UNESCO agrees to keep Sanaa, Zabid in world heritage list

Yemen's Zabid is on the UNESCO world heritage list Yemen authorities were able to convince the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to keep two of its cities - Sanaa and Zabid - in the historic list, after being warned twice to restore the original appearances of the sites or face an immediate removal from the list.
The Secretary General of the Yemeni National Education, Culture and Science, Ahmed Maamari said in an official statement on Monday, that in the meeting with UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Yemeni delegation succeeded in convincing the organisation to give Yemen "another chance" to keep the historic cities in its list.
According to sources, the Yemeni delegation vowed to repair the historic sites.
More than 8,000 houses in Sanaa, each with a unique architectural style, have a history of over 2,500 years. They became part of the UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritages in 1998.
However, 16 percent of such houses have been rebuilt or enlarged in recent years by their owners.
Some damaged parts of the houses have been repaired, and as a result, thus losing their original appearance.
The use of construction materials such as steel and cement are banned by UNESCO.
In response to the warning, the government of Sanaa has already made plans to repair the houses in the required manner.