The National Archives honored the prize winners of the 4th edition of the Students' Historians’ Club competition which targets grades 8 to 11 public and private school students in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. 

The National Archives honors the creative and distinguished students in the Historians’ Club.

Awarding more than 500 creative figures  and entities participating in the 4th edition

The National Archives honored the prize winners of the 4th edition of the Students' Historians’ Club competition which targets grades 8 to 11 public and private school students in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. 

The Student Historians’ Club competition is adopted and sponsored by the NA in collaboration with its strategic partner, The Abu Dhabi Education Council. The competition comes in line with the NA’s endeavors to direct students’ potentials towards considered and addressed National and historical programs that contribute in developing the society, shaping and enhancing students’ characters, and instilling moral values and noble principles.

The NA meant to link the events of the 4th edition of the competition to national values emphasized by our wise leadership. This edition, in some of its topics, responded to the initiative of supporting the curricula by a moral education subject. However, its other topics were in line with the “2017 The Year of Giving” initiative. It also paid interest to the nation’s martyrs who sacrificed themselves to protect their homeland and accordingly became the best role-model for future generations. Furthermore, it also paid special interest to some of the beloved homeland’s landmarks and its ancient historical heritage.

At the onset of the ceremony, H.E. Majid Al Mehairi, the NA’s CEO, delivered a speech welcoming all participants and attendees and congratulating the winners. He pointed out that the participating projects constitute a source of happiness and pride, and reflect the students' creative potentials. He highly appreciated the Student Historian’s Club's national, community, cultural, artistic and literary year round activities, especially the impressive activities characterized by their humanitarian aspect that touches the hearts like the voluntary services, and visits to martyrs’ families and the injured Armed Forces heroic soldiers as well as their keen interest to plant the martyr tree in schools.

Al Mehairi added that the NA’s interest in directing the energy of preparatory and secondary school students towards national programs contributes to instilling good citizenship principles in them, enhancing their sense of loyalty and belonging to the homeland and its wise leadership and establishing their national identity, through which the NA follows the wise leadership’s march, aspirations, and ambitions to build the human being on whom it focuses its interest, especially the youth whom we all agree are the wealth of the nation and the security for its future. 

H.E. the Executive Director thanked ADEC, the strategic partner in this renewed progress and success achieved by the Student Historians’ Club.

The Student Historians’ Club with its activities and events is a pioneering national project adopted and sponsored by the NA, and through which it managed to attract the attention of students at a very critical age to national causes and instill in them the founding fathers' values and the wise leadership's initiatives, with its moral qualities that contribute to the students national education for future generations. Definitely, the objectives the NA aims to achieve through this project, started to materialize in fact through the demonstrated creativity of students and their supervisors in this club's competition which only constitutes a small part of the club’s contributions and its national values instilled in the member students who were distinguished by their national and community activities.

The 4th edition of the historians’ club competition included a number of categories, first of which was the best historical model. Al Fahidi Fort in Dubai was selected due to its being the oldest building in Dubai, the second was the best oral history narrated story selected by students. The third was the best historical magazine and it was about the nation’s devoted martyrs. Finally, the fourth category was the best presentation in the framework of the supreme initiative aimed at supporting the school curricula through “Moral Education”.

The Student Historians’ Club competition has approved 93 projects from 49 schools. During the honoring ceremony of the 4th edition of the competition, more than 500 participating creative figures and entities were awarded. The categories included the winning students of the first, second and third ranks, the coordinators who were the supervising teachers, the winning schools of the first, second and third ranks and parents since a student cannot succeed and excel apart from his/her family.

In accordance with the directives of H.H. President of the UAE on designating the year 2017 as the year of giving, the recent edition of the historians’ club has honored prominent figures in the field of community, national and voluntary activities, which reflect the concepts and aspects of good citizenship and reinforce national values that enhance the sense of loyalty and belonging to the nation. These activities kept historians’ club active and busy all year round. The NA granted appreciation certificates to participants of this year’s  competition.

