Dr. Zaki ASLANAdviser Culture Sector - Department of Culture and Tourism

Zaki Aslan is an architect, planner, and cultural heritage specialist with more than three decades of experience across the Arab region and internationally. He currently serves as Advisor for Cultural Heritage at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), contributing to strategic initiatives in heritage policy and management, research and knowledge, digital documentation, professional education, and international cooperation, including emerging applications of technology and artificial intelligence in cultural heritage.

Previously, he spent two decades with ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), where he led programmes for the Arab region and served as founding Director of ICCROM’s Regional Centre in the UAE. His work has addressed World Heritage, heritage recovery and resilience, documentation, museums, capacity building, and the protection of cultural heritage in times of crisis.

He has also served as Professor of Practice at the American University of Sharjah, where he has coordinated the Master of Urban Planning Programme and taught in the areas of integrated urban heritage conservation and risk management, Islamic art and architecture, and creativity in the UAE.

Throughout his career, Aslan has worked closely with governments, international organisations, academic institutions, and local communities. His work seeks to connect heritage conservation with contemporary social, environmental, and developmental challenges, while strengthening local capacities and promoting inclusive approaches to decision-making.

Aslan holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Planning and Management from University College London and an M.Sc. from Université de Montréal, Canada.