UNESCO has added three Middle Eastern cultural heritage sites to its list of sites in need of protection.

The ancient city of Sana'a, the town of Shibam in Yemen, and Hatra in Iraq have just been added to UNESCO's list of world heritage sites in need of urgent protection.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has added three more ancient sites in the Middle East to its list of world heritage sites requiring urgent repair and protection.

Accordingly, the newly added World Heritage sites are the ancient city of Sana'a and the town of Shibam in Yemen, and Hatra in Iraq. Hatra, a 2,000-year-old ancient city, still retains many valuable ancient relics, including temples and tombs. The ancient cities in Yemen, built before the 11th century, still preserve more than 11 mosques and ancient tombs.

The ancient city of Hatra, over 2,300 years old, is being destroyed by IS. (Photo: AP)

Faced with the threat of the continued destruction of human cultural values ​​in the Middle East by the extremist Islamic State (IS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) continues to call for international action to protect humanity's precious heritage.

On June 29, the UNESCO Heritage Committee adopted the Bonn Declaration on the protection of World Cultural Heritage, particularly in areas threatened by extremists and criminals. The campaign to protect human cultural heritage also includes missions for United Nations peacekeeping forces.

According to VOV.VN