عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Features

Darb Zubaydah Brings Saudi Arabia, Iraq Together in UNESCO Heritage List

From the Darb Zubaydah pilgrimage trail (SPA)
From the Darb Zubaydah pilgrimage trail (SPA)
TT
TT

Darb Zubaydah Brings Saudi Arabia, Iraq Together in UNESCO Heritage List

From the Darb Zubaydah pilgrimage trail (SPA)
From the Darb Zubaydah pilgrimage trail (SPA)

Darb Zubaydah (Zubaydah trail) was one of the most important historical routes in the Arabian Peninsula. It was taken by merchants in the past, and its importance greatly increased with the dawn of Islam, as it became one of the most prominent pilgrimage trails.

Today, the UNESCO is on the brink of adding the historical trail, once a meeting point for different civilizations, to its heritage list according to Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who confirmed that his ministry, in cooperation with the Iraqi government, is trying to have Dar Zubaydah added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The minister explained that the trail, which extends over 1,400 km, is among the oldest trade routes in the Arabian Peninsula and have once been among the most prominent pilgrimage trails, as it facilitated cultural and commercial exchanges, adding that the Heritage Authority will work on reviving the historical trail which runs from Kufa to Makkah.

Darb Zubaydah trail is named after Zubaydah bint Jafar, wife of the Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid, for her charitable works on the numerous stations along the trail, which facilitated the pilgrims’ journey along the trail.

The Kingdom has had five Saudi sites approved in the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which includes 962 heritage and natural sites around the world in 157 countries.

Efforts to revive Darb Zubaydah are being made within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations between Riyadh and Baghdad, which have intensified recently through official meetings and visits, and the signing of a number of agreements sponsored by the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council for the implementation of an array of joint initiatives and actions between the two countries.

Madain Saleh is the first Saudi heritage site that was registered in 2008. It was followed by Ad Diriyah in 2010 and the historic Jeddah in 2014. Later the Rock Art in the Hail Region and Al-Ahsa Oasis were enlisted in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Most Viewed

 
 
Features

Iraq Tries to Stem Influx of Illegal Foreign Workers

Foreign workers in Iraq attend prayers at Baghdad's Abdul Qader al-Jilani mosque. The country, better known for its own exodus of refugees, is home to hundreds of thousands. - AFP
Foreign workers in Iraq attend prayers at Baghdad's Abdul Qader al-Jilani mosque. The country, better known for its own exodus of refugees, is home to hundreds of thousands. - AFP
TT
TT

Iraq Tries to Stem Influx of Illegal Foreign Workers

Foreign workers in Iraq attend prayers at Baghdad's Abdul Qader al-Jilani mosque. The country, better known for its own exodus of refugees, is home to hundreds of thousands. - AFP
Foreign workers in Iraq attend prayers at Baghdad's Abdul Qader al-Jilani mosque. The country, better known for its own exodus of refugees, is home to hundreds of thousands. - AFP

Rami, a Syrian worker in Iraq, spends his 16-hour shifts at a restaurant fearing arrest as authorities crack down on undocumented migrants in the country better known for its own exodus.

He is one of hundreds of thousands of foreigners working without permits in Iraq, which after emerging from decades of conflict has become an unexpected destination for many seeking opportunities.

"I've been able to avoid the security forces and checkpoints," said the 27-year-old, who has lived in Iraq for seven years and asked that AFP use a pseudonym to protect his identity.

"My greatest fear is to be expelled back to Syria where I'd have to do military service," he said.

The labor ministry says the influx is mainly from Syria, Pakistan and Bangladesh, also citing 40,000 registered immigrant workers.

Now the authorities are trying to regulate the number of foreign workers, as the country seeks to diversify from the currently dominant hydrocarbons sector.

Many like Rami work in the service industry in Iraq.

One Baghdad restaurant owner admitted to AFP that he has to play cat and mouse with the authorities during inspections, asking some employees to make themselves scarce.

Not all those who work for him are registered, he said, because of the costly fees involved.

- Threat of legal action -

Some of the undocumented workers in Iraq first came as pilgrims. In July, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Assadi said his services were investigating information that "50,000 Pakistani visitors" stayed on "to work illegally".

Despite threats of expulsion because of the scale of issue, the authorities at the end of November launched a scheme for "Syrian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers" to regularize their employment by applying online before December 25.

The ministry says it will take legal action against anyone who brings in or employs undocumented foreign workers.

Rami has decided to play safe, even though "I really want" to acquire legal employment status.

"But I'm afraid," he said. "I'm waiting to see what my friends do, and then I'll do the same."

Current Iraqi law caps the number of foreign workers a company can employ at 50 percent, but the authorities now want to lower this to 30 percent.

"Today we allow in only qualified workers for jobs requiring skills" that are not currently available, labor ministry spokesman Nijm al-Aqabi told AFP.

It's a sensitive issue -- for the past two decades, even the powerful oil sector has been dominated by a foreign workforce. But now the authorities are seeking to favor Iraqis.

"There are large companies contracted to the government" which have been asked to limit "foreign worker numbers to 30 percent", said Aqabi.

"This is in the interests of the domestic labor market," he said, as 1.6 million Iraqis are unemployed.

He recognized that each household has the right to employ a foreign domestic worker, claiming this was work Iraqis did not want to do.

- 'Life is hard here' -

One agency launched in 2021 that brings in domestic workers from Niger, Ghana and Ethiopia confirms the high demand.

"Before we used to bring in 40 women, but now it's around 100" a year, said an employee at the agency, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.

It was a trend picked up from rich countries in the Gulf, the employee said.

"The situation in Iraq is getting better, and with salaries now higher, Iraqi home owners are looking for comfort."

A domestic worker earns about $230 a month, but the authorities have quintupled the registration fee, with a work permit now costing more than $800.