Following His Visit to the National Archives

The Saudi Minister of Health praised the role of the National Archives in strengthening the ties between the UAE and Kingdome of Saudi Arabia.

His Excellency Dr. Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, the Saudi Minister of Health, commended the National Archives and its role in preserving the memory of the nation.

During His Excellency’s visit to the headquarters of the National Archives, he was informed of the National Archives’ activities and projects both inside and outside the UAE. His Excellency had also been briefed on the history of the brotherly relations between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and he viewed a large number of historical documents that reflect the depth of the bilateral relations which witnessed a great development in various fields and became an ideal model of brotherhood, friendship and solidarity, thanks to the guidance of the two wise leaderships.

In the presence of His Excellency Jumaa Ali AlRumaithi, Chairman of the Executive Committee, HE Dr. Abdulla Mohammad Alraisi, Director General of the National Archives, received the Saudi Minister of Health and gave him a detailed description about the National Archives, which was established fifty-one years ago upon the directives of the founding leader Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan for the purpose of preserving the documents of the UAE. Dr Abdullah drew the honorable guest’s attention to important milestones in the history of the National Archives, such as organizing the archives of the UAE’s government bodies and taking huge steps in electronic archiving. He also informed him of the Congress of the International Council on Archives which will be held in Abu Dhabi from November 16th -20th under the theme of Empowering Knowledge Communities, pointing out that thousands of archivists from all over the world are expected to participate to discuss fundamental future archival issues related to the field of archiving and documentation.

Alraisi enlightened the guest about the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive (AGDA), which is a portal displaying the historical and cultural materials related to the documented and interesting history of the Arabian Gulf and the UAE, in addition to providing free digital materials in both Arabic and English. The National Archives continues its efforts to enhance the content of AGDA in the coming stage by providing it with more historical documents related to Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Director General of the National Archives stressed the importance of the memorandum of cooperation that documents the relations and cooperation with King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives, and the Arabic Union Catalog in Saudi Arabia.

During his visit, the Saudi Minister of Health took a tour of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Hall, the Emirates Library, and the Presidential Archive. In the Customers Happiness Hall, His Excellency reviewed a large number of historical pictures and documents that document the deep historical relations, the strategic partnership and solidarity between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.