AL-MUKALLA, Yemen: War-weary Yemenis are enjoying a rare moment of celebration after UNESCO added historic structures in the central province of Marib to its World Heritage Site list.
During an extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris on Wednesday, the UN body added the seven landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib, as well as two other locations in Lebanon and Ukraine, to its World Heritage List and a list of the world’s endangered sites.
The decision brought a jubilant response from Yemeni officials, archaeologists and the general public.
“Congratulations to Marib, Yemen, and the Arabs for this significant cultural accomplishment, which was the result of three years of efforts on the ground and in the halls,” Mohammed Jumeh, Yemen’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, tweeted, praising the team of Yemeni and foreign specialists who worked for international recognition of the historic landmarks.
Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemen’s minister of information, culture and tourism, also congratulated Yemenis, local authorities and the ministry team that prepared the file, adding that there are now five Yemeni sites on the UNESCO list.
“Congratulation to Yemen and Marib governorate for UNESCO registering the antiquities of the ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib on the World Heritage List, in the culmination of three-year of teamwork efforts of the ministry, local authority and Yemen’s permanent delegation at UNESCO,” El-Eryani wrote on Twitter.
He thanked Princess Haifa Al-Mogrin, Saudi Arabia’s permanent delegate at UNESCO and the session’s chairperson, for supporting the listing of Marib’s landmarks.
In a press release issued after the meeting, UNESCO said that the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib provide evidence of a powerful kingdom with a centralized and intelligent government that controlled incense routes across the Arabian Peninsula, and also had commercial influence in the Mediterranean and East Africa.
UNESCO said that the seven archaeological sites that make up the site “bear witness to the rich Kingdom of Saba and its architectural, aesthetic and technological achievements” from the 1st millennium B.C. to the arrival of Islam about 1,400 years ago.
Ali Tueaiman, a Yemeni archaeologist and leader of the team that compiled the nomination dossiers, told Arab News: “I am overjoyed. We worked on this case for three years, traveled to several countries, and sought the assistance of Arab and international specialists.
“Our file was persuasive. The Kingdom of Saba is the Yemeni civilization’s backbone and one of the most prominent ancient Arab kingdoms. The sites illustrate the depth of civilization across thousands of years.”
He said that the world, including UNESCO, will be responsible for the preservation and restoration of the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba sites following the international recognition.
However, other Yemeni specialists warned that fighting between Yemeni government troops and Iran-backed Houthis poses the greatest danger to the sites because of their proximity to the battlegrounds.
The Ancient City of Serwah, one of the seven classified monuments, is located in the disputed Serwah district, the scene of fierce fighting in the past two years following a Houthi assault on Marib city.
“The location of the site in the line of fire poses a significant threat to it, which may result in its partial or total destruction,” Riyadh Bakarmom, an archaeologist, told Arab News.
He said that worldwide acknowledgment of Marib’s sites might also tempt smugglers seeking to take advantage of any security lapses to steal valuable relics.
“Another risk is the excavation of historic sites and the smuggling of artifacts during times of chaos and war. There are some signs that certain ancient sites have been excavated in Marib,” Bakarmom said.