knowledge and accordingly enhancing the dialogue of civilizations and closing the gap between cultures and knowledge of peoples.

With regard to the preparations for the 2nd edition of the translation conference, H.E. Abdulla Majed Al Ali, NA Executive Director, said that the NA is looking forward to holding another edition of this conference that is more distinctive than the first one. He noted that the NA role in documenting the UAE history and heritage will give the second edition of the conference a historical dimension and its topics will reflect the image of the Emirati community in the mind of the other, in travelers’ eyes and in other western cultures, literatures, etc.

“We received a torrent of messages appreciating the 1st edition of the conference and asking for holding the conference every year. This has affirmed our decision to organize a second edition”, he added. The positive reactions, which were subject to scrutiny by the NA emphasized that the 1st edition of the conference has achieved the targeted objectives. Publishing a book containing the first conference research papers will highlight the efforts exerted in this conference and the additions made to translation through more than forty research papers of high levels of academic research accuracy.

 His Excellency invited all researchers, academic staff and specialists to participate in the International Conference on Translation in its new edition, confirming that the research papers of the conference will receive the attention they deserve from the NA and the output will be in line with the best standards of painstaking academic research papers so that they will constitute a value source for those interested in translation, students of translation studies, researchers and those interested in the UAE history and heritage and in its image in the mind of the other. This conference will bear testament to the wise leadership’s attention to translation since it stands as a real link between the UAE and peoples of the world, fosters the dialogue of civilizations, contributes to the transfer of various types of knowledge and sciences and presents to the world the fascinating image of the UAE, its civilization and development under its prudent leadership.

He assured that the 2nd edition of International Conference on Translation will be organized by the NA during the period May 10-12, 2022. Those who are interested in participating in the conference have to provide the conference organizing committee at the following Email (NATC@na.ae) with research abstracts in Arabic or English, with no more than 300 words for each abstract, no later than October 20, 2021, accompanied by the participants name and all contacts such as workplace, telephone number and postal address.

Communication with candidates nominated to participate in the conference will be via e-mail no later than November 20, 2021. Candidates should send their complete research papers (2500-9500 words) to the NA, noting that the conference sessions will be conducted virtually via the electronic platform “Zoom”.

It is worth mentioning that the following ten topics have been specified for the 2nd International Conference on Translation: 1) The image of the UAE in the eyes of European travelers and the problems of translation from Italian, German and Spanish languages,  2) European historical and political narratives about the UAE and the dilemmas of translation from English, French and Portuguese languages,  3) Contemporary Emirati civilizational achievements in European and Asian writings and the challenges of translation at the present time,  4) The role of translation in enhancing the image of the UAE and its cultural heritage in the twenty-first century at the global level,  5) The representation of the Emirati society in Western cultures and literatures and the complexities of literary translation,  6) The role of the UAE governmental institutions in developing the translation movement in the Arab world,  7) Translation and creativity in the post-globalization era: Great ambitions and new translation theories,  8) Negotiating the linguistic, cognitive, communicative, cultural and technological dimensions of translation,  9) The challenges of Arabic translation in light of semantic, syntactic and cultural differences between different languages, and  10) The role of Arab universities in developing translation teaching programs and preparing translators for the labor market.