The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, during its 46th session in New Delhi, India, announced the inclusion of three new Arab sites to the World Heritage List. The sites are the Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer in Palestine, Umm el Jimal City in Jordan, and the Cultural Landscape of Al Faw Archaeological Area in Saudi Arabia.
The Monastery of Saint Hilarion in Gaza is one of the oldest historical sites in the Middle East, while Umm el Jimal in Jordan showcases a Nabataean-Roman-Byzantine character and is notable for its inhabitants’ resilience in a water-scarce region. Saudi Arabia’s Al Faw Archaeological Area, a significant ancient human settlement, is now the eighth site in the Kingdom to be registered on the World Heritage List.
Prince Badr bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture, emphasised that the inscription of Al Faw aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, highlighting the Kingdom’s commitment to preserving global human heritage and promoting national identity.
“The Kingdom recognizes the importance of heritage, its preservation, and its promotion worldwide in order to establish a solid foundation for the present, chart a roadmap for future endeavors, and support the Heritage Commission in developing national heritage assets,” the Prince said.
Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Chairman of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), congratulated the three countries on their achievement. He highlighted that this inclusion underscores the importance of Arab heritage on a global scale and reflects the growing interest in preserving the region’s cultural and natural heritage.
The inclusion of Tell Umm Amer was also simultaneously added to the List of World Heritage in Danger, amid the brutal genocidal war being waged on Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces.
source/content: middleeastmonitor.com (headline edited)