Heritage Commission Signs MoU with University of York

The agreement is part of the commission's endeavor to constantly expand archaeological survey and excavation work in Saudi Arabia - SPA
The agreement is part of the commission's endeavor to constantly expand archaeological survey and excavation work in Saudi Arabia - SPA
TT

Heritage Commission Signs MoU with University of York

The agreement is part of the commission's endeavor to constantly expand archaeological survey and excavation work in Saudi Arabia - SPA
The agreement is part of the commission's endeavor to constantly expand archaeological survey and excavation work in Saudi Arabia - SPA

The Heritage Commission signed a scientific cooperation agreement with the University of York entailing archaeological surveys of prehistoric sites on the Farasan Islands, in Jazan Region, as well as on the Red Sea coast in the southwestern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The agreement helps increase cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the two entities, and stimulates cooperation in preparing periodic reports and scientific studies.
Director General of Archeological Researches and Studies at the Heritage Commission Dr. Abdullah Al-Zahrani signed the agreement on behalf of the commission, while Dr. Jeff Bly, the scientific project manager at the archaeological site, signed it on behalf of the University of York. Commission CEO Dr. Jasser Al-Harbash attended the signing ceremony, SPA reported.
The agreement is part of the commission's endeavor to constantly expand archaeological survey and excavation work in Saudi Arabia by expanding partnerships with international universities and scientific centers specialized in the field of heritage.



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
TT

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.