The works submitted by the participants proved their loyalty and belonging to the nation, their pride of its identity, history and heritage, their keenness on preserving its values and culture, and their pride of the glories and great legacy of the founding leaders. This, in fact, made the content of the students’ national works consistent with the UAE Vision for 2021 and in line with Abu Dhabi Vision for 2030. They also reflect the outstanding educational system, high quality educational services delivered to UAE schools, and students’ belief in the national, behavioral, knowledge and community values, which characterized their participations in the club competition and the rest of its activities with a special touch that brought them close to the hearts of the society members of different segments.

It is worth mentioning that the fourth edition of the Students' Historians’ Club has listed the winning schools that achieved the first rank in each category as follows: As for public schools, Al Maha Girls School was the winner of the best model of “Al Fahidi Fort” while Al Foah Elementary School won an award for the best historical magazine entitled “The Nation’s Martyrs”. Omama Bint Al Harith Secondary School was the winner for the best presentation on the initiative of supporting curricula by “Moral Education”. Qatr Al Nada Secondary School won the best oral history narrated story, which tackled different aspects of life in the UAE in the past.

As for private schools, ADNOC Schools for boys was awarded the first rank for the best model of “Al Fahidi Fort”, and ADNOC Schools for girls attained the first rank for the best historical magazine entitled “The Nation’s Martyrs”. Al Ittihad Girls School in Al Ain won the first rank for the best presentation on “Moral Education”, while Al-Ittihad Girls School in Abu Dhabi reached the first rank of the best “Oral History” narrated story on the life of the founding leader, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his charitable initiatives that came concurrently with 2017 initiative for The Year of Giving.

Ideal and model families were also among the prize categories as their efforts were apparently reflected through the excellence of their sons and daughters. In accordance with “2017 The Year of Giving” initiative, schools that excelled in community causes and voluntary activities were also awarded. These schools were Emirates National School for girls (Al Nahyan Campus in Abu Dhabi), United, and Al Baya elementary and secondary Schools, and Al Jahili Secondary School.

The heads of both the hosting and organizing committees from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain And Dhafra branches were also honored at the NA and ADEC.

The NA has appreciated the efforts of all students who participated this year in the Students' Historians’ Club competition. Mr. Farhan Al Marzooqi, Director of the NA Corporate and Community Outreach Department, granted appreciation certificates to all participants. 

Two distinctive projects were presented in detail to the attendees and participants. The first on Al Ittihad School in Al Ain's moral education initiative, while the second relating to the oral history field entitled “The UAE Giving Approach” presented by Al Ittihad National Private School.

Participants from schools administrations, parents and students have all appreciated the role of the NA, as a main and essential partner, in the national education of all generations.

The UAE’s National Archives organized a training session in its headquarter in Abu Dhabi for the Environment Agency staff on oral history interviews methods in terms of interviews topics and standards to be considered.

The National Archives organizes a “training session” for the Environment Agency staff on conducting oral history interviews 

The UAE’s National Archives organized a training session in its headquarter in Abu Dhabi for the Environment Agency staff on oral history interviews methods in terms of interviews topics and standards to be considered. A model-training interview was conducted by Shareena Al Qubaisi, Head of Oral History Unit in the NA, with the narrator Zayed Saeed Hareb Al Mansouri, about grazing and natural pastures in past and present Abu Dhabi.

This session enhances the study being conducted by the Environment Agency on this subject to measure the changes occurred in natural pastures and preservation methods to ensure their sustainability.

The session focused on the importance of listening to the narrator, asking precise questions that serve the interview objective, using the narrator’s expressions and terms in the field of grazing, and getting the local terminology clearly explained. It also emphasized the importance of properly checking the devices and cables and using the camera tripod during the interview.

The interview included tens of questions prepared by the NA in cooperation with the Environment Agency, starting with the introduction of the narrator, the importance of camels in the local economy in the past and present, the narrator’s experience in grazing and ownership of camels in the past, natural pastures in Abu Dhabi, types of pastures, camel feed such as sorrel, present grazing methods, participation in camel festivals and races and the support received by camel breeders from concerned authorities in the UAE.

