UNESCO adds three new sites in Sudan, Lebanon, and Palestine to the World Heritage List

Paris, July 26 (KUNA) -- The UNESCO World Heritage Committee announced on Sunday the inscription of three sites on the World Heritage List, following emergency procedures during a meeting held in Busan, South Korea. The Committee stated that the three sites are the Boma-Padingilo Migration Area in South Sudan, the Qalaat El-Moukhtar (Castles of Mount Lebanon) in Lebanon, and Sebastia in the State of Palestine.

In a press release, UNESCO explained that the application of emergency procedures reflects the current situation marked by multiple crises, including armed conflicts and climate change, which severely impact heritage and expose it to serious risks. It added that these sites were also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The statement noted that the Boma-Padingilo Migration Area in South Sudan covers a vast expanse of savanna grasslands in East Africa and hosts the largest known migration of terrestrial mammals in the world. Its unique biodiversity makes it an ecosystem of exceptional global importance.

Regarding the Castles of Mount Lebanon, the statement pointed out that the five castles bear witness to the evolution of defensive systems in the region from the Crusader era and Islamic dynasties up to the end of the 19th century. It noted that the Castles of Mount Lebanon had previously been granted enhanced protection by the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict in November 2024, and are currently suffering serious damage.

As for the Sebastia site in the State of Palestine, it documents the archaeological record of successive settlement by various civilizations since at least the 9th century BC. It also contains architectural remains from later periods, including the Crusader, Ayyubid, and Mamluk Islamic eras, when the area was classified as one of the "Throne Villages."

The statement further noted that the Committee decided to inscribe three other sites already on the List of World Heritage in Danger, indicating that they face serious threats to the values that justified their initial inscription. These sites are the ancient Greek city of Chersonesos and its agricultural lands in Ukraine, the historic inner city of Paramaribo in Suriname, and Tyre in Lebanon. (End) M.B. / F.D.S.