NAHMINAHMIDraft & dialogueالعربية
Home / Interactive draft

Draft Cultural Heritage Protection Law

Draft for discussion and review·Read the text and share comments in the context of each article.

Arabic source PDF

Working English translationFor discussion and consultation. The Arabic source is authoritative.

View Arabic
Article 12 of 101
What does the draft propose?

Protecting sites and antiquities

The draft addresses the prevention of damage to antiquities, the designation of protection zones, chance discoveries, and site management and maintenance. It also includes provisions for underwater heritage and natural sites of cultural value.

Chapter Two: Protection and Management of Archaeological Cultural Heritage
Protection of Antiquities and Prevention of Encroachment

Article 12

Draft

If archaeological evidence or finds are encountered incidentally or by chance during the implementation of any project or the conduct of any activity or intervention, the person carrying it out shall stop implementation at the location where they appeared and notify the Department of Antiquities immediately.

The entity carrying out the project, activity or intervention shall bear all expenses and costs arising from the rescue excavation or archaeological survey. Work may not resume until the necessary inspection, survey or rescue work has been carried out and the Department has issued written technical approval.

Ownership of land shall not entitle its owner to excavate for antiquities or to own anything discovered in it. Ownership of antiquities shall be a sovereign right of the State. The landowner shall be entitled to compensation for direct damage, excluding the value of the antiquity discovered. The implementing regulations shall prescribe the rules for assessing compensation and the deadlines for its payment.

View the Arabic source page
12 / 101

This working English translation follows the supplied Arabic draft, including incomplete or repeated passages and the repeated heading “Chapter Six”. It is not an official legal translation. The Arabic source is authoritative.