Qatar Museums Authority and Maersk Oil yesterday announced their partnership on all outreach, education, presentation and natural environment activities related to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site.
As a principal sponsor, Maersk will support QMA and its programmes related to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site, including Al Zubarah Town, the ruins of the fort and settlement of Qal’at Murair, and the intact early 20th century Al Zubarah Fort with the upcoming visitor centre.
QMA executive director and acting CEO Edward Dolman and Maersk Oil Qatar deputy managing director Sheikh Faisal al-Thani signed the agreement in this regard at the Museum of Islamic Art.
“Al Zubarah Archaeological Site reflects the heritage and culture of Qatar,” Dolman pointed out. Sheikh Faisal described the site as one of the most important heritage sites in Qatar and closely tied to the rich history of the nation.
QMA chief archaeology officer Prof Thomas Leisten said the “ongoing excavations, restorations, scholarly research and outreach programmes at Al Zubarah represent one of the largest and most comprehensive archaeological projects in the Middle East, if not in the world.”
“This is the latest step in a long standing relationship between QMA and Maersk,” he pointed out while revealing that Maersk has also offered QMA the opportunity to conduct sediment analysis of the drill cores from oil exploration.
Sheikh Faisal explained that Maersk Oil Qatar’s support is part of the cultural theme of its social investment programme, which is focused on developing and promoting Qatar’s culture for the benefit of the country.
“We are delighted that the activities at Al Zubarah with associated exhibitions and educational outreach programmes will open up this culturally important site to even more people, allowing them to discover and learn about the history of Qatar,” he added.
QMA’s archaeology head Faisal al-Naimi and Maersk Oil Qatar official Abdulrahman al-Emadi were also present at the signing ceremony.