UNESCO added three new destinations to its list of endangered World
Heritage sites on 25 January: Ukraine's Historic Centre of Odesa;
Yemen's Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib; and Lebanon's
Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli.
Being inscribed on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger means
that the destination has access to reinforced technical and financial
international assistance, which can be requested for to ensure the
protection of the site and rehabilitation if needed.
Which are the destinations that have gotten onto UNESCO's list of endangered World Heritage sites?
A city under fire
Ukraine’s President Zelensky requested for Odesa to be added to the list in October 2022, in an online speech to UNESCO. Photo Credit: AdobeStock/teksomolika
UNESCO's decision to add the historic centre of Ukraine’s Black Sea
port city of Odesa to its list of endangered World Heritage sites comes
after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's request in October 2022
aimed to highlight “the outstanding universal value of the site and the
duty of all humanity to protect it.”
This inclusion was praised by UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay
who regards Odesa as the “legendary port that has left its mark in
cinema, literature and the arts”, and this official recognisation of the
threat it faces will place it “under the reinforced protection of the
international community.”
"While the war continues, this inscription embodies our collective
determination to ensure that this city, which has always surmounted
global upheavals, is preserved from further destruction," Azoulay added.
Prior to including it to its list, UNESCO had earlier mobilised more
than US$18 million for education, science, culture and information since
the war began.
Battle of one kingdom
Landmarks of Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib (Yemen) added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Photo Credit: German Archaeological Institute, Orient Department
The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib comprise seven
archaeological sites, remnants of the Kingdom of Saba that was
responsible for many architectural, aesthetic and technological
achievements from the 1st millennium BCE to the arrival of Islam around
630 CE.
The historical site once played a key role in the wider network of
cultural exchange fostered by trade with the Mediterranean and East
Africa, when the Kingdom controlled much of the incense route across the
Arabian Peninsula.
There's an ancient irrigation system that reflects the technological
prowess in hydrological engineering and agriculture that has not been
seen before in the past in South Arabia, which resulted in the creation
of the largest ancient man-made oasis.
Due to threats of destruction from the ongoing conflict, UNESCO
issued an emergency procedure to inscribe this site on the List of World
Heritage in Danger.
Modernisation in collapse
The Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli (Lebanon) inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Photo Credit: Wassim Naghi
Thee Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli in northern Lebanon
was created in 1962 on a 70-hectare site between the historic centre of
Tripoli and the Al Mina port. The main building served as a flexible
space for countries to install exhibitions, resulting in numerous
exchange between different continents.
It remains one of the major representative works of 20th century modern architecture in the Arab Near East.
The site was included on UNESCO's list due to its alarming state of
conservation, the lack of financial resources for its maintenance, and
the latent risk of development proposals that could affect the integrity
of the complex.