UNESCO adds Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahsa to World Heritage List

UNESCO has added Saudi Arabia's Al Ahsa Oasis to its World Heritage List on Friday, the UN cultural body said on Friday.

The organization’s decision came as it continues its meeting in Bahrain to decided which landmark sites across the world need to be noted for their cultural, historic or scientific significance.

Being inscribed on UNESCO list gives the properties legal protection under international treaties.

“The Al Ahsa Oasis is a serial property comprising gardens, canals, springs, wells, a drainage lake, as well as historical buildings, urban fabric and archaeological sites,” the UNESCO said in a statement.

The site represent traces of continued human settlement in the Gulf region from the Neolithic to the present, as can be seen from remaining historic fortresses, mosques, wells, canals and other water management systems.

“With its 2.5 million date palms, (Al Ahsa) is the largest oasis in the world,” it added.

The UNESCO also added Oman's ancient city of Qalhat to its World Heritage List.

The Omani city developed as a major port on the east coast of Arabia between the 11th and 15th centuries CE, during the reign of the Hormuz princes, the UNESCO said.

“Today it bears unique archaeological testimony to the trade links between the east coast of Arabia, East Africa, India, China and South-east Asia,” it added.