Khadija Turki: Museums play an important role in preserving the military heritage

Ajman: Ajman Museum hosts the "Year of the 50th Exhibition”, organized by UAE Armed Forces Museum and Military History Center, for 2 weeks starting from the 30th of July, 2022 and will be welcoming its visitors from the community, schools, colleges and military institutes to highlight the armed forces’ history and role, as well as the stages of its development from 1950 until its unification in 1976 then moving forward to what it reached today.

Khadija Turki, Acting Director General of the Ajman Department of Tourism Development, inaugurated the mobile military exhibition “Year of the 50th” that is being organized in partnership with the Emirates’ museums, as it started from Ras Al Khaimah, then continued to Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain, and currently in the Emirate of Ajman, to resume its tours next to Sharjah.

Hosting the exhibition emphasizes the importance of the joint cooperation between museums and the Armed Forces, it also highlights the role of museums in preserving the ancient military heritage, stressing the importance of encouraging and sustaining community participation, and protecting national identity by preserving old military documents and records, as well as protecting ancient archaeological and historical buildings belonging to the UAE Armed Forces, collecting, documenting, and studying artifacts (museum collections) associated with the military heritage of the UAE Armed Forces.

The exhibition demonstrates the military history of the UAE by displaying various groups of collectables and armored vehicles used in the sixties and seventies, such as armored Vert vehicles, Dodge and the Land Rover.

The mobile exhibition showcases the communications and signal devices, military uniforms used by the “Coastal Force” and “Union Defense Force”, infantry platoon missions, in addition to models of shields and medals for the military forces, and mockups for castles, forts and towers.

The organizers of the "Year of the 50th Exhibition" aim to provide an important source of information for researchers and scholars in the field of military history and as a supporter of scientific research.

The exhibition also seeks to preserve the legacy of the armed forces, ensure the right of generations to be informed of the gains, provide leaders and researchers with sources of information about military events and activities, to familiarize them with the history of the Armed Forces and its stages of development.

Khadija Turki, Acting Director General of the Ajman Department of Tourism Development, said: “We are delighted to host "Year of the 50th Exhibition" at Ajman Museum, as choosing Ajman Museum to host it stems from the fact that the museum represents a platform for reviving the country's human and civilized heritage as the exhibition highlights the collections of the UAE Armed Forces since 1950 till this day, in addition to the changes and development of its armored vehicles and war machinery”.

Turki added that hosting the military exhibition is a part of the cooperative efforts exchanged between the government institutions to highlight the country's historical military legacy, noting that the exhibition contributes to enhancing the value of the Ajman Museum, as the museum's containment of archaeological collections of various fields contributes to a significant increase in the number of its visitors, thus encouraging the tourism in the emirate.

Ajman Museum is considered the main museum of Ajman. Located at the heart of the heritage district. A beautiful fortress dated back to the eighteenth century, where it served as the ruler’s residence until 1970, then it was converted into the police headquarters until 1979 before it was converted into a museum in the following years. Ajman museum was inaugurated officially in 1991 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Ajman Museum was recently reopened by H.H. Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairman of Ajman Executive Council, featuring its new identity and offering a unique interactive experience enhanced by the latest technology. The museum opens daily, Saturday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and on Friday from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM.