Fahad Al-Jubeir, mayor of the Eastern Province, received a Silver shield from Qatari Premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani for coming second place in the Architectural Heritage category in the 11th session of the Arab Towns Organization (ATO) Award in Al-Jaiza for the municipality’s preservation project of architectural heritage sites in the city of Dammam.

The major awards of Al-Jaiza were represented at a prestigious ceremony that took place recently in Qatar on the sidelines of the 16th General Conference of the Arab Towns Organization (ATO), which took place between May 14 and 16.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Mayor of Eastern Province expressed his delight for winning the award, pointing to the continuous efforts of the municipality and its comprehensive urban conservation plans aimed at preserving and conserving the architectural identity of the city of Dammam through conducting conservation advisory research, in addition to implementing technical requirements and building codes that protect the urban heritage of the city and its historical identity.

Director General for studies and supervision at the Eastern Province municipality, Abdulmohsen Al-Araini, and the Mayor of the Dammam Center Municipality, Mazen Bakhurji, as well as the Department of Urban Planning at the municipality, were also honored with awards and certificates of appreciation at the awards ceremony, according to Alweeam daily.

The Arab Towns Organization is a non-profit charitable organization that aims to enhance creativity and renewal in architectural and cultural preservation methodologies based on Arab-Islamic style.

The organization also encourages Arab architects to use traditional art and architecture and formulating comprehensive plans that include environmental preservation.

The ATO was established in 1967 with headquarters in Kuwait City. Every three years, the Arab Towns Award Foundation holds a competition to recognize outstanding achievements in architecture, environmental preservation, greening and beautification of cities and information technology across the Arab world.