JORDAN – The city of SALT nominated for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

JORDAN – The city of SALT nominated for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Giordania UNESCO

Jordan has recently sent the candidacy of the Salt site for inclusion in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

The city, which is about 30 km away from Amman, was once considered an important settlement in a strategic position on the trade route between the West and the Eastern Desert.

Over the centuries Salt underwent the domination of numerous civilizations, including Romans, Byzantines and Mamluks.

During the Ottoman period Salt had the greatest development, as the regional administrative base was established there, became a trading city, and was the residence of many wealthy merchants who built their homes by mixing local and Western styles. Typically these towering yellow limestone buildings feature domed roofs, inner courtyards, and the typical tall arched windows. When Amman then became the new capital of the Emirate of Transjordan, the decline of the city of Salt began, but these houses remain a witness to those prosperous times.

Salt is also considered a site of interest from a religious point of view. The city hosts, among others, the Tomb of Job, one of the first patriarchal figures in the Bible, and the shrine of the prophet Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, as well as the tombs of two sons of Jacob: Jad and Asher.

Azerbaijan: The epic tales of Dede Qorqud added to the UNESCO list

Azerbaijan: The epic tales of Dede Qorqud added to the UNESCO list

Azerbaijan UNESCO

The epic tales of Dede Qorqud, handed down for centuries by the Oguz Turks, have been added to the list of UNESCO’s cultural heritage representatives. The announcement was made during the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Port Louis, capital of Mauritius.

The document on this nomination was presented jointly by Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey stated in a statement that the heritage of Dede Qorqud was a “unifying element” among the Turkish-speaking countries.

Dede Qorqud is based on 12 heroic legends, stories and stories and 13 traditional musical compositions shared and transmitted through the generations through oral expressions, performing arts, cultural codes and musical compositions.