Lebanese Minister of Culture Welcomes the Inscription of the Castles of Jabal Amel on the List of World Heritage in Danger

Beirut, July 24 (KUNA) -- Lebanese Minister of Culture Ghassan Salame expressed his gratitude for the decision issued today by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to inscribe the five castles of Mount Lebanon’s Jabal Amel region in southern Lebanon on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

In a statement addressed to participants at the 48th session of the committee, held in Busan, South Korea, Salame said, “This decision represents a highly significant milestone for Lebanon and for the protection of shared cultural heritage,” adding his thanks to the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO Director-General Khalid al-Anani for “this recognition of the exceptional challenges facing these landmarks.”

He noted that “inscribing the castles on the endangered heritage list reflects the severity of the damage and challenges they have suffered as a result of the recent conflict,” reaffirming Lebanon’s commitment to working closely with UNESCO and international partners to protect and restore this heritage.

Salame considered that the decision underscores the outstanding universal value of a unique heritage comprising five historic castles in southern Lebanon: Al-Shaqif, Tibnin, Dubayya, Deir Qanoun, and Shmoun, which throughout the centuries formed a defensive and administrative network testifying to a millennium of history and architectural exchange between the East and the West.

In previous years, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee had inscribed several Lebanese historical sites on the World Heritage List, most notably sites in Anjar, Baalbek, Byblos, Sidon, and the Qadisha Valley, as well as the Rashid Karami International Fairground in Tripoli. (End) F.Z./A.M.S.