12th Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World Kicks off in Doha

A picture shows a view of the sunset in Doha from the old city port on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
A picture shows a view of the sunset in Doha from the old city port on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
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12th Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World Kicks off in Doha

A picture shows a view of the sunset in Doha from the old city port on September 22, 2023. (AFP)
A picture shows a view of the sunset in Doha from the old city port on September 22, 2023. (AFP)

The 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World kicked off in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The event is organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and hosted by the Qatari Ministry of Culture under the theme “Towards Renewing Cultural Work in the Islamic World”.

The two-day event is being attended by a number of ministers of cultural affairs, delegations of ISESCO member states, and representatives of a host of related regional and international organizations.

The conference reviewed ISESCO's efforts to support cultural work in light of its vision and strategic directions, as well as the report of its affiliate Heritage Committee and the document of guidelines for cultural policies.



UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
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UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File

The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the body said Friday.
UNESCO said the site, which dates back to the fourth century, had been put on the endangered list at the demand of Palestinian authorities and cited the "imminent threats" it faced.
"It's the only recourse to protect the site from destruction in the current context," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told AFP, referring to the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant "provisional enhanced protection" -- the highest level of immunity established by the 1954 Hague Convention -- to the site.
UNESCO had then said it was "already concerned about the state of conservation of sites, before October 7, due to the lack of adequate policies to protect heritage and culture" in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.