New Sites Added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee has recently announced the addition of 37 new sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Among these sites is one located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The announcement was made during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from September 10 to 25.
Out of the 50 sites being considered, the following have made the list so far:
- Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er, China
- Deer Stone Monuments and Related Bronze Age Sites, Mongolia
- Gaya Tumuli, South Korea
- Gordion, Turkey
- Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, Germany
- Koh Ker, Cambodia
- Modernist Kaunas, Lithuania
- National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj, Guatemala
- Old town of Kuldiga, Latvia
- Prehistoric sites of Talayotic Menorca, Spain
- Santiniketan, India
- Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
- The Gedeo Cultural Landscape, Ethiopia
- The Persian Caravanserai, Iran
- Tr’ondek-Klondike, Canada
- Viking-Age Ring Fortresses, Denmark
- Zatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops, Czechia
- Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua, Congo
- Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelee and the Pitons of Northern Martinique, France
- Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan, West Bank
- Astronomical Observatories of Kazan Federal University, Russia
- Khinalig People and “Koç Yolu” Transhumance Route, Azerbaijan
- Djerba, Tunisia
- Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, India
- Yogyakarta and its Historic Landmarks, Indonesia
- The Maison Carrée of Nimes, France
- Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
- ESMA Museum and Site of Memory – Former Clandestine Center of Detention, Torture and Extermination, Argentina
- Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker, Netherlands
- Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, U.S.
- Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery, Suriname
- The Ancient Town of Si Thep, Thailand
- Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia, Turkey
- Zagori Cultural Landscape, Greece
- Anticosti, Canada
- Evaporitic Karst and Caves of Northern Apennines, Italy
- Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
It should be noted that the ancient city of Tell es-Sultan, also known as Jericho, is the fourth site in the West Bank to be included in UNESCO’s list. The most significant site from a historical and religious perspective in the territory is the Old City of Jerusalem, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. However, UNESCO lists the site separately as “Jerusalem (Site proposed by Jordan),” rather than under Israel or Palestine.
Israel, a member of UNESCO since 1949, currently has nine sites on the list, including Masada, the Old City of Acre, and the “White City” of Tel Aviv.
Controversy Surrounding the Inclusion of Jericho
The addition of Tell es-Sultan/Jericho to UNESCO’s World Heritage List has sparked controversy among Israeli officials. The Israeli foreign ministry has criticized the move, calling it a political maneuver by the Palestinians to manipulate UNESCO. Mounir Anastas, the permanent delegate of Palestine to UNESCO, has credited Arab nations, especially Saudi Arabia, for their support in hosting the session and advocating for the Palestinian cause on international platforms. Given Saudi Arabia’s important role in the Muslim world and its historical and religious ties to Palestine, their stance on this issue is significant.
Sites in Ukraine on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger
In addition to the new additions, UNESCO has also included two sites in Ukraine to its List of World Heritage in Danger. These sites are the Saint Sophia Cathedral and Lavra of Kyiv-Pechersk (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) and the historic center of the city of Lviv. Despite efforts by Ukrainian authorities to protect their cultural heritage, these sites have been under constant threat since the start of the Russian invasion. This inclusion serves as a reminder to the 195 states parties to the Convention to monitor and contribute to the protection of these vulnerable sites.
Overall, these new additions and controversies highlight the importance of preserving and protecting our shared cultural heritage.
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