Qatar Museum authorities to save Yemen's heritage

Doha: Qatar Museum authorities have started a race against time to rescue Yemen's archaeological heritage from the threat of demographic expansion and urban development, officials here said.

Under the directives of the Qatari Emir, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa, who has a special interest in Yemen heritage preservation, the Qatari body will kick-off a five-year long international expedition in October to preserve and highlight the country's ancient sites.

"Yemen is undergoing rapid development, and demographic expansion is encroaching on many historical sites. Among such rapid changes it is important to have a race against time and save the country's antiquities - which represent the Arab civilisation of the Arabian Peninsula and its cultural heritage" said project director Shaikh Hassan Bin Mohammad Al Thani.

"The Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani has expressed his personal interest in sponsoring and supporting a project which is Qatar's contribution to protecting Yemen's archaeology. In this aim, the Emir is supported by the President of Yemen."

Al Thani, who is also the vice-chairman of the Qatar Museums Authority Board of Trustees, was speaking during a two-day international workshop in preparation for the expedition which concluded here yesterday.

The Yemeni minister of culture, Mohammad Al Maflahy, said Qatar sees the sponsoring of Yemen archaeology as a key diplomatic means to cement relations between the two countries and integrate Yemen into the Gulf Cooperation Council.

"Opening up the sites in Yemen to understand the historical and cultural importance of its age-old heritage and promote our findings for scientific disclosure are two important targets.

Project: Largest-ever expedition

The project dubbed the Qatar International Archaeological Yemen Project (QIAYP), is the largest expedition ever staged to discover, preserve and internationally highlight Yemen's heritage.

The first phase will start in October and last until autumn 2012, while a second expedition is planned for a further five years, from 2012 until 2017.

Qatar is providing funds for excavation, restoration and publication of the expedition findings, but the authorities refused to reveal the amount of the financing.