UNESCO updates World Heritage Map

Source: UNESCO website.

The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Turkey, can now be ordered from the World Heritage Centre website.

The featured image on the Map presents the Historic Areas of Istanbul in Turkey, the country hosting the next session of the World Heritage Committee in July 2016.

The poster-sized wall map features all 1,031 World Heritage properties and is illustrated with photos with detailed captions. It also presents brief explanations of the World Heritage Convention and its related marine, earthen architecture and other conservation programmes.

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Arabic hospitality with coffee named as an intangible cultural heritage for humanity

The UNESCO committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage meeting in Namibia has inscribed 20 new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List includes forms of expression that testify to the diversity of the intangible heritage and raise awareness of its importance. The review of nominations for inscription on this list is finished for this year, which saw 23 elements inscribed out of a total of 35 that were proposed.

The following elements were some of those inscribed on December 2:

Azerbaijan - Copper craftsmanship of Lahij
Copper craftsmanship of Lahij is the traditional practice of making and using copperware in the Lahij community of the Caucasus. The copper-smelting master prepares the copper which the coppersmith-hammerer then moulds it into thin plates. A craftsperson engraves the plates with designs that represent their environment and reflect traditional knowledge and values. People from Azerbaijan buy the copperware for daily use. The practice is transmitted from father to son and said to be a clear marker of Lahij identity.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan - Aitysh/Aitys, art of improvisation
Aitysh/Aitys is a contest between two people on poetry improvisation spoken or sung to music of traditional instruments like the Kazakh dombra. The audience chooses the topics and the contestant who demonstrates the best musical skills, rhythm, originality and wit wins. Aitysh/Aitys is a popular cultural component and identity marker of bearer communities in multiethnic societies of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, featuring at local festivities or nationwide events often to raise important social issues. Transmission is from older to younger generations.

Saudi Arabia - Alardah Alnajdiyah, dance, drumming and poetry in Saudi Arabia
Alardah is a traditional cultural expression combining dance, drumming and poetry chanting that is considered fundamental to practising communities. It involves a poet chanting verses, which are then sung by other performers carrying swords and moving in time to beating drums. Featured at family, local and national events, it is performed by males while women design the costumes. Neither age nor class acts as a barrier to participation, assisting social cohesion. Practice transmitters are individuals, schools, troupes, neighbourhoods and provinces.

Turkmenistan - Epic art of Gorogly
The epic art of Gorogly is an oral performing tradition that describes the achievements of legendary hero Gorogly and his 40 cavalrymen. Practitioners are performers in Turkmenistan who specialise in the epic, which incorporates narration, singing, poetry, vocal improvisation and music. It gives bearer communities a strong sense of identity, reflecting aspirations of the Turkmen people for a happy life and promoting values such as bravery, honesty, friendship, and fairness. Masters combine informal teaching with skills transmission during public performances.

UAE, Oman - Al-Razfa, a traditional performing art
Al-Razfa is a traditional performing art of the United Arab Emirates and Sultanate of Oman that was initially used in victory celebrations. Now, it is a popular form of communal entertainment seen at festive events, involving groups of men holding wooden replica rifles chanting verses, often featuring traditional Nabati poetry, to music.  To appeal to a younger audience, instruments and music have been adapted. Skills transmission is informal within families.

In the act of serving coffee, or qahwa, in a majlis in Oman, with a traditional coffee pot. The coffee cups are traditional Chinese tea cups. Qahwa is traditionally offered with dates to balance the bitter taste. Fresh fruit is also served.

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar - Arabic coffee, a symbol of generosity
Serving Arabic coffee is an important aspect of hospitality in Arab societies. Traditionally prepared in front of house guests by men and women, it is also served by sheikhs and heads of tribes. The beans are roasted, ground with a mortar and pestle then brewed in a pot. The most important or oldest guest is served first. The practice is passed on within families and includes young people visiting the market with their elders to learn how to select beans.

