July 8, 2008 The World Heritage Committee
of the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
has approved Saudi Arabia’s first site of universal cultural
value. The northern ancient Nabatean city of Madain Saleh (also
known as Al-Hijr Archeological Site) is now on UNESCO’s World
Heritage List.
“This is an international recognition of the huge historic value
of this global heritage site,” said Prince Sultan bin Salman,
secretary-general of the General Commission for Tourism and
Antiquities, in a statement.
He said the UNESCO’s decision would contribute to the
preservation and development of Madain Saleh. “Saudi Arabia has
presented a comprehensive plan to the UNESCO for the management,
protection and rehabilitation of the site, and it has started
implementing the plan on the ground.”
Such a plan is a pre-requisite for admission to this list of
over 800 cultural and environmental sites. The advantages of
attaining World Heritage status for sites include greater
cooperation among global experts in preservation efforts.
Additionally, World Heritage status plays a promotional role,
increasing a site’s profile that leads to greater tourism
traffic.
Saudi Arabia has recently embarked on comprehensive efforts to
promote tourism with a strong emphasis on domestic travelers.
The approval of the site was made on Sunday during a conference
of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in Quebec City. Two other
sites were also inscribed: China’s Fujian Tulou earthen houses
and the Morne Cultural Landscape of Mauritius. About 40 other
sites will be reviewed during the conference, which ends
Thursday.
Prince Sultan reiterated Saudi Arabia’s efforts to get the
historic centers of Jeddah and Riyadh put on the list.
Ziyad Al-Drais, the Kingdom’s permanent representative at
UNESCO, said the unique cultural and heritage value of Madain
Saleh made it easy for the site to get registered with the
international body. |
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