This model-training interview, conducted by the NA in the presence of some of its employees and a delegation from the Environment Agency, will be maintained by the NA as part of the oral history record. The interview was concluded with a number of questions raised by the delegation for the narrator and the specialists at the NA to know details about their studies. The delegation commended the NA’s role in preserving oral history, which complements the written and documented history of the UAE. The delegation expressed their hope to participate in more of these interviews.

The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates has participated in the first session of the UAE Public Policy Forum, which was held under the banner of “Future Trends in Education Policy”.

The National Archives Participates in the UAE Public Policy Forum



The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates has participated in the first session of the UAE Public Policy Forum, which was held under the banner of “Future Trends in Education Policy”. The forum, which was held in Dubai, aims to enhance the education sector in Dubai to ensure that future generations of graduates are able to adapt, develop, and take on leadership roles.

The National Archives participated in this event as part of its mission to enhance national awareness in future generations of students, and to develop their sense of national loyalty, pride, and identity.

As a supporting partner of the event, The National Archives provided the Forum with a selection of historical documents and audio visual productions that document the history of education in the UAE. These were displayed at the education exhibition that was held on the sidelines of the Forum.

The specialist educational programs of the National Archives were also on display and included an exhibit of specialized educational booklets which are produced for the benefit of students, and which summarize three of the most important national publications; those being the books: “Khalifa - Journey Into the Future”, “Zayed: From Challenges to Union” and “Qasr Al Hosn: The History of the Rulers of Abu Dhabi”.

The citation notes that The National Archives is working to enhance the educational environment and fulfill the expectations of the government in this field. It also concentrates on innovation, development, diversity, and smart teaching techniques for children as alternatives to traditional methods of teaching by rote.

To this end, The National Archives is actively offering lectures, workshops, and other educational activities for children. It is also striving to build closer working relationships with the Ministry of Education, the Abu Dhabi Education Council, and other cultural and educational organizations in the country.

The National Archives aims to be a partner with such organizations, and to work with them on initiatives that benefit students and instill in them the concepts and foundations of good citizenship.

Also on display was the illustrated educational booklet “My Nation, The Emirates” (Watani Al Emarat) which is provided by The National Archives to children in two languages, Arabic and English, and both electronically and in hard copy. This book aims to educate children using innovative and interactive ideas in interesting and inspiring ways.

The mission of The National Archives can be summarized as protecting the documented heritage of the nation, providing sound documented information to decision makers as well as the general public, and enhancing the sense of national loyalty, pride, and identity. Its participation in the UAE Public Policy Forum is a reflection of this mission.

The UAE Public Policy Forum is a platform for exploring new horizons of discovery in which decision makers and specialist international speakers gathered to discuss public policy, current challenges, and future policies in support of continued development and progress and the positive impact that would have on the education sector in the UAE.

Targeting the fine-tuning of  archivists’ experiences and upgrading of their skills

The National Archives concludes a specialized course in the field of electronic archiving, and honors the participants.


The National Archives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs honored participants in the recently concluded specialized training course in electronic archiving and electronic archive management at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.  A number of employees in Federal government agencies attended this training course, which came within the context of the National Archives’ follow-up on the projects of organizing and developing the archives of government bodies.

Participants commended the training course program, which contained scientific themes that enhance the experience of archives staff in government bodies. The course discussed many topics such as electronic archiving, its objectives, mechanisms and technical procedures in addition to the best programs and technologies used in this field.

Dubai Municipality enriched this training course through illustrating its experience in electronic archiving of the plans and drawings of buildings. The municipality representatives discussed the launch of the project and the difficulties and the challenges faced, as well as the methods of overcoming them. Moreover, they presented a detailed explanation of the practical steps regarding the process of the project and its outcome.

It is worth mentioning that the National Archives aimed, through the specialized training course, at fine-tuning the archivists’ experiences, upgrading their professional skills and qualifying them to organize the archives of government bodies in accordance with the approved state legislations, as well as the international standards and best practices adopted in electronic management of records and archives. This comes in line with directives of our government to electronic transformation in all areas to reach the highest technological sophistication.

