The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Sunday, September 17, named ancient Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) as a World Heritage site in Palestine.
The decision was made through a vote during the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in the Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
The newly designated site, located in Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, contains ruins dating back to the ninth millennium BC. Jericho itself is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Jericho joins three other “UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Palestine”: the Church of the Nativity and the pilgrimage route in Bethlehem, the cultural landscape of southern Jerusalem and Battir, and the Old City in Hebron.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the decision, lauding it as an acknowledgment of Jericho’s “cultural, economic, and political significance.”
However, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its disapproval of the decision saying it saw the action as “another sign of Palestinians’ cynical use of UNESCO and politicization of the organization.”
“Israel will act with its many friends in the organisation to change the flawed decisions made.”
Other MENA sites named in Unesco World Heritage List 2023
Azerbaijan/Iran: Hyrcanian Forests
The Hyrcanian forests stretch 850 kilometers from the Talish Mountains in Azerbaijan, through the Alborz Mountains to Golestan in Iran – forming a great green arc.
Iran: The Persian Caravanserai
A traditional form of roadside inn placed along trade routes such as the Silk Road, the Caravanserai represents a type of Persian architecture developed in response to the needs of the weary traveller.
The structure is a testament to Iran’s historic position among ancient civilizations, and the importance of travel and trade to its economy.
The committee will continue evaluating sites until Wednesday, September 20, combining nominations from last year and this year.
