"My legacy" The 54th Union Day coincides with a decade of investing in heritage and enhancing cultural identity
Sharjah, 2 December / WAM / On the 54th Federation Day of the State, the experience of the Irthi Council for Contemporary Crafts is highlighted as one of the leading national institutions that has succeeded in transforming crafts into one of the most prominent components of the contemporary Emirati identity, as it has presented a living cultural model that contributes to education, enhances the economy and community development, and at the same time embodies the state’s vision towards heritage within various international forums and events related to arts and design around the world.
The Council accompanied the UAE’s celebrations of the 54th Union Day with a group of workshops, including “A workshop on making a keychain made of tulle and leather” and “A workshop on designing book dividers using the (Safifa)” technique, in cooperation with the Sharjah Museums Authority, the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority, and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. These workshops were supervised by an elite group of Emirati craftswomen to introduce the participants to the value of the national craft and its role in enhancing the spirit of the union and transferring its skills to new generations in an interactive and innovative way.
“Irthi” was established in 2015 under the patronage of the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairwoman of the Irthi Council for Contemporary Crafts, with the aim of building a professional system for Emirati craftswomen and linking heritage to international design platforms.
Over the course of 10 years since its establishment, the Council has embodied a practical extension of the Emirati cultural policies that worked to integrate heritage, including crafts, into practices of economic and social growth and development. “Irthi” not only preserved “Al-Talli,” “Al-Safifa,” “Al-Farokha” and other crafts that most represent the local identity, but also transformed them into sustainable training, production, and documentation programs.
Within a decade, “Irthi” transformed from a local initiative into an institution that owns one of the largest networks of craftswomen in the region, operating according to an integrated training, production and development system. The “Irthi” network expanded to include more than 640 craftswomen by May 2025, and during these years it was able to build a cultural and professional presence that reached 13 countries through cooperation projects and knowledge transfer programs.
In 2024 alone, Irthi organized more than 60 workshops from which nearly 1,400 participants benefited, while 2025 witnessed the building of more than five new strategic partnerships with international design institutions and craft markets. It also participated in more than seven international and local events extending from Sharjah to London, Basel and Moscow, the most recent of which was the council’s participation in the activities of the “Nomad Abu Dhabi 2025” exhibition, which was organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi in cooperation with the exhibition. “Nomad” International, where he presented to a group of exhibition leaders, artistic institutions, and design pioneers from the region and the world his experience in presenting Emirati crafts as a language of dialogue between local culture and its global counterparts.
These data reflect the transition of “Irthi” to an organization with an integrated operational structure that includes: systematic training, advanced manufacturing, international marketing, knowledge documentation, and cross-border cultural cooperation.
During its career, “Irthi” provided a practical model for how to transform the craft from a traditional skill into a part of the global creative economy. Through the development of artistic production lines inspired by the Emirati heritage, such as “Taif, Moi, Tilad, Nad, and Sofra,” “Irthi” reshaped local aesthetic elements in a contemporary style that suits international design markets.
These efforts were accompanied by qualitative cooperation with international brands such as: Bvlgari, Cartier, Asprey, and Design Miami, which made the products of Emirati craftswomen part of prestigious international platforms. Emirati crafts also recorded an advanced presence in major exhibitions such as: Maison d’Exceptions, Paris, London Design Week, and Dubai Design Week, to consolidate its position as a contemporary component capable of competition and inspiration. In this way, Irthi contributes to supporting the country’s march towards enhancing the contribution of non-traditional sectors to the domestic product.
In addition to its professional and productive role, “Irthi” contributes to documenting the cultural memory of the UAE by building an accurate knowledge base for crafts that have formed part of the cultural identity over the decades. The Council has issued a series of specialized research such as: “Palm Fibers,” “Natural Dyes Manufacture,” “Perfume,” “Recipes for the Future,” and “Culture Engineering.” These are publications that provide a scientific reading of Emirati crafts and document their development and their relationship to social and economic life in the country.
Irthi initiatives have also expanded to include Emirati, Palestinian, Jordanian and Pakistani embroidery workshops, providing a space for cultural exchange that reconnects crafts with their historical environment and places them within a broader network of regional skills. Thus, “Irthi” has turned into a platform that not only sharpens skills but also preserves the features of national memory and protects the narrative of the union by documenting the heritage that has formed part of the state’s journey since its founding.
Today, “Irthi” is progressing towards a new strategic milestone, which is the opening of the “Irthi Museum” in 2029, a project that will transform the “Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council” into a permanent cultural reference in the field of Emirati crafts. The museum will work to document the history of crafts, display its visual and technical development, and provide scientific sources for researchers and specialists, in addition to placing the Emirati heritage within a global context of creative industries, which embodies the transition from scattered initiatives and programs to a permanent institutional structure that preserves craft memory and opens new horizons for it.
With this integrated path, “My Legacy” represents a practical model of the spirit of union. It is a project based on identity as a national asset, invests in people as the focus of development, and transforms cultural heritage into economic and social value.
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