UNESCO recognition boosts Jeddah’s historical district
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The recognition of the Historic Jeddah district as a world heritage site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), would boost tourism in the area, mentioned a senior official from Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Ghabban, SCTA ‘s vice-president and general supervisor of the King Abdullah Project for the Care of Cultural Heritage, said the area was exceptional in many ways, including its architecture.
“The buildings here reflect the architectural identity of the Red Sea and it was, since early years of Islam to the present, a major gateway for millions of pilgrims on their way to the holy city of Makkah,” he said.
He said the area was important for its mosques, endowments, Haj routes, souks and diverse population that reflected the ‘cultures of Islamic nations’.
He said the Kingdom had failed to get UNESCO to declare the area a world heritage site in 2011. It then worked on the area for three years, from 2011 to 2014, before making a second successful application. He said work currently includes architectural and surveying projects, in addition to the restoration of the wooden facades of buildings in the area.
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