The trip of Saudi heritage to "UNESCO" was not a picnic

The march of antiquities preservation in the great Arab country was accompanied by cultural obstacles and false stories

monuments, heritage and landmarks; Palm fronds in a palm oasis, and a mountain that has been exhausted by years, inscriptions and stone inscriptions, fresh eyes, tamarisk, and wood, rare and unknown pieces; And a new discovery, tours and scattered sites, centuries and thousands of years, unknown places and destinations for tourists from all over the world, all of which are the list of Saudi Arabia in the history book, as monuments and heritage monuments are of great importance to most countries of the world to preserve the cultural and natural heritage of each country, and the leadership seeks Saudi Arabia, and with the effort of the Ministry of Culture, to strengthen the cultural identity of the country, and the National Transformation Vision 2030, which was launched by the government with regard to culture, states that it is one of the components of the quality of life, as there are hundreds of heritage sites, and according to “UNESCO” some sites have an exceptional global value, It must form part of the common heritage of mankind.

Saudi List in UNESCO

There are five Saudi sites approved and registered in the List of Tangible World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the list includes 962 heritage and natural sites around the world for 157 countries.

Mada'in Saleh is the first Saudi heritage site that was registered in 2008, followed by Tarif neighborhood "Al-Diriyah" in 2010, historic Jeddah in 2014, then rock inscriptions in Hail in 2015, and finally Al-Ahsa Oasis 2018, and despite the Saudi delay in registration, work is underway to nominate A greater number of natural heritage sites and monuments in the country.

Mada'in Saleh, in the northwest of the country, is the first Saudi heritage site to be registered in the UNESCO list in 2008 (SPA)

History of Saudi Heritage

Distinctive heritage monuments are always the real destination for tourists, and they are the focus of attention of tourists interested in civilization and history, as their value lies in their consolidation over the ages, generations and generations pass by them and these sites remain as they are, no winds move them, no storms shake them, and their features are not tainted by changes Fixed and does not change over time.

A golden desert, many unused monuments, large areas and a great legacy, says Abdullah Al-Munif, Dean of the College of Tourism and Archeology at King Saud University, “The mental image of Saudi Arabia in the past was superficial and presented only in a stereotype associated with desert and primitiveness, and today the image is completely different. As a result of the hard work of employing heritage and archaeological areas, these sites have become of widespread interest.”

"Saudi Arabia is distinguished by the presence of a region like Al-Ula, which has become a global icon, and not only at the regional level," he added. However, the required picture has not yet been completed, according to observers. Documenting history needs to protect information from fabrication and distortion, which is one of the most common problems we face in our time. According to Al-Munif, “The aspect of documenting information related to heritage is an important matter that must be worked on alongside heritage preservation, as there are many Of the false and fabricated stories on history.” For example, Mada’in Saleh “Al-Hijr District, or what is known as Mada’in Saleh, and Mahlab the Camel, were falsely attributed to the Prophet Saleh, and in fact this story is false and baseless.” The site has nothing to do with the Prophet, According to Al-Munif.

Madain Saleh, northwest of the country, includes archaeological inscriptions and writings dating back to pre-Islamic times (SPA)

This spread of misinformation contributed to the harm of earlier artifacts, "archaeological artifacts that were damaged due to the belief that they are associated with a rebellious people, and their possession, as well as a disregard for the importance and rarity of the piece."

He adds, "I remember in the past in a museum in Riyadh there were ancient statues, and suddenly a notification came that the museum displays idols to visitors, and the directive came to withdraw the statues and not display them in museums, we were suffering a lot because of this issue, but the matter is different today, there is an awareness and understanding of the types of antiquities." , which should be paralleled by interest in the information and its source, according to the researcher.

The oldest human existence

Last September, the Saudi Heritage Authority announced a new archaeological discovery, the first of its kind in the Arabian Peninsula, concerning human footprints, elephants and other predatory animals, dating back more than 120,000 years, found around an ancient dry lake in Tayma Governorate. On the outskirts of the city of Tabuk.

The results of the archaeological survey indicated that the discovered antiquities belonged to seven people and some camels, with 107 impressions, more than 40 elephants, and other animals of the ibex and bovine species.

The results confirmed the discovery of 233 fossil remains of elephant and oryx bones, and some traces of tusks that confirm the presence of predators.

The CEO of the authority, Dr. Jasser Al-Harbash, confirmed that the authority has a list of sites and antiquities that are no less important than what was announced in September, adding, "We have other discoveries that we are waiting for the right time to announce, but scientific custom prevents me from providing you with any information about them."

He said that "universities and research centers participating in the research and study process within these sites must follow parallel paths, in order to prove the credibility of the initial information about them," so that the commission can announce the results of the groups simultaneously.

Nomination and registration mechanism at UNESCO

Nomination of heritage sites and the mechanisms followed in UNESCO is not an easy process, despite all that, the doors are open to all countries wishing to nominate and register their sites.

"The registration process requires preparing plans to preserve sites under precise controls, so that countries must include their sites on the temporary list for the purpose of documentation, in order to prove eligibility and eligibility for inclusion on the list," said Abdulelah Al-Tokhais, director of the Research and Development Center at the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society.

Al-Ahsa Oasis, which is considered one of the largest and most famous natural palm oases in the world, includes about 3 million palm trees (SPA)

There are ten approved criteria for registration; Six of them are cultural, and four are natural, and in order to complete the registration process, the site must meet one or more of the ten criteria. Rahaf Qassas, director of the intangible heritage of the association, which is accredited to UNESCO, says, "If one of these criteria exists in the sites, the countries submit a request to add the site to the waiting list. After a year, the nomination file is submitted after completing the requirements to UNESCO according to the specified dates."

Historic Jeddah is one of the most important Saudi sites that joined the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (SPA)

The interest of countries in registering sites is meaningful, and the scenes of victory and success in documenting them arouse more curiosity, and lead to the most important question about the value of such a step, which Al-Tukhais answers by saying, “The importance of this lies in achieving international recognition of the existence of world heritage sites, to become within the network of registered sites, This is one of the most important factors of tourist attractions and cultural recognition, and also contributes to the preservation of heritage sites and monuments according to international standards.”