Friday, June 29, 2007
UNESCO adds Samarra to World Heritage Sites list
Culture
(AFP) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the latest additions to its list of World Heritage Sites on Thursday, singling out the Iraqi shrine city of Samarra as a new site that is also a site in danger.
Ever since the US-led war in Iraq broke out in 2003, the shrine city has been repeatedly targeting by bombings. It was once a powerful Islamic capital and ruled over the provinces of the Abbasid Empire, which extended from Tunisia to Central Asia in the ninth century.
Last week, Iraq signed a multi-million-dollar deal with UNESCO to rebuild a revered Shiite mosque in the city. The mosque was all but destroyed by two attacks, most recently on June 13. The first bombing, in 2006, destroyed the shrine's golden dome and sparked reprisals that have claimed tens of thousands of lives. The follow-up attack earlier this month destroyed the shrine's two gold-covered minarets.
In addition to the site in Samarra, a silver mine on a Japanese island, rock carvings in Namibia and the iconic Sydney Opera House were added to the UN body's register of places that hold global cultural significance. There are 830 sites on the list already.
Ever since the US-led war in Iraq broke out in 2003, the shrine city has been repeatedly targeting by bombings. It was once a powerful Islamic capital and ruled over the provinces of the Abbasid Empire, which extended from Tunisia to Central Asia in the ninth century.
Last week, Iraq signed a multi-million-dollar deal with UNESCO to rebuild a revered Shiite mosque in the city. The mosque was all but destroyed by two attacks, most recently on June 13. The first bombing, in 2006, destroyed the shrine's golden dome and sparked reprisals that have claimed tens of thousands of lives. The follow-up attack earlier this month destroyed the shrine's two gold-covered minarets.
In addition to the site in Samarra, a silver mine on a Japanese island, rock carvings in Namibia and the iconic Sydney Opera House were added to the UN body's register of places that hold global cultural significance. There are 830 sites on the list already.
Labels: Askariya shrine, Samarra, UNESCO, World Heritage Sites
