The UAE has reached an important achievement in protecting its history. UNESCO has officially added Sharjah’s Faya Palaeolandscape to the World Heritage List.
This is the first desert site from the early Stone Age (Paleolithic) to be included on the list, and only the second site in the UAE to get this honor. The first was Al Ain’s cultural sites, added in 2011.Faya is in central Sharjah and holds some of the oldest evidence of human life in dry, desert areas—going back over 200,000 years.
UNESCO added it under the “Cultural Landscape” category, and it is the only Arab site chosen this year.
This recognition comes after more than 30 years of archaeological work led by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, along with experts from the University of Tübingen and Oxford Brookes University.
Experts say that the site’s ancient stone tools and 18 layers of history help us understand how early humans moved and lived in harsh climates.
Sharjah officially nominated the site in February 2024, after 12 years of preparing the application.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, who supported the nomination, said this shows how important Sharjah is in human history and how rich the region’s culture is.
The UAE and Sharjah have created a protection plan for 2024 to 2030 to keep Faya safe. The plan also focuses on research, education, and responsible tourism.
With Faya now on the list, there are 1,226 World Heritage Sites in 168 countries. These include 955 cultural, 231 natural, and 40 mixed sites. The Arab world now has 96 of these sites across 18 countries.
Comments
Post a Comment