The year 2008 marked the first time a Saudi Arabian historical site received recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The UNESCO World Heritage Committee classified Madain Saleh, also known as Al-Hijr, as a World Heritage Site at a convention in Quebec City, Canada, in June. The decision to classify the Nabataean city of Madain Saleh as a World Heritage Site was no small triumph for Saudi Arabia.
Madain Saleh, located in the northern Hijaz region near the town of Al-Ula, includes a collection of tombs and monuments whose construction and decorations are carved from sandstone in the area. UNESCO described the area as a “major site of the Nabataean civilization, in the south of its zone of influence. Its integrity is remarkable and it is well preserved.”
The recognition underscored the historical significance of the Arabian Peninsula as a breeding ground of various civilizations and a transit point for the caravans from East and West before and after Islam,” said Ziyad Al-Drais, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to UNESCO.
In a letter to Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Prince Sultan bin Salman, Koichiro Matsuura, director general of UNESCO, expressed hope that the Kingdom and UNESCO would continue their mutual cooperation in the preservation and development of Madain Saleh.
“I am very much pleased to congratulate you for the UNESCO’s recognition of Madain Saleh as an approved World Heritage Site, particularly as it is the first Saudi location to be included in the list,” said Matsuura. “Madain Saleh is a historical landmark and a symbol of the realization by Saudi Arabia of the common ownership and the need for its preservation of the heritage for generations to come,” Matsuura noted in his letter.
The SCTA has recommended and planned a number of improvements to the site to help promote tourism in Saudi Arabia.