UNESCO lists monuments in Lebanon and Yemen as endangered heritage

25 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has classified the Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli (Lebanon), designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, as endangered world heritage, and the monuments of the ancient kingdom of Sheba, in Marib (Yemen).

This step, adopted in an emergency meeting, opens the door to greater international assistance for the protection of the enclaves, while drawing attention to the threats of destruction of a heritage threatened by the conflict, in the case of Yemen, or by oblivion, in that of Lebanon.

The Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli was designed in the 1960s and is located right in the center of the Lebanese capital. Conceived as an exhibition space and a symbol of modernist architecture in the Middle East, it is in an “alarming” state of preservation, according to UNESCO.

For their part, the monuments of the ancient kingdom of Saba encompass seven archaeological sites that attest to architectural, aesthetic, and technological achievements from the first millennium BC until the arrival of Islam, around the year 630. It also reflects “feats” in terms of hydrological and agricultural engineering.

In this case, UNESCO has attributed the “threats of destruction” to the conflict between forces loyal to the government of Abdu Rabbu Mansur Hadi and the Huthis rebels.