BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 6 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi leaders hailed the decision by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), to re-inscribe the ancient city of Babylon on its World Heritage List.
In a statement by his office, Iraqi President, Barham Salih, congratulated the Iraqi people for re-inscribing Babylon in the World Heritage List.
He said that it came, “by the efforts of all good people of Iraq and supporters of friends and brothers.”
“I extend my congratulations to the people of Iraq on the occasion of the inclusion of Babylon on the list of the World Heritage,” Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, said.
“I welcome the great efforts that have been made to ensure the success of this issue by the Ministry of Culture, Archaeologists and the media,” Mahdi added.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker, Mohammed al-Halbousi, also expressed on his twitter account his congratulations.
Earlier in the day, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee met in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku and voted in favour of listing the sprawling Mesopotamian metropolis of Babylon, as a World Heritage Site.
Located some 100 km south of Baghdad, the ancient site of Babylon is considered one of the most prominent archaeological sites in the world.
Because of the damaging maintenance conducted in the late 1980’s, the ancient site was removed from the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
During the past years, the provincial government of Babil launched a campaign under the slogan: “Babylon is a Human and an International Heritage,” in order to facilitate the return of the ancient site on the World Heritage List.– NNN-NINA
