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UAE Culture Ministry, Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority Discuss Boosting Cooperation

MoC has held a high-level meeting with the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority to explore cooperation opportunities between both parties. WAM
MoC has held a high-level meeting with the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority to explore cooperation opportunities between both parties. WAM
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UAE Culture Ministry, Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority Discuss Boosting Cooperation

MoC has held a high-level meeting with the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority to explore cooperation opportunities between both parties. WAM
MoC has held a high-level meeting with the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority to explore cooperation opportunities between both parties. WAM

The UAE Ministry of Culture (MoC) has held a high-level meeting with the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority to explore cooperation opportunities between both parties to preserve local identity and heritage.

The meeting was attended by Mubarak Al Nakhi, Under-Secretary of the MoC, Abdullah Mubarak Al Muhairi, Acting Director-General of Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, and other senior officials from both entities.

During the meeting, the attendees discussed various topics, such as enhancing heritage-related publications and monitoring them to ensure compliance with the highest quality standards. They also discussed strengthening cooperation between local sectors and its crucial role in achieving sustainable development.

The attendees also addressed other heritage-related topics, such as setting future strategies for preservation and documentation and boosting external participation to showcase the rich Emirati heritage regionally and internationally. Representatives from both entities presented key initiatives implemented in culture and tangible and intangible heritage enhancement. They also identified cooperation opportunities that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals through cultural and heritage projects and initiatives.

This meeting is a strategic step towards enhancing cooperation between the MoC and Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority to accomplish joint goals and preserve UAE cultural heritage. It supports the UAE’s efforts to ensure the sustainability of its heritage for future generations.

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Stonehenge’s ‘Altar Stone’ Originally Came from Scotland, Not Wales, New Research Shows

The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. (AP)
The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. (AP)
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Stonehenge’s ‘Altar Stone’ Originally Came from Scotland, Not Wales, New Research Shows

The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. (AP)
The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. (AP)

The ancient ritual meaning of Stonehenge is still a mystery, but researchers are one step closer to understanding how the famous stone circle was created.

The unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument was brought to the site in southern England from near the tip of northeast Scotland, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. It’s not clear whether the 16-foot (5-meter) stone was carried by boat or through land — a journey of more than 460 miles (740 kilometers).

“It’s a surprise that it’s come from so far away,” said University of Exeter archaeologist Susan Greaney, who was not involved in the study.

For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that Stonehenge’s central sandstone slab — long called the “altar stone” — came from much closer Wales. But a study last year by some of the same researchers showed that the stone didn’t match the geology of Wales’ sandstone formations. The actual source of the stone remained unknown until now.

For the study, the team was not permitted to chip away rocks at the site, but instead analyzed minerals in bits of rock that had been collected in previous digs, some dating back to the 1840s. They found a match in the sandstone formations of Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland, a region that includes parts of the tip of the Scottish peninsula as well as the Orkney Islands.

“That geological ‘fingerprint’ isn’t repeated in any other area of sediment in the UK,” said Aberystwyth University geologist Nick Pearce, a study co-author.

Greaney said the difficult logistics of moving the stone such a long distance show a high level of coordination and cultural connection between these two regions of ancient Britain.

Stonehenge was constructed around 5,000 years ago, with stones forming different circles brought to the site at different times. The placement of stones allows for the sun to rise through a stone “window” during summer solstice. The ancient purpose of the altar stone — which lies flat at the heart of Stonehenge, now beneath other rocks — remains a mystery.

“Stonehenge isn’t a settlement site, but a place of ceremony or ritual,” said Heather Sebire, senior curator at English Heritage, who was not involved in the study. She said that past archaeological excavations had not uncovered evidence of feasting or daily living at the site.

Previous research has shown cultural connections — such as similarities in pottery styles — between the area around Stonehenge and Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Other stones at Stonehenge came from western Wales.

While Britain is dotted with other Neolithic stone circles, “the thing that’s unique about Stonehenge is the distance from which the stones have been sourced,” said Aberystwyth University’s Richard Bevins, a study co-author.