About International Council of Museums - United Arab Emirates

Nasir Aldarmaki
Chair of ICOM UAE
 

Manager of Museums Strategic Planning Department – Government of Sharjah, UAE

Nassir has a background in both history and archaeology with works conducted across the UAE and the region. He has been part of the Sharjah Museums Authority since 2006 when he first joined a two-year curatorial training programme which included working in research, documentation, exhibition layout and design, visitor services, and museum management. In 2008, he became curator of the Sharjah Archaeology Museum, where his role was to oversee the museum’s collections, organize exhibitions and events, develop national and international collaborations, and manage the day-to-day running of the museum in general. As of May 2020, he has been appointed as the Manager of Museums Strategic Planning Department. Nasir has an Executive MBA from University of Sharjah (2016). He also has a permanent seat as a representative of the UAE in the ICCROM Council; Rome, Italy (2019-2023). 

Tel: +971 50 958 8886 

Email: nasir.al-darmaki@iccrom.org    

Dr. Mona Al Ali
Vice Chair of ICOM UAE
 

Founder and Director of Al Manhal Consultancy  

Dr. Mona is the founder and Director of Al Manhal Consultancy, a company that specializes in providing consultations on museum research, visitors research, content interpretation, education programs, and evaluation and accessibility. She has worked as a consultant for the Ministry of Defense, where she was responsible for designing and managing research modules on military history and museum projects, as well as strategic planning and policy writing. She also has previous experience as an Assistant Professor in the Art History and Museum Studies Program at the University of Sharjah, College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, as well as serving as Head of Museological and Visitor Research at Sharjah Museums Department. Dr. Mona is the first Emarati national who holds a PhD in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, and a Master’s degree in Education from Auckland University, New Zealand. She has also participated in the Sharjah Leadership Programme, an independent curatorship course at the University of Arts (UAL) in London, and the Museum Studies programme at John F. Kennedy University, USA.

Tel: +971 50 866 6001 

Email: dr.mona.alali@gmail.com /   malali@ra.ac.ae 

Farah Albastaki
Treasurer of ICOM UAE
 

Founder of Atelier Lantana – Arts & Culture Consultancy 

Farah’s achievements in the field of Museums and Culture include a 2021 Master in Strategic studies from the National Defense College in Abu Dhabi, a 2014 Master in History of Arts & Museums from Paris Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi, along with 2011 Training workshops in Museum Management in Emirates Foundation & Berkley. She has also established Atelier Lantana for Arts & Culture in Abu Dhabi and completed training at the Louvre Museum in Paris as well as research about preserving collections at storage. She has also participated in the established of several museums in the UAE and has organized exhibitions &cultural events in the GCC, Italy, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Morocco, Tunisia, Albania, Kosovo, amongst others. Farah is also a founding member of the Architectural Heritage Society in UAE and is Head of the Arab regional office for Arts & traditional crafts, Arab League.

Tel: +971 55 632 0055 

Email: farah.albastaki@gmail.com 

Mariam Al Tamimi
Secretariat of ICOM UAE
 

Acting Director of the Heritage Sites Department at the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority

Mariam has experience in the field of museums and heritage extending over more than 14 years; she joined Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in 2015 and was appointed later as Director of the Programs and Exhibitions Department. She also worked as Projects Manager in the Museums Department between 2018-20 managing many projects, the most prominent of which was the Al Shindagha Museum and the Faces of Hatta project that documents the town’s oral history. Since 2021, Mariam has been the Acting Director of the Heritage Sites Department at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, where she bears the responsibility for preserving heritage sites and organizing activities and events to promote cultural tourism in the country. Prior to joining Dubai Culture, Mariam worked at the Sharjah Museums Authority from 2008 until 2015. She holds a Masters Degree in Islamic History and Civilization (2017) as well as BA (2007) from the University of Sharjah, specialized Diplomas in Museum Management (2017) and Managing Cultural Institutions (2018) both of which are from the Sharjah Institute for Heritage. 

Tel: +971 50 270 4477 

Email: mariam.altamimi@dubaiculture.ae      

Ahmed Al Teneiji
Board Member of ICOM UAE
 

Director General of the Department of Antiquities and Museums in Ras Al Khaimah

For the past 6 years, Ahmed has worked on many projects related to archaeology and museums through his role as Director General of the Department of Antiquities and Museums in Ras Al Khaimah, his membership in several committees and participation in International conferences and seminars. He has previously worked as Director General of the Department of Economic Development in Ras Al Khaimah. He also held the position of a Deputy Director General of the Support Services Sector at Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was also the General Supervisor of the Sheikh Saud Foundation for the Development of Youth Enterprises (RAK SMEs). He holds a Bachelors in Mass Communication, Public Relations from the UAE University and a Masters in Human Resources Management from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne – Australia.
 

