Story by Khalid Hussain Mansoor
Illustrations by Ousama Mezher
Published by Kalimat Publishing

 “Hamdan and Alia at the Archaeology Museum is a beautifully illustrated, warm and inviting story about a family discovering the ancient past together. It is both entertaining and enlightening and a credit to the Archaeology Museum.  It will be enjoyed by all young readers.”
H.E. Shaikha Bodour Al Qasimi

Hamdan and Alia are a brother and sister whose voracious curiosity leads them on a fun family adventure to the Sharjah Archaeology Museum! When Hamdan and Alia’s father takes a new route to school one day they happen to pass the Sharjah Archaeology Museum and Hamdan was immediately interested in what is inside. They decide to come back on the weekend as a family to discover it for themselves. Through this book you can join Hamdan and Alia, with their Grandpa Ahmad, Grandma Mariam and their parents as they take a journey of discovery and learning, imagining life in the past and how the objects in the museum were once used.

Their journey takes them from the oldest tools and weapons to the introduction of coinage and along the way they all learn something. Alia learns about bronze, Grandma Mariam learns about ancient diet and the meaning of B.C., Hamdan finds out about the oldest object in the Museum, Mum admires 5000 year old jewellery, Grandpa Ahmad is interested in ancient ways of living and Dad learns about the influence of Greece and Rome.
The ending sees Hamdan and Alia eager to visit another museum. Where will they go?

It is important for families to share in the knowledge of a region’s past and The Archaeology Museum is a fun way for adults and children to learn about the ancient past of the UAE and see the artefacts that archaeologists have excavated. The Sharjah Archaeology Museum displays more than 1000 artefacts. They are arranged in chronological order making it possible for visitors to walk the path from the Stone Age (85 000 years ago) all the way through to the time of Islam. Read the book and visit the museum to take the exciting journey into the ancient past with Hamdan and Alia.

The book was written for children aged 7-12.  The beautiful illustrations invite young readers to use their imagination to make a connection between objects in the showcase and the story of the ancient past.

The book is available in the gift shops in the Archaeology Museum, The Museum of Islamic Civilisation, and the Aquarium, all in Sharjah. Read it with children before visiting the Museum or take it home after a visit as a delightful souvenir.
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About the Author
Khalid Hussain Mansoor is a Tour Guide at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum. He knows the collection intimately and he has an overflowing enthusiasm for archaeology and history. He wrote this story to instill this same enthusiasm in the children of today so that they might grown up to respect and protect the past forever.
*** The Author can provide special guided tours catered for families with young children ***
 

Prior booking necessary.
For more information about Hamdan and Alia at the Archaeology Museum, please call
Sharjah Archaeology Museum
P.O. Box 69400
Sharjah
United Arab Emirates
Tel: 06 566 5466
Fax: 06 566 2692