The Law on the Protection, Discovery, Preservation, Management and Promotion of the Cultural Heritage of Abu Dhabi was issued by the President of the UAE.
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, has issued a law regulating the protection, discovery, preservation, management and popularization of the cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi.
The law regulates the authority of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) and its oversight of the emirate’s cultural heritage.
The Act establishes provisions on the ownership and acquisition of physical cultural property and the rules for the transfer, export, credit or temporary movement of these objects from the emirate. The measures to be taken in case of unforeseen archaeological discoveries and the deadlines for reporting them to the competent authorities were also identified.
In accordance with the new law, it is strictly forbidden to perform certain actions without obtaining permission from the TSA, such as the transfer of ownership of movable objects registered as objects of tangible cultural heritage; infrastructure work in the area where cultural objects are located or any industrial, commercial, agricultural, scientific or investment activity in these places.
The law provides that the exclusive right to carry out archaeological excavations will be transferred to the TSA, which will be able to issue a excavation license under the supervision of the Office. The exclusive rights to discoveries made by archaeologists will be vested only in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Crimes related to the law on cultural heritage may entail punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine of 500 thousand to 10 million dirhams ($ 136.1 thousand - $ 2.7 million).
