Abu Dhabi’s Urban Treasures Awards do more than recognize the city’s rich fabric

Last week, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism recognized the “cultural significance” of 15 of the city’s shops, restaurants and cafes in a ceremony in recognition of its first batch of “Urban Treasure”. This is an important sign in a movement launched in the pre-pandemic world January 2020.

The first recipients must have traded over 20 years to be eligible for the award, they are appointed from a long list of public nominations, and are reviewed and evaluated by the DCT.

These include India Palace Restaurant, Lebanon Flower Bakery, Jashanmal Shop and Al Safa Carpets, among others.If I didn’t list your favorites here – and full list Full of worthy winners – it’s just the omission of compression. All 15 entities deserve a spot in the spotlight.

Yasmeen Al Rashdi, head of modern and urban heritage conservation at DCT Abu Dhabi, told National The selection process provides a sense of what these institutions mean to the city, the region, and the communities they serve.

The program will continue to recognize up to 20 venues each year, with the winner receiving a brass plaque identifying their venue as a place of interest. The marketing campaign will also feature the 15 winners.

The Urban Treasures initiative has a lot to admire, and here’s what I have claim In the past.

First, the unveiling of this year’s winners provides each of us with an instant list of talking points. Browsing through these names raises questions about where you’ve been, what they mean to you, and where you’re planning to visit now for the first time.

The annual nomination process will also encourage communities across the city to support places that are meaningful to their lives and give these entities the honors they deserve.

An instant roster of new clients may also be created by posting job listings. Meanwhile, some existing patrons will be reminded to reconnect.

Short-term visitors also now have a whole range of places to explore that tell a different story than the stereotyped portraits of the city sometimes painted by others.

And the regular nomination and recognition process for Urban Treasures allows us all to reflect on the relative persistence of certain parts of a city committed to planning for the future.

Essentially, Urban Treasure treats the urban fabric as a complex, multi-layered, nuanced organic matter.

In fact, one of the joys of living in Abu Dhabi is setting foot in its small street Explore historic merchants, cafés and salons that are as much a part of the city’s evolving story as the recent towers, luxury hotels and shopping malls.

I was reminded of that wondrous feeling last week when I had the privilege of seeing Abu Dhabi for a few days through the eyes of a former resident. Our visitors have lived in Abu Dhabi for almost ten years starting in the late 2000’s, taking short breaks in the city. Her travels remind us that our memories of places are often rooted in small details.

She is most interested in returning to the community where she first lived. There is a sensory element to the trip, allowing her to reconnect with the sights, sounds and smells of the city that was once her home. As we walked through the streets, it reminded us of the “same but different” saying often used in this part of the world. So many things have changed, and so many things haven’t.

More from Nick March

Although the city has grown its tourism proposition significantly recently — from the Louvre Abu Dhabi to Qasr Al Watan, from Warner Bros to the National Aquarium — its streets are places of connection and meaning, as well as a host of tourist attractions location.

Longstanding Abu Dhabi Street Renaming Project – Renamed Last Week Del Mar Street Saeed bin Ahmed Al Otaiba Street, commemorating Mr. Al Otaiba’s contribution to the emirate’s economy and development, is in many ways similar to “urban treasures”.

As with other streets that have changed names over the years, residents can easily interchange old and new names for our major arteries – such as Muroor and Sultan bin Zayed 1st Street, which made the conversion nearly a decade ago – serve another purpose.

Street names from the past and today hopefully encourage us to learn more about the etymology of formal and informal naming conventions. There is a story behind each of them.

May the City Treasures and Street Naming Project continue to bring light to the city’s rich history and heroes.

Published: July 8, 2022 4:00 AM