UCL Qatar

Dr Timothy Power, Lecturer in Islamic Archaeology, presents a special evening lecture series running from 5-9 May at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, on Syrian Civilisation under the Islamic Dynasties: Art, Architecture and Archaeology. The general public are warmly encouraged to attend all or any of the lectures.

Dr Jane Humphris has recently returned from two months of excavations at Meroe in Sudan. Completing the second field season of archaeological research for the UCL Qatar project, The Kingdom of Kush and the Power of Technology, Dr Humphris is very happy with the progress of UCL Qatar’s research in Sudan.

 An enthusiastic crowd of over 200 guests packed into the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium for UCL Qatar's special public lecture entitled Doha: Past, Present and Future. Delivered by Dr Robert Carter, Senior Lecturer in Arab Archaeology at UCL Qatar, and Mr Tim Makowever, Makower Architects, the lecture provided insightful information to those hungry to learn more about the history and plans for the city of Doha.

UCL Qatar is to host a special public lecture and two-day workshop exploring Doha's historical urban heritage.

Archaeologists working on UCL Qatar's QNRF-funded research project, The Origins of Doha, are allowing the public to learn more about their work and track their findings online via the Origins of Doha website. Containing a history of Doha, building recording and excavation news, the webpages will document the investigations taking place that will serve to establish how Doha was originally settled, and how it transformed into the city that it is today.

Dr. Mary Anne Murray is busy at UCL Qatar processing samples taken during the excavation season to search for evidence of diet and other uses of organic material in Old Doha. To do this, she is using a flotation machine to separate these materials from the dirt. After processing the samples through the machine, she will sort them and examine them under a microscope. Research on botanical remains allows the project to better understand evidence that is not always immediately visible during excavation.

UCL Qatar has unveiled its inaugural exhibition entitled 3D Encounters: Where Science Meets Heritage, allowing the local public access to cutting edge 3D scanning technology of ancient artefacts for the first time.

UCL Qatar has partnered with Syrian organisation Jusoor to support the education of Syrian students at PhD and Master's level, in the fields of cultural heritage and archaeology.

UCL Qatar Fellowship for Visiting PhD Students

As part of the UCL Lecture Series, visiting professor Dr Juris Zarins presents Arabia and the Horse: the domestication of equines in the Ancient Near East.

UCL Qatar has announced a new installment of Short Courses for the Spring 2013 semester. Open to cultural heritage professionals from Qatar and beyond, the courses provide participants with an opportunity to expand their existing skill-sets and develop new expertise within the field. 

UCL is to participate in the Seventh World Archaeological Congress, to be held at the King Hussein Convention Centre, Dead Sea, Jordan, from 14 to 18 January 2013. Academic staff from UCL Qatar will be chairing a two-part session entitled 'Issues of heritage practices in the Gulf' to take place on Tuesday 15 January. UCL will also exhibit at the WAC, where prospective students and interested parties will be able to find out more information on the UCL Institute of Archaeology, London, as well as UCL's recently opened Doha campus, UCL Qatar. 

Tim Winter, Associate Professor, Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Western Sydney, is currently based at UCL Qatar as Visiting Researcher. Following the conclusion of the COP18 International Climate Change talks in Doha, Dr Winter has published an article entitled 'Air Conditioning: We need to talk about indoor Climate Change.'

Professor Malcolm Grant CBE, UCL President and Provost, has hosted a reception for UCL staff, students, friends and alumni in Doha.

Ileana Olmos, a student on the MSc Conservation Studies degree programme, has written an account of her first term at UCL Qatar. Originally from Panama, Ileana relocated to Doha in August 2012 and is a member of UCL Qatar's inaugural student intake.

UCL Qatar has played host to a meeting of several senior Chinese and UK archaeologists from the International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology, a joint venture between UCL and Peking University in Beijing.

Dr Timothy Power, Lecturer in Islamic Archaeology at UCL Qatar, presents The View from the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus: Three Thousand Years of Syrian Civilisation. This lecture, commencing at 6.30pm on Tuesday 16 October, is open to all members of the public. It marks the resumption of UCL Qatar's successful Public Lecture Series following the summer hiatus.

We are delighted to announce that the UCL Qatar Short Courses Programme for Autumn 2012 is now accepting participants. The Short Courses in Continuting Professional Development are aimed at professionals working in the field of cultural heritage, who are looking to expand their knowledge, learn about new developments in their field, or understand other disciplines in their chosen field.

UCL Qatar’s first ever Fresher’s Week is now well under way, with 32 students from 13 different countries following a four day induction programme before academic sessions start on Sunday 2 September. The students are enrolled on the three Masters programmes offered by UCL Qatar; MA Archaeology of the Arab and Islamic World, MA Museum and Gallery Practice and MSc Conservation Studies.

Alumni Contact: Sheikh Asif Mahmood (UCL Bartlett 2006)

UCL Qatar is delighted to announce it has secured two awards in this year's Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). The grants, awarded under the National Priorities Research Programme (NPRP), are focused on the investigation of the origins of Doha as well as the study of the ancient industries in Sudan.

Under the patronage of H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates.

The public are invited to attend the second event in the UCL Qatar Lecture Series. Dr Robert Carter presents The Lower Sea and the Waters of Death: the Ancient Origins of Seafaring and Maritime Trade in the Gulf. The lecture will take place at 6pm on Tuesday 15 May, at the Georgetown University Building.

In early 2012 Dr Jane Humphris, a research fellow at UCL Qatar investigating early iron production in Sudan, travelled to the Meroitic site of Hamadab to join the ‘Hamadab and Meroë Royal Baths’ project of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). Led by Dr Pawel Wolf, archaeological research at the site of Hamadab has been ongoing for a number of years, and continues to reveal much about life at this urban settlement. One aspect of the site that had remained unexplored until now are the extensive remains associated with a major iron producing industry.

The deadline to submit an on-time application for our September 2012 intake is Thursday 31 May 2012. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to consider any applications submitted after this date. In addition, candidates who submit applications after the deadline will not be eligible to be considered for funding.

The general public are cordially invited to attend the innaugural lecture of the UCL Qatar Lecture Series. Dr Timothy Power presents Dome of the Rock: Meaning and Monumentality.