The UAE marked a milestone in heritage preservation as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee officially inscribed Sharjah\u2019s Faya Palaeolandscape on the World Heritage List.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognised under the Cultural Landscape category, Faya was the only Arab site added this year and the second from the UAE after Al Ain\u2019s cultural sites were inscribed in 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Located in Sharjah\u2019s central region, Faya Palaeolandscape holds one of the world\u2019s oldest and most continuous records of early human habitation in arid environments, dating back over 200,000 years. It is the first desert Paleolithic site on the World Heritage List, offering invaluable insight into human evolution and prehistoric life in Southeast Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This inscription affirms the UAE\u2019s and Sharjah\u2019s global standing in heritage protection and acknowledges over three decades of archaeological research led by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority in collaboration with institutions such as the University of T\u00fcbingen and Oxford Brookes University. The site has yielded 18 archaeological layers, providing critical evidence of human settlement in desert environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sharjah formally submitted the nomination in February 2024 following 12 years of dossier preparation. Faya\u2019s inclusion came after a rigorous evaluation based on UNESCO\u2019s standards of Outstanding Universal Value. The achievement reflects Sharjah\u2019s long-standing vision to integrate heritage, education and sustainable development, in line with the commitment of H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, official ambassador of the nomination file, expressed gratitude to the World Heritage Committee for recognising Faya\u2019s significance. She said the inscription affirms Sharjah\u2019s role in early human history and highlights the Arabian Peninsula\u2019s position in the story of human migration from Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe stone tools found at Faya are testimony to the ingenuity of our ancestors and the deep roots of cultural tradition in our region,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cWe remain fully committed to protecting this site and ensuring its legacy continues to inspire future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eisa Yousif, Director-General of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, said the inscription reflects shared ownership of world heritage. \u201cFaya now belongs to all peoples of the world, just as it did over 200,000 years ago,\u201d he said, noting that this milestone represents the culmination of scientific research, cultural preservation and international cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UAE and Sharjah have adopted a comprehensive conservation plan for 2024\u20132030 to protect Faya\u2019s universal value, with a continued focus on research, education and sustainable tourism. For over a decade, Faya has also been a key site in UNESCO\u2019s Human Evolution, Adaptations, Dispersals and Social Developments (HEADS) Programme, alongside world-renowned locations such as Klasies River Caves and Wonderwerk Cave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faya\u2019s inscription brings the total number of World Heritage sites to 1,226 across 168 countries, including 955 cultural, 231 natural and 40 mixed sites. The Arab region now hosts 96 such sites across 18 countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UAE marked a milestone in heritage preservation as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee officially inscribed Sharjah\u2019s Faya Palaeolandscape on the World Heritage List. Recognised under the Cultural Landscape category, Faya was the only Arab site added this year and the second from the UAE after Al Ain\u2019s cultural sites were inscribed in 2011. Located …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":62968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62969,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62967\/revisions\/62969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uaebarq.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}