Tel: +971 50 670 2988 

Email: a.altenaiji@museum.rak.ae 

Salama Al Shamsi
Board Member of ICOM UAE
 

Director of Cultural sites at The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi

Salama is the Director of Cultural sites at The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, where she is responsible for managing 16 cultural sites throughout the Emirate. In this capacity, she oversees cultural preservation efforts and curates programs to promote Abu Dhabi's rich heritage as a cultural and tourist destination in accordance with Abu Dhabi's cultural strategy. Salama's previous experience includes serving as the Historic Sites Director and Senior Project Manager for the Zayed National Museum project, where she played a crucial role in overseeing the project's design and build, building the museum's collection, and developing new audiences through an extensive outreach and advocacy program. With a Masters in Cultural & Creative Industries and a BA in Arts and Design, she brings a wealth of academic and professional knowledge to her role. She has also participated in leadership programs at the Getty Leadership Institute and Harvard Business School and is a board member of the UAE Harvard Club.

Tel: +971 50 667 7642 

Email: salama.alshamsi@gmail.com 

Ahmed Almansoori
Board Member of ICOM UAE
 

Founder of Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai

Ahmed has twenty-five years of experience in professional positions in the government and has qualifications in establishing, building and managing public and private partnerships and joint ventures across diverse institutions. He is the founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai, where he displays his skills in planning, directing and coordinating the strategy and activities of the museum, managing operational and financial affairs, supervising acquisition of collections as well as caring for and designing the display of antiques. He has worked to develop the museum and supervise its implementation, facility management, operations, curation, exhibitions and training. He represents the museum in external events and conferences and brings in local experts that aid in preparing programs for training and qualifying local cadres on documentation and restoration processes according to modern scientific methods.

Tel: +971 50 625 5122 

Email: ahmed@almansoori.ae 

Saleh Al Hammadi
Board Member of ICOM UAE
 

Dubai Museum Manager & Acting Manager of Museums’ Visitors Engagement Section at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority 

Saleh was appointed as Manager of Dubai Museum in 2017, part of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. He started his career there in 2015 as Manager of the Heritage Village, Majlis Ghorfat Umm Al-Sheif and other specialized museums in Al Shindagha. He had an active role in Heritage Archive and Publications Project. He took part in the preparation of the draft law of museums and of antiquities and historical buildings in Dubai. He previously worked in the Department of Tourism Development in Ajman where he was a member of the preliminary list committee for nominating archaeological sites on the World Heritage List, National Antiquities Survey team, TSA project, Cruise Ships Activation Committee, and Tourist Guide project. He also is known as the first holder of the tourist guide license in Ajman. Saleh also held the position of General Coordinator in the Department of Tourism Support and Promotion affiliated to the Department of Economic Development in Ras Al Khaimah. He holds a Diploma in Information Technology along with specialized Diplomas in Museum Management (2017) and Managing Cultural Institutions (2018) both of which are from the Sharjah Institute for Heritage. 

Tel: +971 50 264 9994 

Email: saleh.alhammadi@dubaiculture.ae  

Yousef Al Marzooqi
Board Member of ICOM UAE
 

Head of Saruq AlHadid Museum, Dubai Municipality

Yousef has professional experience that extends over twenty-six years of in Administrative work, where from 1996– 2016 he worked at the Financial Audit Department and since 2017 to the present day he has joined the Architectural Heritage & Antiquities Department in Dubai municipality as Head of Saruq AlHadid Museum. He carries out all operations to accomplish the museum's activities and events, overlooks the preparations of programs and schedules for museum visitors, activating the museum and contacting ministries, government departments, private sector institutions, universities, schools, various educational centers and others to organize and arrange visits for those interested in cultural and archaeological landmarks. He is also managing the standards, foundations and conditions of security and safety that must be followed in preserving the museum's assets and following up on the periodic maintenance work necessary for those assets to preserve the tourist and cultural standing of the museum. 

Tel: +971 55 534 5341 

Email: yaalmarzooqi@dm.gov.ae