The National Archives looks forward to exerting more efforts in this field, as it is planning for advanced programs targeting those specialized in archives in government bodies to upgrade their performance and enable them to keep pace with standard, technical or legal developments in the field of archives. 

NA Showcases History and Heritage

NA Showcases "Memory of the Nation" Through Modern Interactive Screens and Digital Cameras

NA "Memory of the Nation" was the jewel of Sheikh Zayed Festival's crown.  This year, NA presented historical and cultural information recorded on wide screens, using modern digital technology.  NA screens chronicled UAE history, and displayed its own progress and creativity.  NA presented most innovative ideas that were developed in 2016.  NA's "Memory of the Nation" wing simulated Al Muwaiji Fort in Al Ain, and in it, NA presented visitors with their photographs as souvenirs as they arrive to the "Memory of the Emirates" corner.  All the modern digital technologies utilized in the wing express adherence to UAE government's policy and the vision of the leadership to upgrade towards the E-Government.

As soon as the visitors enter the gate to "Memory of the Nation", they come across a huge interactive screen that introduces them to the ten halls within the wing.  The touch screen presents detailed information to visitors about the contents of each hall.

NA devoted a space within the wing for the smart application of Al Bufalah family tree, which is displayed on a huge interactive touch screen.  The family tree contains information about hundreds of personalities beginning with Yas up until the grandchildren of sons of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Al Bufalah family tree smart application orients the visitors about most distinguished personalities, particularly those who ruled the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with any available pictures.  Rulers that developed Abu Dhabi, and made history.  The family tree displays information about personalities that made Abu Dhabi the strongest force on the coast.  The smart application orients today's generation and the future generations with Abu Dhabi's rulers and shows the lasting deeply rooted achievements they made.  The wisdom of our past leadership and their vision has influenced the present of the country.  NA's mission is to raise the awareness of the public and enhance their sense of identity and loyalty.

In one corner of "Memory of the Emirates", visitors can get their photographs taken with a historical background.  The visitors may have their digital photos sent to Instagram or a personal email.  Visitors may also request a hard copy to keep as a souvenir of their visit.

Another digital camera, (selfie 360VR), is stationed in the wing's courtyard for visitors to use to take their photographs with Al Muwaiji Fort in the background.  The digital photograph can be sent to the visitor's email.  A visitor may choose between a background of the wing with NA logo in the middle, or a panoramic view of the fort.

Memory of the Nation attracts visitors to innovative initiatives during Shaikh Zayed Heritage Festival

Memory of the Nation wing, which represents the participation of the National Archives in the 2016 Shaikh Zayed Heritage Festival, has attracted a huge number of visitors, who were impressed by the distinguished daily initiatives.

For the first time, NA introduced an innovative program for instilling national identity using robots.  This initiative attracted the participation of a wide turnout of children and students, who benefited from NA robot programming expertise.

This new program involves children, using a select cultural information series, taking it into the process of manufacturing and programing, with emphasis on competition among groups of participants.

Currently, the focus is on culture and racing, such as horse and camel races, and the Jiu-Jitsu challenge, which is an international sport whose Emirati champions have mastered and received first prizes.

The History of Arabian equestrian sport was displayed during the first week, including the international races the country organizes, particularly International Dubai Equestrian Cup, and Shaikh Mansour's Equestrian Festival.

During the second week, visitors were oriented about the UAE camel racing culture, important racing camels' qualities, and the traditional role of camels in desert life.

Memory of Education wing attracted a special turnout of children who are interested in Jiu-Jitsu sport in the UAE.  Young visitors received information on the origin of the sport and its start in the UAE.  The sport was of great interest to H. H. Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, and Vice High Commander of Armed Forces.  H. H. believes that the game can refine human personality, in addition to its physical and health benefits.  When this sport is mentioned, so is the name of H. H. Shaikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was the first to introduce and develop the sport and spread it throughout the country.  A lecture with a presentation was given to the youth about Jiu-Jitsu Club, the arts of the sport, and the UAE national team achievements.

Children's coloring corner, at the Memory of the Nation Wing, aimed at developing creativity using bright colors and colored sand.  Young visitors were extremely involved in this corner and enjoyed the activity, which was directing their imagination positively.  All young participants received gifts for their work.

