Dubai is planning to preserve its landmark buildings from the 1960s and 70s as part of a new initiative called Modern Heritage.

Dubai Municipality is collaborating with a group of partners such as the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Al Baraha Hospital, Knowledge Fund Establishment, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and the World Trade Centre. The project will be launched jointly by the Planning Department and the Architectural Heritage Department in the municipality, state news agency WAM reported.

A shortlist of buildings has been created as the first stage in ensuring the protection of these buildings. The list includes Dubai World Trade Centre, Clock Tower, Al Baraha Hospital, Al Khuloud Nursery and Al Ras Library.

Dubai Municipality organised a meeting with several government organisations that own these buildings and they were briefed on the initiative.

Ahmed Mahmoud, director of the Architectural Heritage Department, said: "Many of these buildings still occupy major positions and perform important functions. The buildings have had a great impact on shaping the urban environment and crystallising the architectural character of the 1960s and 1970s of Dubai's development."

The Dubai World Trade Centre, built in 1973 by architect John Harris, was the first skyscraper in the region while the old Al Baraha Hospital was one of the first hospitals to be built in Deira in 1966.

The list also includes Al Ras Library, built in 1963 under the guidance of Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, as the first library in Dubai.