DCT Abu Dhabi opens applications for LanD 2027

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has opened applications for the LanD 2027 Training on Cultural Landscapes Documentation, an international capacity-building programme focused on documenting cultural landscapes as dynamic living systems.

As the first training programme of its kind in the region dedicated to the holistic documentation of cultural landscapes, LanD 2027 is co-organised with the CHEDAR project in collaboration with ICOMOS International Scientific Committees (ISCs), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and other international organisations in the field of heritage documentation.

Applications are now open for 20 heritage professionals from across the MENA region. Selected participants will take part in the on-site training from 26th April to 5th May 2027 in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, alongside a series of online introductory Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) running from January to April 2027.

The training aims to strengthen participants’ capacity to document cultural landscapes through integrated, people-centred and nature-culture approaches that combine traditional knowledge with advanced technologies. LanD 2027 addresses the complexity of documenting cultural landscapes by considering the multiple tangible and intangible layers that shape them.

Using Hili Oasis as a hands-on case study, the programme demonstrates how holistic documentation can support informed conservation and sustainable heritage management.

Delivered by leading international experts in heritage documentation, the programme is open to early to mid-career professionals from across the MENA region working in disciplines including architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, archaeology, heritage conservation, geography, GIS, environmental sciences, anthropology, ethnography, social sciences, and heritage management and policy. Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and have between three and five years of professional experience in heritage. Familiarity with heritage documentation or fieldwork methods is considered an asset, while participants should also be able to work effectively in interdisciplinary and international teams and possess a working knowledge of English.

Applications are open until 15th October. Further information on eligibility criteria and the application form is available at this link – https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/land-2027.

Through LanD 2027, DCT Abu Dhabi continues to advance its mission of protecting, preserving and promoting cultural heritage by investing in the people and expertise that will shape its future.