Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) has announced the third season of the Multaqa Zayed National Museum series — a lecture programme developed around the narrative of Zayed National Museum exploring topics that make up the cultural tapestry of the UAE. Building on the success of the previous series in 2015 and 2016, Multaqa Zayed National Museum has scheduled three talks between this month and May 2017.
The first lecture in this series was held on March 22 under the title Horses: Symbol of Identity at Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain. Exploring the Arabian horse as an important symbol of identity in the Arab region, the talk preceded an equestrian performance choreographed by renowned director Bartabas featuring horsemen and horses from the prestigious National Equestrian Academy of Versailles and was held from March 23 to 25 and will also be conducted today and tomorrow.
The second session on April 26, is titled The Archaeological Story of The United Arab Emirates that will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, to discuss the history of archaeology in the UAE. Founding father of UAE Shaikh Zayed understood the importance of unearthing the UAE’s unique and interesting past and encouraged archaeological excavations in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE. His support led to the flourishing of archaeological study in the UAE, revealing its rich ancient heritage.
The final discussion in the series will be held on May 10 at Manarat Al Saadiyat and will reveal The Rituals of Majlis and Gahwa, exploring the majlis rituals and the historical roots of gahwa preparation, serving and drinking. The talk looks at the history of social Emirati hospitality and one of the most important intangible heritage elements that was inscribed on the Unesco list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015.
