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H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities (BACA) received at her office on 24 April 2018, the Minister of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning Dr. Esam Khalaf, in the presence of staff members of BACA and the Ministry of Works. The meeting discussed the latest developments with regard to common projects, especially those planned by BACA during 2018.

H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al- Khalifa welcomed Minister Dr. Esam Khalaf, lauding the strenuous efforts of his ministry to implement and carry out Bahrain’s cultural infrastructure projects. H.E praised the cooperation efforts between BACA and the Works Ministry in this respect, thanking the Minister of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning for his contribution to upgrading Bahrain's cultural infrastructure. H.E stressed the need and importance of communication between the different sectors in order to help in promoting comprehensive coordination between Bahrain’s institutions.

Both sides also discussed various infrastructure cultural projects in the city of Muharraq, celebrated as Capital of Islamic Culture in 2018, especially those related to the progress of works on the Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy”, a UNESCO World Heritage List project to be inaugurated by BACA in November 2018, Under the Patronage of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, May God Protect Him.

The meeting also discussed many other projects to be implemented in Manama Old City, which are aimed to enhance and rehabilitate its urban characteristics. H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa has, in this regard, pointed out that many efforts are being deployed now, in cooperation with concerned authorities, to nominate “Manama Historical City” as a cultural heritage site on the Tentative List, which is an inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World heritage List. H.E Shaikha Mai argued that the old city of Manama has been always a symbol of peace, love and co-existence throughout history. The meeting also discussed coordination efforts for the festivities celebrating 100 years of Bahrain’s municipal policy works in 2019.

H.E Esam Khalaf, Minister of Works, for his part, lauded the continuous cooperation between his Ministry of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning and Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities (BACA), to make Bahrain a pioneering cultural hub and preferred destination regionally and internationally, voicing his readiness to cooperate with the Authority with regard to future cultural projects.