The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has designated 95 World Heritage Sites in 18 countries (also called "state parties") of Western Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen. While Egypt is partially in Western Asia, its World Heritage Sites are listed under Africa instead. One site is located in Jerusalem.[1] Kuwait is the only country in the region that does not have any World Heritage Sites.[2] [3] Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was designated as a World Heritage Site of Oman in 1994 but was delisted in 2007. As the protected area was reduced by 90% as a result of Oman's decision, UNESCO delisted the site.[4]
In this region, Iran is home to the most inscribed sites with 27 sites.[5] The first sites to be recognized by UNESCO from the region were Persepolis, Meidan Emam, Esfahan, Tchogha Zanbil (Iran) and the Ancient City of Damascus (Syria).[6] Each year, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee may inscribe new sites on the list, or delist sites that no longer meet the criteria. Selection is based on ten criteria: six for cultural heritage (i - vi) and four for natural heritage (vii - x).[7] Some sites, designated "mixed sites," represent both cultural and natural heritage. In Western Asia, there are 67 cultural, 1 natural, and 3 mixed sites.[8]
The World Heritage Committee may also specify that a site is endangered, citing "conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List." Seven sites in this region are currently listed as endangered; one site (Bahla Fort) had been listed previously, and possible danger listing has been considered by UNESCO in a number of other cases.[9]
Site; named after the World Heritage Committee's official designation[5]
Location; at city, regional, or provincial level and geocoordinates
Criteria; as defined by the World Heritage Committee[7]
Area; in hectares and acres. If available, the size of the buffer zone has been noted as well. A value of zero implies that no data has been published by UNESCO
Year; during which the site was inscribed to the World Heritage List
Description; brief information about the site, including reasons for qualifying as an endangered site, if applicable
Site | Image | Location | Criteria | Area ha (acre) | Year | Description | Refs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman | Cultural: (v) | 1456ha
| 2006 | [10] | ||||
Al-Ahsa | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(v) | 8544ha
| 2018 | [11] | ||||
Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) | Cultural: (ii)(iii) | 1621ha
| 2008 | [12] | ||||
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(v) | 416ha
| 2013 | [13] | ||||
Ancient City of Aleppo† | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | 350ha | 1986 | [14] | ||||
Ancient City of Bosra† | Cultural: (i)(iii)(vi) | - | 1980 | [15] | ||||
Ancient City of Damascus† | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 86ha | 1979 | [16] | ||||
Ancient City of Qalhat | Cultural: (ii)(iii) | 75.82ha
| 2018 | [17] | ||||
Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | 5.93ha
| 2023 | [18] | ||||
Ancient Villages of Northern Syria† | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(v) | 12290ha | 2011 | [19] | ||||
Anjar | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | - | 1984 | [20] | ||||
Archaeological Site of Troy | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(vi) | 158ha | 1998 | [21] | ||||
Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | - | 1988 | [22] | ||||
Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(vi) | 129ha
| 2008 | including: St Thaddeus Monastery, St Stepanos Monastery, Chapel of Dzordzor, Chapel of Chupan, Church of the Holy Mother of God | [23] | |||
Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat)† | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | 70ha
| 2003 | [24] | ||||
At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah | Cultural: (ii)(iii) | 29ha | 2008 | [25] | ||||
Baalbek | Cultural: (i)(iv) | - | 1984 | [26] | ||||
Babylon | Cultural: (iii)(vi) | 1054.3ha ; buffer zone 154.5ha | 2019 | [27] | ||||
Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee | Cultural: (iii)(vi) | 63ha
| 2008 | [28] | ||||
