Efforts underway to include “Zubaida Trail” on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

A third workshop for the preparation of a management plan for the “Zubaida Trail” as a shared transboundary world heritage site was launched, in the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

The workshop will continue until November 9 with the participation of 30 experts from Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The “Hajj Routes: Zubaida Trail” site is the first transboundary site in the Arab world to be nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List and is currently on the preliminary lists of both Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Al Khalifa explained that “Zubaida Trail” as the first Arab transboundary site to be nominated for the list will be an opportunity to promote the region’s rich civilizational heritage in addition to its contribution to the advancement of sustainable development efforts for local communities on a very large scale.”

The workshop will address many aspects of managing World Heritage sites in accordance with international standards, in a way that preserves the authenticity and sustainability of the site and the exceptional global value it carries.

This workshop is part of a capacity-building program that runs until December 2023 to prepare a management plan for the “Zubaida Trail” site. It is held with the support and cooperation of the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq and the Heritage Authority of the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia.

It is worth noting that transboundary sites are serial properties consisting of two or more parts, which generally reflect exceptional global value.