UNESCO adds Iraq’s Babylon to World Heritage List

Karwan Faidhi Dri
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Following decades of lobbying by Baghdad, UNESCO finally listed Babylon as a World Heritage Site on Friday. Iraqi President Barham Salih welcomed the decision, hoping for other Iraqi archaeological sites to be added as well so that the country can “restore the status it deserves.”

“The World Heritage Committee inscribed five new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List this afternoon. Among them are two natural sites, one in France and one in Iceland, a mixed, i.e. natural and cultural, site in Brazil and two cultural sites in Burkina Faso and Iraq,” read a UNESCO statement.



Empires, kingdoms, and states have governed the historic area underscoring the need to recognize and preserve history and traditions. In the modern Iraq, Babylon or Babil, is a province just south of Baghdad.

“Seat of successive empires, under rulers such as Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon represents the expression of the creativity of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at its height. The city's association with one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the Hanging Gardens—has also inspired artistic, popular and religious culture on a global scale,” read the statement from UNESCO. 

Babylon was the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire between 626 and 539 BCE. 

“What is the world heritage list without Babylon? How to tell the history of humanity without the earliest of old chapters, Babylon?" Iraq's representative to UNESCO's World Heritage Committee told AFP ahead of the vote. 

PHOTOS: Inside historic Babil

 

President Barham Salih congratulated the Iraqi people for the inclusion of Babylon and wished for more sites across the country to be added.

“We congratulate all the people of Iraq for the inclusion of Babylon in the World Heritage List … Today Babylon joined [the list] and with the will of Allah tomorrow other Iraqi archaeological sites will be included as well in order for Iraq to restore the status it deserves,” he tweeted on Friday.

Iraqi efforts to add Babylon to the global list dates back to 1983 but had failed to convince UNESCO’s committee. 

Iraq has gone through a number of wars since the 1980s, most recently against the Islamic State (ISIS), a group which destroyed a great number of archaeological sites, including Islamic sites such as Al-Nuri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret in Mosul. 


Mohammed Halbousi speaker of parliament also congratulated "the Iraq of civilization, history and culture" for the inclusion of Babylon to the list, thanking those who supported the bid. 

Iraqis are asking governmental leaders to take this opportunity and do more.


"I call on the government to pay attention to archaeological sites and provide financial support," one Iraqi told Al-Sharqiya TV. 

Another resident said that the local tourism sector needs improved in the city.

The Iraqi Central Bank dedicated 1 billion dinars ($84 million) for Babylon “based the importance of the inclusion of Babylon to the World Heritage Site list and because this event makes governmental institutions take a national responsibility.”

The money is allocated to be spent in coordination with the Babylon governorate and the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi also congratulated the recognition.

"It is another success for the civilization of Iraq which was and will remain a beacon for the whole world," he said in a separate statement. 

A UN delegation visited the site in May 2017 as part of its preparation for the site to be included on their list. 

Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq for Political and Electoral Affairs Gyorgy Busztin noted the importance of preserving Iraq’s rich cultural heritage.

 

He stressed that “heritage belongs to everyone and we must strive to preserve Iraq’s architectural wonders for the benefit of future generations.” 

 

Update: 10:45 p.m.