Bahla Fort | Cultural: (iv) | - | 1987 | [29] | ||||
Bam and its Cultural Landscape | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv)(v) | - | 2004 | [30] | ||||
Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) | Cultural: (iii)(vi) | 294ha
| 2015 | [31] | ||||
Biblical tells - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 96ha
| 2005 | [32] | ||||
Bisotun | Cultural: (ii)(iii) | 187ha
| 2006 | [33] | ||||
Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 193ha | 2014 | [34] | ||||
Byblos | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(vi) | - | 1984 | [35] | ||||
Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves | Cultural: (V) | 259ha | 2014 | [36] | ||||
Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots | Cultural: (ii)(iii) | 74ha | 2000 | [37] | ||||
Choirokoitia | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | - | 1998 | [38] | ||||
Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem | Cultural: (iv), (vi) | 2.98ha | 2012 | [39] [40] [41] | ||||
Erbil Citadel | Cultural: (iv) | 16ha
| 2014 | [42] | ||||
City of Safranbolu | Cultural: (ii)(iv)(v) | 193ha | 1994 | [43] | ||||
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din† | Cultural: (ii)(iv) | 9ha | 2006 | [44] | ||||
Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(v) | 4945ha
| 2011 | [45] | ||||
Dilmun Burial Mounds | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | 168.45ha ; buffer zone 383.46ha | 2019 | [46] | ||||
Gelati Monastery | Cultural: (iv) | 4.2abbr=valuesNaNabbr=values
| 1994[47] | [48] | ||||
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape | Cultural: (iii) | 537ha
| 2007 | [49] | ||||
Golestan Palace | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv) | 5.3ha
| 2013 | [50] | ||||
Gonbad-e Qabus | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv) | 1.48ha
| 2012 | [51] | ||||
Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği | Cultural: (i)(iv) | 2016ha | 1985 | [52] | ||||
Göbekli Tepe | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv) | 126ha
| 2018 | [53] | ||||
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia | Mixed: (i)(iii)(v)(vii) | 9576ha | 1985 | [54] | ||||
Hatra | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 324ha | 1985 | [55] | ||||
Hattusha the Hittite Capital | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv) | 268ha | 1986 | [56] | ||||
Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town† | Hebron Governorate, 31.525°N 35.1083°W | Cultural: (ii)(iv)(vi) | 20.6ha | 2017 | The centre of interest of the town was the site of Al mosque -Ibrahim / the tomb of the Patriarchs whose buildings are in a compound built in the 1st century CE to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham / Ibrahim and his family. | [57] | ||
Hierapolis-Pamukkale | Mixed: (iii)(iv)(vii) | 1077ha | 1988 | [58] | ||||
Ḥimā Cultural Area | Cultural: (iii) | 242.17ha
| 2021 | [59] | ||||
Historic Areas of Istanbul | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv) | 678ha | 1985 | [60] | ||||
Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan's Palace | Cultural: (ii)(v) | 120.5ha ; buffer zone 146ha | 2019 | [61] | ||||
Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah | Cultural: (ii)(iv)(vi) | 18ha ; buffer zone 114ha | 2014 | [62] | ||||
Historical Monuments of Mtskheta | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | - | 1994 | |||||
Historic Town of Zabid† | Cultural: (iii) | - | 1993 | [63] | ||||
Hyrcanian Forests | Natural: (ix) | 129484.74ha ; buffer zone 177128.79ha | 2019 | [64] | ||||
Incense Route – Desert Cities in the Negev | Cultural: (iii)(v) | - | 2005 | [65] | ||||
Land of Frankincense | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | 850ha
| 2000 | [66] | ||||
Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir† | Cultural: (iv), (v) | 2014 | [67] | |||||
Masada | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(vi) | 276ha
| 2001 | [68] | ||||
Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan | Cultural: (ii) | 2.08ha
| 2012 | [69] | ||||
Meidan Emam, Esfahan | Cultural: (i)(v)(vi) | - | 1979 | [70] | ||||
Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin | Cultural: (ii)(iv) | 2.65ha
