Unesco announces ‘Tel Sultan-Jericho’ as World Heritage Site

18 Sep 2023 08:03pm

Tourists visit the pre-historic site of Tell al-Sultan, near the Palestinian city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank on Sept 17 which was added to the Unesco World Heritage List on the same day. Tell al-Sultan, which predates Egypt's pyramids, is an oval-shaped tell, or mound, located in the Jordan Valley that contains the prehistoric deposits of human activity. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

RABAT - ‘Tel Sultan-Jericho’ in Palestine has been declared as a World Heritage Site, making it the first Arab site to be added to the Unesco list, announced the Unesco World Heritage Committee.

The Committee, in a statement made available to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said the designation has secured majority of the votes during its 45th session hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.

Mounir Anastas, the Permanent Representative of Palestine to Unesco in the statement expressed his pride in this historic success, attributing it to all Arabs, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which exerted every effort to host the session and spared no effort to support the Palestinian cause on all international platforms.

Director General of World Heritage in Palestine, Dr Ahmed Rajoub, explained that the city of Jericho stands as an example of the world's first and oldest political, social, and administrative system.

He pointed out that this cultural victory has other economic and social dimensions, as Palestine does not have sources or resources, but it is rich in its cultural, religious and natural heritage, and registering Jericho on the World Heritage List will bring economic benefit.

"Due to the doubling of the number of visitors to this site, it also fundamentally improves the community’s income and reflects on the well-being of the people of Jericho and the Palestinian economy in general,” Rajoub was reported as saying. - BERNAMA-SPA