RIYADH: Al-Diriyah, a small town on the northwestern outskirts of Riyadh that served as the capital of the Saudi royal family from AD 1744 to 1818, is one of the candidates for UNESCO World Heritage Site status during the UNESCO's World Heritage Centre's annual 10-day meeting. This year's meet is taking place in Brasilia.
"On behalf of the Arab group of UNESCO, Saudi Arabia has presented Al-Diriyah site for inclusion in heritage list," Mohammed Al-Dukhainy, a spokesman of the Education Ministry, said on Sunday. Al-Dukhainy said that all necessary information about Al-Diriyah had been compiled by the Supreme Commission of Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in cooperation with other government agencies.
According to the chroniclers of Nejd, the city of Al-Diriyah was founded in AD 1446 by Mani Al-Mraydi, an ancestor of the Saudi royal family. Al-Diriyah is part of the Turief District Development Plan that aims to turn the district into a major cultural and tourist center of international repute.
Once finished, there will be a new visitors' center as well as a documentation center besides four new museums. Many other remnants of the Saudi royal family will be restored as part of the developmental plan that will be carried out in three phases.
Referring to the UNESCO's conference in Brazil, Al-Dukkhainy said that the session would be chaired by Joao Luiz Ferreira, Brazilian minister of culture, who is also the president the World Heritage Committee.
Thirty-five countries including Saudi Arabia will present sites and properties for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List during the session. The archaeological site of Al-Hijr (Madain Saleh) was the first heritage property that was inscribed in 2008. Jeddah's historic center is also an area Saudi officials would like to see attain the status.
The panel will also review the state of conservation of the 31 endangered world heritage properties.
To date, the World Heritage List recognizes 890 properties of "outstanding universal value," including 689 cultural, 176 natural and 25 mixed properties in 148 countries.
World Heritage officials have said in the past that the Middle East/North Africa region is lacking in natural sites. In fact, one of the most prominent natural preserves in the region, the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, was removed from the World Heritage Site list after the government announced it was reducing the size of the preserve by 90 percent.
The panel encourages international cooperation to safeguard the common heritage of humanity. The World Heritage Committee comprises representatives of 21 countries, elected by the member states for up to six years.
Each year, the committee adds new sites to the list. The sites are proposed by different countries. Applications are then reviewed by two advisory bodies -- cultural sites by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and natural sites by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
By Ghazanfar Ali Khan
© Arab News 2010
