The Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve in Saudi Arabia has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud said.
Prince Bader is also Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and Chairman of the Heritage Commission.
The decision to add the reserve to the list was taken during the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh between September 10 and 25.
This marks the Kingdom’s first UNESCO Natural Heritage Site on the list.
The minister congratulated Saudi Arabia’s leadership and emphasized commitment to the conservation of natural heritage and the sustainable development of natural heritage.
The commitment highlights the importance of natural heritage and its strategic importance to Saudi Vision 2030, he said.
“The inscription of the Reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the first Natural Heritage Site in the Kingdom contributes to highlighting the importance of natural heritage on a global scale and reflects the outstanding value of the Reserve,” Prince Bader said.
Situated along the western edge of ar-Rub al-Khali (The Empty Quarter), Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve occupies an area of over 12,750 km2 and is the only major sand desert in tropical Asia and the largest continuous sand sea on Earth.
With a world-class panorama of the sands of the Empty Quarter and some of the world’s largest complex linear dunes, Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve embodies outstanding universal value. It is an exceptional showcase of the environmental and biological evolution of flora and fauna in Saudi Arabia and provides vital natural habitats for the survival of more than 120 indigenous plant species, as well as endangered animals living in harsh environments, including gazelles and the only free-ranging herd of Arabian Oryx in the world.
Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve fulfills the World Heritage standards as a sand desert that embodies outstanding universal value and forms a unique and diverse landscape. The reserve contains a range of extensive natural habitats vital to the survival of key species and includes five sub-groups of the Kingdom's national ecosystems, which is vital to maintaining the site's biodiversity.
The inscription of the Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve adds to the six other Saudi UNESCO sites, which are Al-Ahsa Oasis, Al-Hijr Archaeological Site, At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah, Ḥimā Cultural Area, Historic Jeddah, and Rock Art in the Hail Region.
