Dubai: Google, like previous years, will have on Tuesday a special doodle celebrating the 43rd UAE National Day.
But this year, Google is adding another touch: posting historical pictures and documents and taking the reader back to 1971, the year of unification of the seven emirates.
The UAE will be the third country to have its national archive online after the US and Netherlands, and the digital exhibition on the Google Cultural Institute comes as a result of cooperation between the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs, UAE National Archives and Google.
“The National Archives is our first partner in the Middle East that we work with to bring the country’s important historical moments to the world,” Tarek Abdullah, Head of Marketing for Google in Mena, told Gulf News.
“The exhibit presents an educational narration of the founding of the UAE and National Day is a key date to announce it,” he added.
A combination of documents, photos and videos are included in the digital exhibition, presenting a moving narration of the major events in the UAE’s history. It also features key milestones of the country, including the signing of the document of independence and declaration of the Union on December 2, 1971 by the UAE’s founding fathers including Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Preparing the digital exhibition took nearly two months to complete, added Abdullah.
“It will be available to any internet user around the world, on any device,” he said.
“The UAE National Archives has a wealth of important material that people can explore and the Cultural Institute can provide a great platform for parents, teachers and students to learn about the history of the UAE in more exciting and interactive ways,” he added.
According to Google, partner museums and curators have created exhibitions to make these archives available online. Users can explore historic moments, cultural figures, science and technology, and other categories to browse through photos, videos and documents on a wide range of topics – from Nelson Mandela’s handwritten prison letters, to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the Second World War’s D-Day.
“We are working closely with the cultural sector to improve access to culture, preserving it for future generations and breaking down barriers.
Our team of engineers creates technology to bring history and artistic treasures to life through immersive experiences like virtual visits of monuments or online exhibitions on key historical moments,” said Amit Sood, Head of the Google Cultural Institute.
