His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended the ceremony to honor the winners of the second edition of the Sharjah International Cultural Heritage Award in its three fields, distributed over nine categories, on Sunday morning at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage. The ceremony began with the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates, followed by verses from the Holy Quran. After that, His Excellency Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, delivered a speech in which he praised the efforts of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and his insightful vision in supporting the preservation and protection of heritage and caring for those working in it, and His Highness’s directives aimed at preserving, protecting and disseminating cultural heritage, and providing the necessary and various means to carry out this noble goal, in addition to the great efforts made by the Emirate of Sharjah in the scope of interest in heritage, collection, documentation, study and investigation, until it became a model to be emulated. He said, "The second session of the Sharjah International Cultural Heritage Award has achieved a great deal of qualitative interest in its various branches and its local, Arab and international branches, thanks to the generous support and great encouragement that the award has received and continues to receive from His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. In a short period of time, it has been able to attract leading figures and promising writers in the field of cultural heritage, achieving a qualitative addition in its field, as it is the only international award in the United Arab Emirates that is concerned with cultural heritage and celebrates a group of experts, narrators, specialists and researchers who have dedicated their lives to serving, preserving and protecting cultural heritage, and have achieved the best preservation practices in this regard. Their experiences have also constituted milestones locally, Arab and internationally." His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Musallam congratulated the winners, congratulating them on their success and honor, noting that the competition was strong among participants from different countries, whose practices, experiences and research have risen to the level of the award, and who were distributed across six countries. He pointed out that the Cultural Heritage Personality of the Year Award was created to honor individuals and groups for their valuable work and contributions to the field of cultural heritage, stressing that the award opens its doors to receive projects, research and studies in order to expand human communication through heritage, which is the true tributary that unites humanity from different backgrounds, as it contains noble values ​​that call for people to communicate and interact continuously with each other. Dr. Rashad Salem, Director of Al Qasimia University and member of the award’s jury, delivered the jury’s speech, in which he expressed his thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for his wise and forward-looking vision in supporting all the programs of the Emirate of Sharjah, which has become a headquarters and a major supporter of many events worldwide.