Al-Faw Archaeological Area Registered on UNESCO World Heritage List
Located in the Wadi Al-Dawasir Governorate, the site joins other Saudi entries including Hima, Hegra and Al-Ahsa Oasis.
The Al-Faw Archaeological Area in the Riyadh Region has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The announcement was made by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Culture, Chairman of the Heritage Commission, and Chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, July 22nd-31st.
The Al-Faw Archaeological Area is located south of Riyadh, in the Wadi Al-Dawasir Governorate, and covers approximately 50 square kilometres, all of which is protected. The protected area is surrounded by a buffer zone spanning 275 square kilometres.
‘Al-Faw’ is the name given to the small corridor of land which lies at the intersection of the Rub Al-Khali Desert, and the terrain of the Tuwaiq Mountain.
The new registration of the tangible and intangible elements of the archaeological area on the UNESCO World Heritage List is a testament to the rich history of the Kingdom, as well as its role in facilitating the international celebration of human history under the Vision 2030 framework.
With this new addition in mind, the list of Saudi sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List is as follows: Hegra Archaeological Site (2008), At-Turaif District in ad-Diriyah (2010), Historic Jeddah (2014), the Rock Art in the Hail Region (2015), Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape (2018), and Hima Cultural Area (2021).
