Tunisian village of Sidi Bou Said inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List

The Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced on Saturday that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed the village of Sidi Bou Said on the World Heritage List, during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea.

The ministry stated in a press release that “with this inscription, the number of Tunisian sites on the World Heritage List has risen to ten,” highlighting the collaborative efforts of the National Institute of Heritage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Migration, and various international partners in achieving this milestone.

It noted that the state began preparing the nomination file in 2024 and submitted it in February 2025, leading to “the decision to inscribe Sidi Bou Said by consensus of the World Heritage Committee members, recognizing its outstanding universal value as a space for cultural, spiritual, and artistic inspiration, and as a unique architectural model that encapsulates a significant aspect of Tunisia’s history and civilizational identity.”

The inscription of Sidi Bou Said on UNESCO’s World Heritage List coincides with Tunisia’s celebration of the 69th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic on July 25.