Gaza monastery added to UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger

Ramallah, July 27: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added an archaeological site in the Gaza Strip to its list of World Heritage in Danger, the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism has said.

Palestine succeeded in the emergency registration of the Monastery of Saint Hilarion in Gaza on the list of World Heritage in Danger during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee held in India, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying in a statement on Friday.

The urgent and emergency registration comes to preserve the Palestinian cultural heritage in Gaza in light of the Israeli war on the enclave, which destroyed more than 100 heritage, archaeological and cultural sites, completely or partially, said the Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani Al-Hayek in the statement.

The Monastery of Saint Hilarion, one of the oldest sites in the Middle East, was founded by Saint Hilarion and was home to the first monastic community in the Holy Land, according to UNESCO on Friday.

Situated at the crossroads of the main routes of trade and exchange between Asia and Africa, it was a centre for religious, cultural and economic exchanges, illustrating the prosperity of desert monastic sites in the Byzantine period, it added.

Inclusion on the list of World Heritage in Danger automatically opens the door to enhanced international technical and financial assistance mechanisms to guarantee the protection of the property and, if necessary, to help facilitate its rehabilitation, according to UNESCO.