UAE; Saudi Arabia; Oman; Qatar - Majlis, a cultural and social space
Majlis (sitting places) are community spaces where people discuss local issues, settle disputes, exchange news and be entertained, playing an important role in the transmission of oral heritage. The areas are usually large, comfortable and equipped with beverage-making facilities. Elders with extensive local knowledge are the main practice bearers, while judges and religious sheikhs adjudicate on disputes. Women have their own Majlis, although prominent figures may attend others more academic. Practice transmission occurs when children attend with older community members.

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Old City of Sana'a and Old Walled City of Shibam in Yemen inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger

The World Heritage Committee has voiced concerns over the damage inflicted to the old city of Sana’a (سناء), an Islamic city of historic and heritage importance. The neighbourhood of al Qasimi and the 12^th century al-Mahdi Mosque and surrounding houses have been affected. The majority of the colourful, decorated doors and window panes characteristic of the city’s domestic architecture have been shattered or damaged.

Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 m, Sana’a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years. In the 7^th and 8^th centuries the city became a major centre for the propagation of Islam. Its religious and political heritage can be seen in 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11^thcentury. Sana’a’s many-storeyed tower-houses built of rammed earth add to the beauty of the site, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986.

The Committee also noted that the Old Walled City of Shibam (شِبَام) in Yemen is under potential threat from the armed conflict, which compounds safeguarding and management problems already observed at the site. 

The 39^th session of the World Heritage Committee started on 28 June and will continue till 8 July under the chair of Maria Böhmer, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office and member of the Bundestag. The inscription of sites will continue through 5 July.

2015 is the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies

The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015) will be launched in 2015. Announced on 20 December 2013 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, this International Year has been the initiative of a large range of scientific bodies together with UNESCO, and will bring together many different stakeholders including scientific societies and unions, educational institutions, technology platforms, non-profit organisations and private sector partners.

Source: UNESCO.

Aimed at raising global awareness of how light-based technologies can provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health, this UNESCO-led initiative is an opportunity to celebrate the work of the 10th-century scientist Ibn Al-Haytham, also known as Alhazen.

Born Abū Alī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham, Al-Haytham was a polymath from Basra (in modern-day Iraq) who is often referred to as the ‘father of modern optics’. He made significant advancements in optics, mathematics and astronomy, and helped lay the foundations of the present day scientific experimental method.

His life and works will be the subject of several major initiatives during 2015, beginning at the Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies on 19 January 2015 at UNESCO HQ in Paris. The ceremony will see the launch of 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham, a global campaign where UNESCO will partner with the science and cultural heritage organisation 1001 Inventions to announce a series of interactive exhibits, workshops and live shows illustrating the world of this scientist.

Said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova: “A ground-breaking scientist and a humanist from a thousand years ago, the life and work of Ibn Al-Haytham have never been as relevant as they are today.”

Following the January launch, the campaign will roll out in countries around the world. Other initiatives to celebrate Al-Haytham include educational actions coordinated by a high-level Ibn Al-Haytham Working Group, and a dedicated conference and exhibition at UNESCO HQ starting on 14 September 2015 entitled The Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society. 

This conference will see experts in science, history and culture engage world leaders and the public with insights into the era of discoveries and innovations by scientists of different cultures and faiths who lived during that period of Muslim civilisation over 1,000 years ago.

Historic Jeddah becomes World Heritage Site

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah in Saudi Arabia was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 21 in a meeting in Doha, Qatar. The city is on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. From the 7th century A.D. it was established as a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, channeling goods to Mecca. It was also the gateway for Muslim pilgrims to Mecca who arrived by sea. 

These twin roles saw the city develop into a thriving multicultural centre characterised by a distinctive architectural tradition, including tower houses built in the late 19th century  by the city’s mercantile elites, and combining Red Sea coastal coral building traditions with influences and crafts from along the trade routes.

Tourism is expected to receive a boost with this development. According to a FAQ on Unesco's website, the prestige received from the accolade often helps raise awareness among citizens and governments for heritage preservation, leading in turn to better protection and conservation. A country may also receive financial assistance and expert advice from the World Heritage Committee to support activities for the preservation of its sites. Sites can also be delisted.

The 38th session of the World Heritage Committee began on 15 June and will continue through to 25 June.