Another activity within NA wing was “Rare Local Emirati Vocabulary Challenge”, which went on for two weeks in a row.  Organizers were able to collect 304 local dialect vocabulary and their meanings, and filed them electronically.  Some visitors came to this corner to familiarize themselves with Emirati vocabulary, while others were interested in adding more new vocabulary to the list.  The list will be posted and updated on Instagram. 

NA awarded medals to “Memory of Education” winners in Robotic Programming, to motivate children.  

"Partners in Knowledge"

A project full of workshops and training seminars.

NA launches an internal training and educational project, relying on its own cadres.


The National Archives of the UAE has launched it new training project "Partners in Knowledge".  The core of this strategic program is self-sufficiency, relying on NA's specialized employees who have expertise, and skilled in their fields.  The project offers a wealth of workshops and training sessions, involving several topics, related to NA and its areas of work.  The new project is a conduit for passing work expertise via employee-to-employee.  It aims at informing all NA employees of all services provided by other employees within the same organization.  All employees will share knowledge and experiences.

The project reflects NA vision that human resources is essential to the process of production and achievement.  Training is known to have a vital role in improving employees' skills and abilities, and increasing their productivity.  Employees would be enriched with the knowledge needed to achieve their professional targets, will help polish their skills, and update their innovative skills, as they will be exposed to most modern and updated work methods.

This training project will help curtail high costs of external training needs.  The project will also ensure employees' commitment to training, and participants will gain certificates of completion.  This process in itself improves performance quality, thus job efficiency.

This project has led to a series of training workshops and educational seminars, as all training and meeting rooms within NA are always busy.  More and more employees are participating in the training workshops offered, such as Scientific Research Methodology, encompassing characteristics of scientific research, clear research title and content, relevant facts, characteristics of the researchers, such as researchers' interest in the topic, patience, critique talent, and well-rounded education. The same training focus on the importance of researching the specific topic, and offering solutions, in addition to essential recommendations prior to beginning the research process.  Other topics discussed are the value of the research topic, steps of the research process, defining methodology, writing methods, and finally listing credits and documenting resources.

One of the project's activities is a training course on "Electronic Archiving".  The training offered participants an introduction to electronic archiving as being a system that encompasses a number of methods, technologies, and modern applications and techniques utilized in archiving.  The training session also discussed the objectives of electronic archiving, types of electronic documents, electronic archiving process chain, types of scanners and how each works, document scanning followed by indexing and entry of metadata, conserving and storing electronic documents, storage types and containers, and methods of research and retrieving electronic documents.

A training session entitled: "scattered archives, and how to properly and scientifically process it”, discussed provisions of Law No. 7, of 2008, related to NA, which details the importance of historical documents and archives.  The session defined "a document" and discussed the state of "scattered archives".  The trainer presented sample photographs of "scattered archives" and spoke at length about the process of organizing such archives. The trainer then displayed photographs of ideal archives. 

One of the most important training sessions offered by this project was entitled "The Art of Etiquette and Rules of Protocol". In this training, participants received information on etiquette, its definition and its relevance to Islam.  Some of the topics discussed were the etiquette of: handshaking, VIP visits, applauding, and dinning.  The trainer then talked about the definition of Protocol, including international protocol, saluting the flag protocol, the county's emblem, pictures of officials, techniques of dealing with visiting delegations.  The session was concluded with the topic on situations that conflict with rules of etiquette and protocol.

Another important training session offered by the program was entitled: "Archives Document Categorizing Plan & Application".  The session dealt with the importance of categorizing and the scope of its application, as well as its advantages and responsibilities.  The session participants then received information on encoding, and categorizing of internal correspondences and hard copy files.  The participants were then given examples of different categorization plans. 

The "Film Pictures" training forum discussed the importance of sustainable archival pictures, means of conserving them for long-term archiving, to make them available as historical documents.  The forum focused on cinematic and photographic pictures technology and techniques, in addition to conserving pictures digitally.

The project included a "Languages Common Mistakes" lecture, shedding light on a huge number of common mistakes used by employees.

