{"id":227641,"date":"2026-07-29T12:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/227641\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T12:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T12:08:11","slug":"sites-in-iran-lebanon-and-palestine-among-25-new-additions-to-unescos-world-heritage-list-the-art-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/227641\/","title":{"rendered":"Sites in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine among 25 new additions to Unesco’s World Heritage List – The Art Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sites in some of the world\u2019s most conflict-affected countries, including Iran, Lebanon and Palestine, are among 25 new properties<\/a> inscribed onto Unesco\u2019s World Heritage List this month\u2014a decision that, for Lebanon and Palestine, came with simultaneous placement on the World Heritage in Danger List and angered Israel. The additions were announced at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, which began on 19 July and will run until 29 July.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/p>\n

Despite the collapse of the ceasefire between the US and Iran, and the recent renewed US bombing campaign against the country, a senior Iranian delegation\u2014including the country\u2019s deputy minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, Ali Darabi\u2014was in Busan. Video footage<\/a> of the ceremony showed them struggling to contain their excitement at the inscription of Alamut Castle and its related fortifications<\/a>, which includes Lambesar, Navizarsah, Sams Kelayeh, Qos\u1e6dinlar, Sirkuh and Ilan.<\/p>\n

Located in the Alborz mountains in Qazvin province, northern Iran, the Alamut Castle complex served as the political, military and intellectual centre of Nizari Isma\u2019ilis\u2014a branch of Shia Islam\u2014from the 11th to 13th century.<\/p>\n

Hamideh Choubak, the director of the Alamut World Heritage base, who was present in Busan, told local news<\/a> that the top priority following the global inscription will be protecting the site’s authenticity and integrity.<\/p>\n

According to Choubak, excavations and historical sources reveal that the complex was one of the Islamic world\u2019s most important scientific centres. The presence of the 13th-century Persian polymath Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, the settlement of scholars from China, Egypt, Armenia and the Levant, and evidence of astronomical activity all point to Alamut\u2019s role as a hub for the exchange of knowledge.<\/p>\n

The inscription brings Iran\u2019s total number<\/a> of World Heritage Sites to 30.<\/p>\n

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The Church of St. John the Baptist in Sebastia<\/p>\n

Photo: Danita Delimont<\/a><\/p>\n

Palestine<\/p>\n

Despite objections<\/a> from Israel that urged the committee to reject the Palestinian nomination of Sebastia<\/a>\u2014one of the West Bank\u2019s most significant archaeological sites, with more than 3,000 years of history\u2014the site was inscribed on Unesco\u2019s World Heritage List under emergency procedures whilst being simultaneously placed on its World Heritage in Danger List. The site is one of six to be placed on the Danger List by the committee.<\/p>\n

Unesco says<\/a> on its website that the emergency procedure reflects a global context of crises\u2014including armed conflict and climate change\u2014that are seriously threatening heritage sites.<\/p>\n

Jehad Yasin, the assistant deputy minister at the Palestinian ministry of tourism and antiquities, tells The Art Newspaper that the site was inscribed under the emergency procedures \u201cdue to the grave threats it faces from the Israeli occupation\u201d. He cites land confiscation plans, efforts to alter the site\u2019s historical character and restrictions imposed on protection and conservation among those threats.<\/p>\n

Yasin says that Sebastia’s layered archaeology and clear historical sequence reflect more than 4,000 years of continuous urban, political and religious development, giving the site exceptional universal value that warrants protection under the World Heritage Convention. He adds that safeguarding this value demands intensified international efforts.<\/p>\n

Israel condemned<\/a> the committee\u2019s decision. Nina Ben-Ami, the deputy director general for UN and international organisations at Israel’s foreign ministry, said that under \u201cIsrael\u2019s longstanding position\u201d, the Palestinian membership of Unesco has no legal effect under international law and \u201caccordingly, Israel does not recognise nominations submitted by the Palestinian delegation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Alon Arad, an archaeologist and chief executive officer of Emek Shaveh, an Israeli non-governmental organisation that works to prevent the politicisation of archaeology in the Israeli-Palestinian context, congratulated the Palestinian people. He tells The Art Newspaper that Sebastia\u2019s inclusion on the World Heritage List is a \u201chighly professional, moral and legally sound decision\u201d\u2014and an obstacle to settler and Israeli government efforts to annex the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Israel, he says, has long used heritage sites to claim exclusive ownership over land, but the new listing, \u201cwhich recognises the biblical heritage alongside the site’s other histories and the region as a whole, stands in complete opposition to these efforts\u201d. He adds that he hopes Israel\u2014which he says has consistently failed to honour its international commitments\u2014will \u201crespect the the institution of World Heritage this time\u2014if only out of its obligation to the 1972 World Heritage Convention\u201d.<\/p>\n

The inscription brings the Palestine\u2019s properties<\/a> on the World Heritage List to six. It comes amid heightened Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and growing concern over the expansion of Israeli settlements there, which are considered illegal under international law. The ongoing violence reportedly prompted around 600 former<\/a> senior Israeli officials from the military, Mossad, Shin Bet, police and diplomatic service to write to US President Donald Trump on Monday (27 July), ahead of his meeting with Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him<\/a> to raise concerns over escalating violence and the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Lebanon<\/p>\n

Using emergency procedures, the committee also inscribed Lebanon\u2019s Mount Amel Castles<\/a>\u2014Qalaat Al Chakif (Beaufort Castle), Qalaat Tibnin (Toron Castle), Qalaat Chakra (Dubieh Castle), Qalaat Deir Kifa (Maron Castle), and Qalaat Chama\u2019 (Chama\u2019 Castle)\u2014located in southern Lebanon, and placed them on the World Heritage in Danger List. Developed between the medieval period and the 19th century, they illustrate successive phases of occupation and adaptation by Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman and local feudal rulers.<\/p>\n

