Media Center

h.e: strenuous efforts will continue to be deployed to nominate more natural and cultural arab sites on the tentative list

h.e shaikha mai bint mohammed al khalifa, chairperson the arab regional centre for world heritage (arc-wh) said that nominating and listing “as-salt, "the place of tolerance and urban hospitality," by the world heritage committee of the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco), during its 44^th session, held virtually in china, is another bright success achieved by the arab world in this global event. h.e congratulated the hashemite kingdom of jordan on this happy occasion for the fantastic achievement, as as -salt became the sixth jordanian landmark to be declared a world heritage list.

h.e has also stressed the importance of continuing to deploy strenuous efforts to nominate more arab cultural and natural sites on unesco tentative list, asserting the arc-wh’s determination to closely cooperate and constantly work with all brotherly arab heritage concerned parties and entities in order to promote local communities and enhance sustainable development.

 the 44^th session of the unesco world heritage committee, which is being virtually held until 30^th july 2021 and chaired from fuzhou, china, voted on tuesday to inscribe the city of as-salt located in the northwest of jordan on its list given its outstanding universal value. built on three closely-spaced hills in the balqa highland of west-central jordan, the city of as-salt, was an important trading link between the eastern desert and the west. these tangible and intangible aspects emerged through a melding of rural traditions, bourgeois merchants, and tradespeople’s practices during the golden age of as-salt’s development between 1860s to 1920s, during the last ottoman period rule, the region prospered from the arrival and settlement of merchants from nablus, syria, and lebanon who made their fortunes in trade, banking, and farming. this prosperity attracted skilled craftsmen from different parts of the region who worked on transforming the modest rural settlement into a thriving town with a distinctive layout and an architecture characterized by large public buildings and family residences constructed of local yellow limestone.

the site’s urban core includes approximately 650 significant historic buildings exhibiting a blend of european art nouveau and neo-colonial styles combined with local traditions. the city’s non-segregated development expresses tolerance between muslims and christians who developed traditions of hospitality evidenced in madafas (guest houses, known as dawaween) and the social welfare system known as takaful ijtimai’. 

in addition to as -salt, there are already five jordanian sites on the list of world heritage sites: petra, um arasas, wadi rum, maghtis (baptism (beit ania), qusayr amra, and 14 other sites on the nomination list.

first it was petra then wadi rum, quseir amra, um el rassas, the baptism site, and now the town of salt, in balqa, is to be presented for nomination.