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Hadrami Dan Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
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Hadrami Dan Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of UNESCO, during its ongoing 20th session in New Delhi, included the Hadrami Dan on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Hadrami Dan is a traditional performance and community gathering that combines spontaneous poetry, music and dance, widespread practiced across Hadhramaut Governorate. A typical Hadrami Dan gathering includes at least one singer and poet, with the audience seated in rows or circles.

Yemen’s Ambassador to UNESCO Mohammed Jumaih said the Hadrami Dan deserves this recognition, following a long and diligent process to reach this goal.

Jumaih thanked the Ministry of Culture and its staff, and the National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science.

He offered special gratitude to the Hadhramaut Foundation for Culture, which undertook the preparation and financing of the nomination file.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, its Chairperson (India’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Vishal Sharma), the committee members, its secretariat, and the Evaluation Body experts for their efforts.

Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Muammar Al-Eryani in the Yemeni government said this achievement represents “a well-deserved international recognition of one of the most important creative expressions in Hadhramaut and Yemen in general.”

The Hadrami Dan embodies the depth of Yemeni cultural identity, which successive generations have preserved despite the harsh transformations the country has undergone, he said.

Al-Eryani added that it is the result of a joint national effort involving the Ministry of Culture and the Hadhramaut Foundation for Culture, alongside the prominent role played by Jumaih in following up on the issue within UNESCO.

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Culture

Ministry of Culture Participates in LEAP 2026

Ministry of Culture Participates in LEAP 2026
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Ministry of Culture Participates in LEAP 2026

Ministry of Culture Participates in LEAP 2026

The Ministry of Culture is participating in LEAP 2026 in Malham, north of Riyadh, with an interactive pavilion showcasing the convergence of cultural heritage and technological innovation.

The ministry is presenting 14 technologies and interactive experiences that integrate artificial intelligence, cultural content, digital interaction, and interactive media, offering visitors immersive and engaging ways to explore Saudi culture through cutting-edge technology, SPA reported.

The participation is part of the ministry's efforts to advance the digital transformation of the cultural sector and strengthen the Kingdom's position as a global hub for cultural creativity.

It also reflects its commitment to harnessing emerging technologies to highlight and promote Saudi culture.

Culture

Boat Builders Keep Pakistan’s Fishing Heritage Afloat

This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows traditional wooden boats at a yard in Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi. (AFP)
This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows traditional wooden boats at a yard in Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi. (AFP)
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Boat Builders Keep Pakistan’s Fishing Heritage Afloat

This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows traditional wooden boats at a yard in Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi. (AFP)
This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows traditional wooden boats at a yard in Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi. (AFP)

The rhythmic hammering of nails and the whine of saws echo around a coastal Karachi neighborhood, where small figures of men work atop massive wooden fishing hulls that loom beneath a pale summer sky.

Ibrahim Hyderi, a maritime town on the outskirts of the port city believed to date back centuries, is renowned for the construction of traditional fishing boats.

"This is the area that gave birth to Karachi, and that provided Karachi with its fishing sector," said Mehran Ali Shah of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, which advocates for the local community.

Despite the rise of industrial shipbuilding, such practices -- where handcrafted vessels are assembled timber by timber -- have stood their ground.

Boat-builder Muhammad Asif, 22, learnt the craft from his father as a teenager, and is now proud that he can work on his own.

"I was drawn to this work, so I work at it with great dedication," Asif tells AFP as sawdust coats his face and sun-bleached hair.

"It has always been my passion, that is why I chose this line of work."

Asif, like other workers, starts at 7:00 am every day and heads home for dinner around 7:00 pm, only putting down his tools during a two-hour lunch break.

He earns up to 2,500 Pakistani rupees ($9) a day, working six days a week.

The workers brave the elements all year round, including the sweltering heat and humidity of summers and the soaking rains of the monsoon seasons.

The process begins with a fisherman selecting a boat design. A master craftsman drafts a template and the workers take it from there, drawing on their years of experience to painstakingly build the vessel.

The carpenters choose from different types of timber, such as local eucalyptus wood, or African teak for resilience against seawater.

The heavy blocks of wood are carefully cut using well-worn vertical and other saws, following hand-drawn pencil markings.

The boats are then assembled from the ground up, block by block and nail by nail, with the workers clambering up on rickety ladders as the hulls rise higher.

The time-consuming process means even a small boat measuring just several meters long could take up to three months to construct and cost one million Pakistani rupees ($3,600), Asif says.

Across the yard, the completed boats are given splashes of color by painter Muhammad Ismail.

The weather-beaten 38-year-old, his hands and nails tinged with blue, is painting petals on the hull of a vessel -- one of many he has worked on over a decade.

"Most of our fishermen prefer floral designs rather than fish," he tells AFP, adding that he experiences "great satisfaction" when an owner appreciates his artwork.

"Some people ask me to create a design according to my own ideas, while others tell me exactly what they want."

At a nearby harbor, fisherman Qadir Bux sits in a small boat owned by his family for at least two decades as he mends fishing nets. The fisherman hopes to give the wooden vessel a facelift soon.

"It's like looking after something very precious, or even like caring for our own child," he says.

Culture

Saudi Ministry of Culture, Asaan Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU aims to develop cultural experiences that showcase Saudi heritage, promote its preservation, and foster creativity and innovation in culture and heritage. (SPA)
The MoU aims to develop cultural experiences that showcase Saudi heritage, promote its preservation, and foster creativity and innovation in culture and heritage. (SPA)
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Saudi Ministry of Culture, Asaan Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU aims to develop cultural experiences that showcase Saudi heritage, promote its preservation, and foster creativity and innovation in culture and heritage. (SPA)
The MoU aims to develop cultural experiences that showcase Saudi heritage, promote its preservation, and foster creativity and innovation in culture and heritage. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and Misk Heritage Museum (Asaan), affiliated with the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop cultural experiences that showcase Saudi heritage, promote its preservation, and foster creativity and innovation in culture and heritage.

The MoU covers innovative museum experiences, national talent development, cultural heritage research and documentation, the exchange of studies, data, and statistics, media cooperation, and cultural programs.

The MoU supports the Ministry of Culture’s efforts to build an integrated cultural ecosystem through effective partnerships and advance the National Culture Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.