The lecture on "Documenting UAE Local News" gathered from local newspapers, focused on the significance of documentation.  The lecturer then outlined the efforts of Modern Documentation Section, and process of selecting and documenting "news".

"Partners in Knowledge" also included a training workshop on the "Conversion & Destruction" of document.  Participants learned the definition of "Conversion" as transferring documents and files that are no longer used, from their location at the workplace, to the Documents Unit, based on the provision of the Law and its Executive Bylaws.  The workshop discussed steps of relocation, and defined the “destruction of documents” as being a series of procedures taken by government agencies to get rid of documents useless to scientific and historical research.

The National Archives is inspired by the Muwaiji Palace in Al Ain, in designing its "Memory of the Nation" pavilion.  

The National Archives was inspired in the architectural design of its "Memory of the Nation" pavilion, with which it participates in the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival 2016, by the architectural style of the Muwaiji palace in Al Ain, being an important national and historic monument which witnessed the birth of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.  The National archives’ interest to present the visitors of its"Memory of the Nation" pavilion with a reproduction of the Muwaiji Palace at the festival stems from its keenness to give a historic identity to its pavilion, as part of this heritage and cultural festival, and to Shed light on the Muwaiji Palace and its historical value and status, as well as to acquaint the festival visitors from all over the world with this magnificent Urban edifice.

One of the objectives of establishing the National Archives is to collect and document everything related to the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region.  The NA is inspired by heritage and utilizes it in its activities to reinforce and support this goal, and to highlight aspects of history in which the UAE takes pride, especially that the Muwaiji Palace is considered one of Al Ain's most important landmarks, thus the UNESCO has included it as one of “World Heritage Sites”.  It reflects the long history of the UAE, and contributes to acquainting students and younger generations with honorable aspects and bright pages of the national history.

The "Memory of the Nation" pavilion at Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival attracts dignitaries from the UAE and elsewhere, and a large number of visitors.   It is the main participant of the festival, and its design is considered among the important factors that attract visitors, who express their admiration of the pavilion's holdings and its design, which simulates the Muwaiji Palace, the birth of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and where he spent most of his childhood and youth under the guardianship of his father the late Sheikh Zayed.   The Muwaiji palace was the headquarters of the founding Leader Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan since 1946 when he served as the Ruler's representative in the Eastern region, and this palace has witnessed an important era in which Sheikh Zayed’s name starred, and who managed to craete significant changes which brought forth remarkable progress and development to the city of Al Ain, before moving to Abu Dhabi in 1966 to continue the construction and development process, and to establish the Union along with his fellow founding fathers.

The National Archives was traditionally inspired in the design of its "Memory of the Nation" Pavilion at Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival at Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi by the archaeological and monumental sites of historical importance in the UAE's history, and by the biographies of its great leaders and dignitaries. It is worth mentioning that the NA was inspired last year in its "Memory of the Nation" design by Al Jahili fort in Al Ain.

National Archives Continues its Role in Civics Education.

Memory of Education Corner in “Memory of the Nation Wing”: Culture, History, and Modern Technology Hand in Hand for Civics Education

History and culture interweaved with modern technology in the "Memory of Education" corner, in NA wing within the 2016 Sheikh Zayed Heritage festival, to emphasize values of belonging, loyalty and national identity among young visitors.  Children had fun using modern technology to familiarize themselves with history, under the supervision of a group of specialists.

In this corner, NA reveals to the public a modern method to reach out to children to teach them about history.  In a non-typical manner, there were several tables with computers on them spread out in the corner.  On the tables, there were also dismantled "robotic" pieces.  A child is to put the pieces together to create a mock-up horse and put it in the miniature-racing field located on another table.  Children would then take their horses to races with their virtual horses.  All participants received NA medals.

This modern technique attracted many children to the "Education Corner", in addition to viewing educational films on horses on a wide screen.  The film was created especially for young viewers.  The content is documentaries showing how important this cultural sport is to the UAE leadership.  During the film, a curator explains to children how the Founding Leader the late Sheikh Zayed had taken the sport into a new unprecedented level.  The film also provides information about Dubai's Global Equestrian Cup that was established in 1996 by H. H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai.  The documentary also sheds light on annual equestrian festivals by H. H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and his continued efforts to maintain what H. H. Sheikh Zayed had started, in order to preserve this cultural sport.

