Under the patronage of the Governor of Hadhramout, Mr. Mabkhout Mubarak Bin Madi, Hadhramout University, in partnership with the Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation and the Nahd Developmental Foundation, will organize the “Hadhramout Week in the Russian Federation” next week from May 11-20, 2025. The event will feature an academic and artistic delegation of 13 researchers, academics, and artists, marking the first of its kind outside the Arab region.
The event aims to enhance the international presence of Hadhramout as a region rich in historical, cultural, and scientific heritage, highlighting the unique aspects of Hadhramout’s land and people. It will spotlight its cultural, social, and scientific features internationally, promote international cooperation, and revive Hadhrami heritage through strategic partnerships.
The event will build academic partnerships and activate cooperation agreements with leading Russian universities in scientific research and technology. It will introduce Hadhrami heritage by showcasing the history of Hadhramout, its mud architecture, beekeeping history, and handicrafts, while attracting investments in environmental tourism, fisheries, and agriculture sectors.
Hadhramout activities in the Russian Federation will include two international exhibitions in the Russian capital, Moscow, and the capital of the Chechen Republic, Grozny. These exhibitions will feature several pavilions, including the Hadhrami honey pavilion to display various types of premium honey with explanations of its history, quality, and benefits. The mud architecture pavilion will include miniature models of Shibam and Al-Hajrain cities (listed as UNESCO sites) and other Hadhrami landmarks and cities, showcasing sustainable mud building techniques. The cultural heritage pavilion will feature handmade products (handwoven textiles, wooden carvings, products made from palm fronds and pottery), and a pavilion for photos and paintings documenting social life and landscapes of Hadhramout.
The academic and scientific program will include lectures on “Hadhrami Honey” and “Mud Architecture as Smart Solutions for Climate Adaptation,” “Digitization as a Tool for Preserving Threatened Heritage,” and documentary film screenings about “Hadhramout: Land and People – A Legacy of Civilizational Radiance,” “Hadhramout University: A Bridge Between Present and Future Horizons,” religious tourism in Hadhramout, fisheries in Hadhramout, beekeeping, and “The Role of Civil Organizations in Hadhramout: Hope and Inspiration.”
The “Hadhramout Week in the Russian Federation” will also include scientific agreements, lectures, and discussion sessions to explore mechanisms for activating cooperation between Hadhramout University and partner Chechen and Russian universities. It will expand cooperation between Hadhramout University and its partners from universities and scientific institutions in Russia and Chechnya, and participate in the 16th annual international conference of the “Russia – Islamic World: Kazan Forum 2025.”
The visit program will include international partnership initiatives through signing memoranda of understanding with Russian universities, scientific exchange, and research projects in renewable energy and fisheries development.
The President of Hadhramout University, Prof. Mohammed Saeed Khanbash, emphasized that “Hadhramout Week in the Russian Federation” is not just a cultural event but a strategic step to enhance cooperation with prestigious Russian institutions. It aims to highlight Hadhramout’s contributions to human civilization and turn this event into a permanent platform for scientific and cultural dialogue, showcasing the history, landmarks, and products of Hadhramout.
The university president thanked the local authority leadership in Hadhramout, headed by Governor Mr. Mabkhout Mubarak Bin Madi, for his support and sponsorship of this scientific and cultural event, as well as the Du’an Mud Architecture Foundation (winner of the “Best Heritage Initiative” award from UNESCO in 2024) and the Nahd Development Foundation (winner of the Community Development Excellence Award in 2023).
The “Hadhramout Week in the Russian Federation” aims to introduce the history of Hadhramout and its mud architecture, considered one of the oldest arts, highlighting its famous historical cities, landmarks, lighthouses, palaces, and cities, and its most important wooden carvings, handwoven cotton and mud textiles, and products made from palm fronds and pottery. These products are linked to the prosperity of economic and social life, notably beekeeping and the production of honey, which holds a prestigious status and high commercial reputation.
Hadhramout University, established in 1993, has agreements and scientific relations with seven Russian universities: Moscow State University, Penza State University, First Moscow State Medical University, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Chechen State University, Chechen State Pedagogical University, and Moscow Academy of Maritime Transport.
Hadhramout University is one of the leading Yemeni universities in scientific research, ranking first nationally among public universities according to the QS ranking for 2025.
