Faya World Heritage Property has completed one year on the UNESCO World Heritage List, marking an important milestone for Sharjah’s cultural and scientific efforts. The anniversary highlights how the emirate has strengthened research, conservation, education, and visitor experiences since the inscription. The achievements reflect Sharjah’s commitment to protecting one of the world’s oldest inhabited desert landscapes while expanding global knowledge about early human history.
The Faya Palaeolandscape was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List one year ago because of its exceptional archaeological importance. Since then, Sharjah has focused on protecting the site through long-term planning, scientific research, and public education. Every initiative has been designed to preserve the landscape while helping researchers and visitors better understand its value.
Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Ambassador of the Faya World Heritage Property, said the first anniversary is a proud moment for everyone who has worked to study and protect the site over many years. She explained that international recognition is important because it acknowledges those efforts. However, she said its greatest value is creating new opportunities to invest in research, conservation, and education. So the site remains a living source of knowledge for future generations.
One of the biggest achievements during the past year was the establishment of a dedicated World Heritage Office under the Sharjah Archaeology Authority. The office is responsible for managing conservation, research, documentation, international cooperation, and long-term planning for World Heritage sites in Sharjah. It also works on preparing more cultural heritage sites for international recognition.
The office also supervises the AED 2 million Faya Research Grant Programme. The programme attracted 49 applications from universities and research institutions across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North America. Grants were awarded to projects led by the University of Tübingen and Oxford Brookes University. Along with researchers from the UAE, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain.
These research projects examine ancient environments, prehistoric human settlements, geological landscapes, palaeogenomics, and early human movement across Arabia. The findings will help scientists better understand human evolution while supporting the long-term protection of the Faya World Heritage Property.
Sharjah has also introduced Emirati Mentoring Fellowships. These fellowships allow young UAE researchers to gain international archaeological field experience before applying their knowledge to future research and conservation work at Faya.
Public interest in the site has continued to grow. Since the beginning of 2026, the official Faya website has welcomed more than 7,000 active users and generated over 41,000 interactions. The Faya Research Grant pages alone received more than 5,000 visits from researchers and institutions around the world, showing increasing international interest.
Visitors can now enjoy an improved experience at the Mleiha Archaeological Centre. A new interactive exhibition explains the archaeological discoveries and scientific importance of Faya. New directional signs and the official UNESCO World Heritage monument have also been installed, making it easier for visitors to explore and understand the site.
To strengthen long-term protection, the Sharjah Archaeology Authority organised a three-day workshop involving planning, tourism, infrastructure, environmental, and heritage organisations. Participants worked together to update an executive action plan that balances conservation, visitor access, infrastructure development, and site management.
To celebrate the first anniversary, the public is invited to watch the official Faya documentary on the Faya website. The film features Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi along with archaeologists. And researchers who explain discoveries spanning more than 210,000 years of human history. The documentary highlights the scientific journey that established Faya as one of the world’s most significant prehistoric landscapes. And reinforces why the Faya World Heritage Property remains a valuable source of knowledge for future generations.