Information was given to children about the country's efforts to improve women's equestrian sports.  The program also provided information to young visitors on UAE stables, the number of horses, and the rare breeds of Arabian horses.

The corner provided young visitors with different educational material every week, to keep them interested and to attract as many children as possible.  One different weekly theme was on camels in the UAE, camel racing tracks, and the history of camel racing culture.

"Memory of Education" corner objective is to link children to the nation's history and culture, and educate them on sustaining the local environment.

The National Archives enhances its "Memory of the Nation" pavilion with its two new corners: the happiness, and tolerance corners.


The National Archives enhanced, for the first time,  its “Memory of the Nation” pavilion at “Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival” with its happiness and tolerance corners, to indicate the fact that the UAE is an oasis of tolerance and happiness, since tolerance and happiness are very substantial objectives of our wise leadership, which seeks to achieve sustainable prosperity and well-being of its people.

The United Arab Emirates has set - since its inception- the happiness of its people as its main objective. This was  evident in the words of the founding leader Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who said: "The most important achievement of the Union, in my view, is the happiness of the community."

The happiness Corner is gracefully decorated by the words of the founding leader and the wise leadership about the importance of happiness and bringing happiness to the community.  A large board topped the forefront of the happiness Corner which says that: the UAE is a leading Arab and regional state in happiness, and that it is ranked first in healthcare, progress and freedom. The board also referred to the average life expectancy in the UAE, how healthy they are, per capita GDP, individual freedom, decline of corruption in its institutions, and the sustainable social support for individual. The happiness Corner included the National Program for happiness and positivity.

The happiness Corner contained quotes of UAE leaders, lead by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who said: "Happiness and positivity are a lifestyle, a government commitment and a real spirit uniting the UAE society ...  government institutions evolve and develop to achieve the goals of every human being, namely to achieve happiness for him and his family.”


The tolerance corner highlighted the culture of tolerance, the foundation of which in the Emirati society was laid down by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan, to make the UAE an oasis of tolerance, and a perfect example in implementing the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

The tolerance corner included a huge statue of two convergent hands, indicating the importance of convergence between human beings, the promotion of tolerance values among people and the resulting fruitful convergence.

The National Archives was keen on documenting tolerance that characterized the UAE since its inception, especially in the book "Zayed, A Man Who Built a Nation", which documents examples of the founding leader's efforts to disseminate and establish the values of tolerance.

The National Archives takes great interest in the values of tolerance and happiness, in line with the wise leadership's interest in these concepts, with which work was accordingly associated in all government and private agencies.

National Archives Celebrates Martyrs' Day and 45th National Day

The day commenced with praying for the martyrs and commemorating the efforts of the founding fathers.

The National Archives of the UAE celebrated Martyrs Day and 45th anniversary of National day, in NA location in Abu Dhabi.  H. E. Dr. Abdulla Al Raisi, NA Director General, opened the commemoration with a speech, recalling the sacrifices of the brave Emirati heroes, who were martyred on duty, while defending their homeland.  Dr. Al Raisi also recalled some of the founding fathers' efforts, chief of which is UAE icon and founding leader, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and their role in establishing the country and forming the Union.  In his speech, Dr. Al Raisi urged NA employees to continue to create and innovate.

NA Director General also said: National Day is a special day for all members of the UAE community, because it is the most important occasion in the history of the nation; It embodies the launching of the new modern, advanced, and prosperous UAE.  The achievements of the UAE since that day has made the country deeply rooted and highly recognized worldwide.

