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UNESCO Adds 47 New Sites to World Heritage List, Including Saudi Arabia's Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve

UNESCO finalized the addition of 47 new sites to its World Heritage List, including Saudi Arabia’s Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve. (Getty Images/AFP)
UNESCO finalized the addition of 47 new sites to its World Heritage List, including Saudi Arabia’s Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve. (Getty Images/AFP)
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UNESCO Adds 47 New Sites to World Heritage List, Including Saudi Arabia's Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve

UNESCO finalized the addition of 47 new sites to its World Heritage List, including Saudi Arabia’s Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve. (Getty Images/AFP)
UNESCO finalized the addition of 47 new sites to its World Heritage List, including Saudi Arabia’s Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve. (Getty Images/AFP)

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) finalized the addition of 47 new sites to its World Heritage List, including Saudi Arabia’s Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

Member states nominated 50 natural, cultural, and mixed sites during the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh from September 10 to 25.

The committee postponed the addition of one of the sites, rejected another, and approved the extension of five other World Heritage sites, UNESCO said in a statement.

The new additions included two Arab sites besides the Saudi reserve -- Palestine’s Ancient Jericho and Tunisia’s Djerba Island.

Mohlago Flora Mokgohloa of South Africa, who presided over the session adding the Saudi reserve, expressed gratitude for the delegations participating in the meetings and hailed Kingdom’s warm hospitality.

“We feel inspired by all the developments we see in the Kingdom,” she said. “These are big steps towards expanding the biodiversity and environmental preservation.”

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Culture

'Moon Spotter': AlUla's Enduring Tradition of Crescent Sighting

The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)
The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)
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'Moon Spotter': AlUla's Enduring Tradition of Crescent Sighting

The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)
The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)

The people of Saudi Arabia’s AlUla have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons and the determination of lunar months, particularly Ramadan and Shawwal (Eid). This tradition was carried out through a role locally known as the “Moon Spotter,” reflecting inherited astronomical knowledge passed down through generations.

Known for sharp eyesight and precise knowledge of celestial timings, the Moon Spotter relied on traditional methods, including placing a copper vessel filled with water at an elevated position to observe the reflections of the sun and moon, which helped determine the crescent's position with accuracy.

Upon sighting the crescent, he would mark the reflected point with a palm frond before notifying the relevant court to contribute to the official announcement, the Saudi Press Agency said.

This heritage is closely tied to AlUla's historically clear skies, which enabled residents to observe celestial bodies with clarity and fostered a lasting connection to astronomy as part of their cultural legacy.

Culture

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum Says Discovers New Rembrandt

Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
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Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum Says Discovers New Rembrandt

Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam said Monday it had uncovered a new painting by Rembrandt, using advanced scanning technology and stylistic analysis to confirm it was crafted by the Dutch master.

The whereabouts of the 1633 work, entitled "Vision of Zacharias in the Temple" was unknown for 65 years but was recently handed over to the museum for testing.

"Materials analysis, stylistic and thematic similarities, alterations made by Rembrandt, and the overall quality of the painting all support the conclusion that this painting is a genuine work by Rembrandt van Rijn," the museum said in a statement.

Culture

UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
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UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)

Iran's UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran has been damaged in US and Israeli strikes, local media reported Monday.

"Following the joint US-Israeli attack on Arag square in southern Tehran on Sunday evening, parts of the Golestan Palace... were damaged," the ISNA news agency reported, adding that windows, doors, and mirrors were hit by reverberations from blasts.

Iran's Mehr news agency carried a similar report.