Tag Archives: UNESCO

The United States plans to rejoin the UNESCO organisation from this July onwards, UNESCO announced on Monday. The United States withdrew from the U.N. cultural agency in December 2018 under President Donald Trump over accusations of anti-Israel bias and mismanagement. “It is a strong act of confidence in UNESCO and …

The number of journalists killed worldwide significantly increased in 2022, following a decline over the previous three years, according to the United Nations culture agency (UNESCO). In the recently released 2021-2022 freedom of expression report, UNESCO noted the deaths of 86 journalists last year, amounting to one every four days, …

Egypt unveiled Monday a sarcophagus of a senior royal official from over 3,200 years ago at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo, the latest in a series of spectacular discoveries in the area. A team of Egyptian archaeologists from Cairo University found the red granite sarcophagus of Ptah-em-uya, “a …

UNESCO on Tuesday added Arabic calligraphy, a key tradition in the Arab and Islamic worlds, to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. A total of 16 Muslim-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia, presented the nomination to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, which announced the listing on Twitter. “Arabic calligraphy …

A small clay tablet dating back 3,500 years and bearing a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh that was looted from an Iraqi museum 30 years ago and recently recovered from the United States formally returned to Iraq on Tuesday. The $1.7 million cuneiform tablet, known as the Gilgamesh Dream …

A 3,500-year-old tablet recounting the epic of Gilgamesh was returned to Iraq Thursday after being stolen three decades ago and illegally imported to the United States. Iraqi Cultural Minister Hassan Nazim accepted the tablet during a ceremony in Washington. “To me, it means restituting self-esteem and the confidence in Iraqi …

On Thursday, the Minister of Culture, Hassan Nazim, announced that its ministry is working to include 9 archaeological sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Minister of Culture, Hassan Nazim, said, “The ministry has 9 archaeological sites, and it is working to include them on the World Heritage List.” …

The development indicates rebels continuing a weeks-long push beyond Tigray that has, according to Ethiopian officials, displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. Rebels from Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region have seized Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the neighbouring Amhara region famed for its 12th-century rock-hewn churches, residents told the …

Environmentalists and cultural heritage activists have long sought to limit the number of vessels travelling through the Italian city, calling them an eye-sore and pointing out that they could cause pollution and erosion. The law — which will see only small passenger ferries and freight vessels enter the lagoon city’s …

Social and cultural activists in al-Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, Northern Iraq, welcome on Tuesday UNESCO’s decision to add “Horaman” to its list of world heritage sites. The head of Halabja’s Directorate for Culture and Art, Muhammad Fattah, said, “it is pleasing news for the people of Horaman, Halabja, and Sharazur. The …

A wall of sand over 100 meters high swallowed a city on the fringes of the Gobi desert in northwestern China, in scenes reminiscent of a disaster film. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Dunhuang, a tourist draw with a colorful history …

The Great Barrier Reef will not be added to a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” after a UN panel on Friday agreed to defer a vote until 2022 amid intensive lobbying by Australia. A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) committee last month recommended …

The World Heritage Committee was set to consider Friday whether to add the Great Barrier Reef to UNESCO’s list of endangered sites, after high-level lobbying from Australia to prevent the move. The United Nations cultural agency recommended in June that the reef’s World Heritage status be downgraded because of its …

The English city of Liverpool was removed from UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites on Wednesday because new buildings undermined the attractiveness of its Victorian docks, making it only the third site to be removed from the prestigious list. Liverpool was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nation’s …

This week, in what Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini called a “historic” move, Italy’s cabinet of ministers approved a ban on ships weighing more than 25,000 metric tons or longer than 180 meters (590 feet) entering the lagoon basin near Venice’s St. Mark’s Square, the narrow Giudecca Canal and the …

Australian officials extended lockdown and social distancing measures to more of the country on Wednesday, with four major cities already under a hard lockdown in a race to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant. Summary | NSW total cases in latest outbreak top 170 South Australia logs …

The Great Barrier Reef has deteriorated to such an extent it should be listed as a world heritage site “in danger,” a United Nations committee said Tuesday — prompting immediate backlash from the Australian government.

They have been called an “extraordinary masterpiece” of early Islamic architecture, but after years of disrepair, the ravages of war and now months of heavy rains the ancient mud-brick houses of Yemen’s the UNESCO-listed Old City of Sanaa are collapsing. On Friday, August 7, one house partially collapsed as Sanaa …

From a symbol of Christendom after its establishment by Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the sixth century, to an emblem of the Muslim Ottoman Empire’s sprawling influence, the Hagia Sophia has been at the heart of a centuries-old ideological and political battle. After Fatih Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in …

Turkey on Friday resumed some mass prayers at a limited number of mosques after a break of more than two months, as Ankara continued to ease restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Turkey had suspended prayers, limited travel, and closed shops and restaurants. However, the government has started to …