UNESCO Advances Digital Heritage Preservation: Capacity-Building Workshop at Al-Ahsa Oasis Elevates Documentation Expertise

The workshop is a key component of the 'Dive into Heritage' project, a groundbreaking initiative supported by the Saudi Ministry of Culture.

From November 2 to 8, 2024, UNESCO organized the 2nd Capacity-Building Workshop on Digital Documentation of World Heritage Sites in the Arab States, hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This initiative, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the Heritage Commission, is part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing commitment to advancing cultural preservation through innovative technologies.

Dive into Heritage: A Pioneering Digital Initiative

The workshop is a key component of the 'Dive into Heritage' project, a groundbreaking initiative supported by the Saudi Ministry of Culture. This project aims to create an innovative online platform that showcases digital data from UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Arab region, alongside related intangible heritage.

Following a regional survey, reflection phase, and mapping of existing digital data, the project identified a critical need to enhance the capacities of youth and regional experts in digital heritage documentation and data processing.

Workshop Highlights

Held at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape, the workshop aimed to elevate participants' expertise in cutting-edge digital technologies for cultural heritage documentation. The week-long event featured:

Theoretical Lectures: Topics included 3D surveying, photogrammetry, and laser scanning, providing participants with foundational knowledge of digital documentation.

Practical Training: Participants engaged in fieldwork at Al-Ahsa Oasis, applying techniques learned in lectures to document the site and process data into 3D models.

Comprehensive Digital Workflow: Attendees learned the end-to-end process of heritage documentation, from data acquisition to 3D model generation, gaining a holistic understanding of digital workflows.

The workshop culminated in participant presentations, showcasing the digital models and insights gained from their fieldwork.

Enhancing Regional Expertise

The event was led by UNESCO experts and supported by project partners ICONEM and FalconViz, leveraging their expertise to provide cutting-edge training. By focusing on skills development, the workshop contributes to the Arab region’s capacity to safeguard its cultural heritage, equipping participants with tools to ensure accurate documentation and preservation of sites for future generations.

Combined Documentation EffortsIn conjunction with the workshop, UNESCO conducted digital documentation missions at two other significant World Heritage properties in Saudi Arabia:

Historic Jeddah, the Gate of Makkah

Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape

These missions further emphasized the importance of high-precision digital tools in preserving the region’s rich cultural legacy.

Saudi Arabia’s Leadership in Cultural Innovation

Funded by Saudi Arabia under the Programme on Culture and Digital Technologies, "Dive into Heritage" underscores the nation’s leadership in blending cultural preservation and digital innovation.

Through projects like this, UNESCO and Saudi Arabia are paving the way for the digital future of heritage conservation, ensuring that cultural treasures across the Arab world are preserved for generations to come.

Looking Ahead

With growing interest in digital heritage documentation, this initiative sets a benchmark for collaborative efforts to harness technology for cultural preservation. It is anticipated that such capacity-building efforts will serve as a model for scaling expertise across other UNESCO regions, further enriching global cultural heritage practices.