| 1996[71] | [72] | ||||
Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley | Cultural: (ii) | 2.7ha | 2000 | [73] | ||||
Nemrut Dağ | Cultural: (i)(iii)(iv) | 11ha | 1987 | [74] | ||||
Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | 37ha
| 2012 | [75] | ||||
Old City of Acre | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(v) | 63ha | 2001 | [76] | ||||
Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls† | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(vi) | - | 1981 | As a holy city for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Jerusalem holds great symbolic importance and is recognized by all three religions as the site of Abraham's sacrifice. The Western Wall delimits the quarters of the different religious communities, while the Resurrection rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre houses Christ's tomb. | [77] | |||
Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 333ha
| 2014 | [78] | ||||
Old City of Sana'a | Cultural: (iv)(v)(vi) | - | 1986 | [79] | ||||
Shahr-i Sokhta | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 1456ha
| 2014 | [80] | ||||
Old Walled City of Shibam | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(v) | - | 1982 | [81] | ||||
Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab) | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | - | 1998 | [82] | ||||
Painted Churches in the Troodos Region | Cultural: (iii)(vi) | - | 1985[83] | [84] [85] | ||||
Paphos | Cultural: (iii)(vi) | - | 1980 | [86] | ||||
Pasargadae | Cultural: (1)(ii)(iii)(iv) | 160ha
| 2004 | [87] | ||||
Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy | Cultural: (iii) | 35087ha
| 2012 | [88] | ||||
Persepolis | Cultural: (i)(iii)(vi) | 13ha | 1979 | [89] | ||||
Petra | Cultural: (i)(iii)(iv) | - | 1985 | [90] | ||||
Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 32ha
| 2005[91] | [92] [93] | ||||
Quseir Amra | Cultural: (i)(iii)(iv) | - | 1985 | [94] | ||||
Rock Art in the Hail Region | Cultural: (i)(iii) | 2043.8ha
| 2015 | [95] | ||||
Saint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 1.33ha
| 2024 | [96] | ||||
Samarra Archaeological City† | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 15058ha
| 2007 | [97] | ||||
Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 639ha
| 2018 | [98] | ||||
Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex | Cultural: (i)(iv) | 2.5ha
| 2011 | [99] | ||||
Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv) | 2.14ha
| 2010 | [100] | ||||
Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System | Cultural: (i)(ii)(v) | 240ha
| 2009 | [101] | ||||
Site of Palmyra† | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv) | 0.36ha | 1980 | [102] | ||||
Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves | Cultural: (iii)(v) | 54ha
| 2012 | [103] | ||||
Socotra Archipelago | Natural: (x) | 410460ha
| 2008 | [104] | ||||
Soltaniyeh | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 790ha
| 2005 | [105] | ||||
Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv) | 29ha
| 2010 | [106] | ||||
Takht-e Soleyman | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 10ha
| 2003 | [107] | ||||
Tchogha Zanbil | Cultural: (iii)(iv) | - | 1979 | [108] | ||||
The Persian Garden | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) | 716ha
| 2011 | including 9 selected gardens in Iran: Pasargadae, Chehel Sotoun, Fin, Eram, Shazdeh, Dolatabad, Abbasabad, Akbarieh, Pahlevanpour | [109] | |||
Tyre | Cultural: (iii)(vi) | 154ha | 1984 | [110] | ||||
Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a) | Cultural: (i)(iv)(vi) | 24ha
| 2005 | [111] | ||||
Upper Svaneti | Cultural: (iv)(v) | 1.06abbr=valuesNaNabbr=values
| 1996 | [112] | ||||
‘Uruq Bani Mu’arid Protected Area | Najran, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 19.337°N 45.904°W | Natural: (vii)(ix) | 1276500ha
| 2023 | [113] | |||
Wadi Rum Protected Area | Mixed: (iii)(v)(vii) | 74180ha
| 2011 | [114] | ||||
Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower | Cultural: (iv) | 22ha | 2000 | [115] | ||||
White City of Tel-Aviv—the Modern Movement | Cultural: (ii)(iv) | 140ha
| 2003 | [116] | ||||
Xanthos-Letoon | Cultural: (ii)(iii) | 126ha
| 1988 | [117] |