Samar Karam, the director of archaeological sites at Lebanon\u2019s Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) and the official responsible for World Heritage and Hague Convention matters, tells The Art Newspaper the simultaneous inscription reflects the sites\u2019 grave and immediate threats. \u201cOngoing [Israeli] military occupation of part of the serial property, together with the wider impact of armed conflict and regional insecurity, creates serious risks for the conservation of the castles, limits access for monitoring and management, and jeopardises their long-term preservation,\u201d Karam says.<\/p>\n

Currently, three of the five castles\u2014Beaufort, Chama\u2019 and Dubieh\u2014are under Israeli army occupation and inaccessible to Lebanese authorities, Karam says, while the other two are \u201clocated adjacent to the limits of the area commonly referred to as the Yellow Line, established by the Israeli army in South Lebanon\u201d.<\/p>\n

Karam notes that while the inscription is a source of pride for the Lebanese team, their \u201cfeelings are mixed”\u2014the achievement is tempered by several castles remaining under Israeli military occupation and ongoing threats from armed conflict and regional instability.<\/p>\n

The castles were granted Unesco\u2019s enhanced protection in 2024<\/a>, a designation that prohibits sites from being targeted or used for military purposes, with violations potentially constituting serious breaches of the 1954 Hague Convention and grounds for criminal responsibility. A total of 73 sites,<\/a> most of the country\u2019s major heritage landmarks, have been given enhanced protection at Lebanon\u2019s request.<\/p>\n

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The Crusades-era fortress Beaufort Castle, or Qalaat al-Chqif, in southern Lebanon<\/p>\n

Photo: Diak; Courtesy Adobe Stock<\/p>\n

The ancient city of Tyre<\/a> has also been inscribed on Unesco\u2019s list of World Heritage in Danger. In June, reports emerged that the site, located in southern Lebanon, had suffered damage from Israeli bombardments<\/a>. Karam says that assessments by experts from the DGA have confirmed that the site has suffered \u201csignificant damage\u201d. Notable impacts, she says, include damage to the archaeological site entrance and visitor facilities, destroyed technical infrastructure and damage to the DGA offices and storage areas used to manage and conserve archaeological material. Within the archaeological zones, several ancient architectural elements, including columns, capitals and masonry remains were damaged or displaced by the explosions, and mosaic pavements were affected, requiring urgent documentation and conservation.<\/p>\n

Karam hopes the inscription \u201cwill help mobilise international attention and technical support for emergency documentation, damage assessment, and recovery planning\u201d. Cultural heritage, she adds, \u201cmust never become a casualty of armed conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n

The inscription brings Lebanon\u2019s properties<\/a> on the World Heritage List to seven.<\/p>\n

Other sites inscribed to the World Heritage in Danger List<\/p>\n

South Sudan\u2019s Boma-Badingilo migratory landscape<\/a>\u00a0was also added to the World Heritage List and placed on the World Heritage in Danger List following an emergency procedure.<\/p>\n

The other two sites placed on the list are the ancient city of Taurica Chersonese and its chora<\/a> (Ukraine) and the historic inner city of Paramaribo<\/a> (Suriname).<\/p>\n

Other sites inscribed to the World Heritage List<\/p>\n

The 25 inscribed properties consist of 19 cultural, five natural and one mixed site.<\/p>\n

France’s beaches of the D-Day landings<\/a> in Normandy were also inscribed on the World Heritage List. The roughly 80km stretch of land spans the Normandy coastline\u2014Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches, plus Pointe du Hoc\u2014along with remains of the German Atlantic Wall and wartime memorials such as the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.<\/p>\n

More than 150,000 Allied soldiers were involved on D-Day on 6 June 1944. Although the battle did not end the Second World War, it was a significant moment associated with Allied forces beginning to free parts of Europe that were under Nazi control.<\/p>\n

The other cultural sites listed include: Aalto Works<\/a>(Finland), Amazonia Theaters<\/a>(Brazil), Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath<\/a> (India), Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara<\/a> (Japan), Gdynia Modernist City Centre<\/a> (Poland), Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites<\/a> (China), Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites of Mangystau<\/a> (Kazakhstan), Royal Capetian Fortresses of Languedoc<\/a> (France), Tashkent Modernist Architecture. Modernity and Tradition in Central Asia<\/a> (Uzbekistan), The Cemetery Complexes of the Xiongnu Nobility<\/a> (Mongolia), The Medinas of the Historic Sultanates of the Comoros<\/a> (Comoros), The Ro\u00e7as of Sao Tome and Principe: Colonial Agricultural System and Forced Migration<\/a> (Sao Tome and Principe), The system of Italian-style\u00a0condominio\u00a0theatres of the 18th and 19th centuries in Central Italy<\/a> (Italy), Village of Sidi Bou Sa\u00efd<\/a> (Tunisia), and Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat<\/a> (Thailand).<\/p>\n

The new inscribed natural properties are: Aqaba Marine Reserve<\/a> (Jordan), Boma\u2013Badingilo Migratory Landscape<\/a> (South Sudan), Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge<\/a> (USA), The Bony Fish Fossils of the Western Limfjord \u2013 Evolution and Climate Adaptation in the Earliest Eocene<\/a> (Denmark), and Wadi Wurayah<\/a> (UAE).<\/p>\n

The new inscribed mixed property is The wider area of Mount Olympus<\/a> (Greece).<\/p>\n