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| Iraq |
| UNESCO lists Iraq’s Babylon as World Heritage Site |
| 2019-07-06 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee voted on Friday to list the sprawling Mesopotamian metropolis of Babylon as a World Heritage Site after three decades of lobbying efforts by Iraq. Iraq had been trying since 1983 to have the site -- a massive 10-square-kilometre complex of which just 18 percent has been excavated thus far -- recognized by UNESCO. Straddling Iraq’s Euphrates River about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, the city was the center of the ancient Babylonian empire more than 4,000 years ago. "What is the world heritage list without Babylon? How to tell the history of humanity without the earliest of old chapters, Babylon?" said Iraq’s representative to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee ahead of the vote. The committee met in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to consider Babylon and another 34 sites, including in Brazil and Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... , for the World Heritage List. It opted not to designate Babylon as the World Heritage in Danger after objections from Iraq. "Babylon is the largest populated city in ancient history," said Qahtan al-Abeed, who heads the Basra Antiquities Department and led efforts to get the site listed. "The Babylonians were the civilization of writing, administration and science," he told AFP. Putting Babylon on the World Heritage List "will encourage research and development of the site," and would "be free publicity for tourists," he added excitedly. Babylon occupies a special place in religion, appearing in the Bible, Hebrew scripture, and even mythical prophecies. It developed as a walled city of temples and towers made of mudbrick and known internationally for its hanging gardens, the Tower of Babel, and the Ishtar Gate. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 The spirit actuating the UN leadership cannot but return to its roots. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-07-06 12:52 |
| #7 We got no truck wi' Babylon, mon. Jah love! /takes big hit off a splif |
| Posted by: SteveS 2019-07-06 10:55 |
| #6 MM, it predates Arab conquest by a couple thousand years |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2019-07-06 10:36 |
| #5 What other foundational sites does UNESCO want to |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2019-07-06 10:07 |
| #4 Saddam had a plan to turn it into a theme park with monorails, etc. He passed away before he could see the task to completion. Impressive small museum and gift shop, it it's still open for business. Hat tip to UNESCO on this one. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2019-07-06 10:01 |
| #3 I'd much rather visit Babylon 5... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2019-07-06 09:53 |
| #2 civilization of writing,administration and science, No wonder the UN wants it. It's the homeland for bureaucrats everywhere. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2019-07-06 07:46 |
| #1 Not Bee |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-07-06 05:56 |