The Measure of a Legacy: Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak on Heritage, Memory and the Soul of Abu Dhabi

The Hadrian Award, bestowed by the World Monuments Fund, recognises those whose work has fundamentally shaped the preservation of humanity’s shared cultural inheritance. It is a distinction reserved for leaders whose vision extends beyond the immediate, who understand that heritage is not merely the past made tangible, but the living foundation upon which communities build their future.

This recognition, to be conferred at the 2026 Hadrian Gala, comes to His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi. Yet in contemplating this honour, he returns not to boardrooms or policy chambers, but to something more intimate: the Cultural Foundation of his childhood.

Those early years, spent within spaces devoted to the preservation and celebration of culture, proved formative. They instilled a conviction that would eventually shape his approach to leading Abu Dhabi’s cultural stewardship: that culture must never be sequestered behind velvet ropes or confined to the privileged few. Rather, it must remain alive, vital and accessible to all.

This philosophy runs counter to the notion of heritage as a museum piece, preserved in amber and kept at arm’s length. Instead, it positions culture as an active force, a living conversation between past and present, something that breathes and evolves within the community it serves.

As Abu Dhabi continues its thoughtful development, this perspective proves increasingly vital. The true measure of a city’s progress is not merely the architecture that rises on its horizons or the economic indices that chart its growth, but rather the health and vitality of its cultural life. A city that tends to its heritage, that makes its stories and traditions accessible to all its people, builds something that endures far beyond any single generation.

The Hadrian Award recognises not simply what has been preserved, but the philosophy that guides that preservation: the belief that culture is a cornerstone of development, not a luxury added after the fact.