In his speech, Dr. Al Raisi added that it behooves us on this 45th anniversary of the National day to remember the founding fathers, chief of which Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan, God bless his soul, who challenged the status quo and led the move towards modernity and advancement.  The current wise leadership is following suit, leading the efforts the country's President H. H. Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, God bless him, his brother, Vice President H.H. Shaikh Muhammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister, and Dubai Ruler, may God protect him, H.H. Shaikh Muhammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, and Vice High Commander of Armed Forces".  DR. Al Raisi praised all the rulers of the Emirates, members of the country's Higher Council, who have been following suit on the path of the founding fathers, in great efforts to continue the stabilization efforts of the country, making the UAE a symbol of advancement, growth, prosperity, and safety among other nations in the world.

Dr. Abdulla greeted the leadership; "…we in NA work according to the instructions of H.H. Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Cabinet vice Chair, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Chief of NA Executive Council.  Our main mission is to collect and conserve the nation's memory, and we are proud to extend our deepest congratulations and blessings to all on this special day".

H.E. Dr. Al Raisi said, "On Martyrs' day, the UAE celebrates loyalty and giving, while commemorating the values of sacrifice which is inherent in our citizens. Our martyrs are heroes who have made history, defending the nation's honor, pride, and identity".

Dr. Al Raisi then addressed NA employees, "…the 2nd of December is not just an anniversary we celebrate. It behooves us to measure and evaluate our achievements on this day every year.  The National Archives is one of a kind in the UAE.  NA's emblem is "Memory of a Nation".  Therefore, our product must be innovative, in order to stay par with the nation's expectations.  We will work in line with the directions of the nation's leadership, which is always promoting creativity and innovation".  Dr. Al Raisi emphasized innovation and creativity, stressing leaving behind useless routine.  NA-UAE is the best incubator for creativity and is the best environment for innovation; "…each and every one of us can be creative with how they perform their work", he concluded.

At end of the day, NA employees gathered in Shaikh Khalifa's auditorium to watch visual recordings, documenting a few aspects of the brave Emirati soldiers in the field of pride and glory.  The event ended in reciting prayers for the souls of devoted martyrs, and a moment of silence.  Finally, the UAE flag was raised in front of the NA main gate.    

The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates participates in the new edition of Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival 2016 with “Memory of the Nation Pavilion”.

This year, the Memory of the Nation Pavilion is loaded with bright pages from the UAE history that spans thousands of years. The Pavilion also depicts the march of the Union and some of the glories of the Founding Fathers, led by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in addition to some new sections relating to the wise leadership’s initiatives. The shape of the National Archives’ Pavilion is inspired by Al Muwaiji Castle. It includes eleven sections occupying an area of 2,000 square meters. At the Pavilion entrance, there are the hashtags of: “This is what Zayed Likes”, and “This is how Zayed made us Happy”.

Celebrating the UAE civilization and history, the sections of the Pavilion show the March of the Union and introduce the visitors to the contributions of the Founding Father, and the role of Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak- Chairwoman of General Women's Union, the Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation, Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Mother of the UAE- in the advancement and empowerment of women. The sections also depict the Founding Fathers’ achievements.

Through a new smart application, visitors learn about Al Bu Falah family tree, and honorable pages from the UAE memory and education memory. The sections of the Pavilion also reflect the National Archives’ response to the wise leadership’s initiatives, such as “Tolerance” for which the UAE is known since its establishment, and “Happiness”, which the leadership is keen to achieve for UAE nationals and residents. Visitors may review the content of each section through a touch screen, thus they may access the desired section easily.

The Memory of the Nation Pavilion is set to host a number of national and community events. In addition to the main sections, it includes the visitors’ lounge “Majlis”, the staff lounge and some necessary facilities.

Combining the UAE glorious past and bright present, together with state-of-the-art technologies, the Memory of the Nation Pavilion is in fact the cornerstone of Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival. It enriched the Festival’s activities with cultural heritage, presented to the visitors in an attractive and entertaining fashion. It also highlighted the activities of the Festival with its new ideas that are consistent with the wise leadership’s vision, including pictures and historic documentaries about the march of the Union and the establishment of the State. The Pavilion displays the role that the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan played in founding the Union, in addition to significant historical documentaries that reflect his achievements, timeless quotes, his interest in development, education and other political, economic and social aspects.

The National Archives takes pride in participating annually in this national event, which bears the name of the Founding Father.