São Paulo – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) launched this Wednesday (22nd) an emergency plan to safeguard Yemen’s cultural heritage, a country that is going through an internal conflict that already killed 1,700 people since the start of the year. The initiative includes protection for the city of Sana’a, the capital of the Arab country, which holds a series of historical mosques and monuments.
The decision was announced after a two-day meeting with specialists, in the weekend, at Unesco’s headquarters in Paris, France. “It’s clear that the destruction of its culture impacts directly the identity, dignity and future of the people of Yemen and, besides, their ability to believe in the future”, said UNESCO’s general director, Irina Bokova.
The action plan was developed by Unesco with institutional partners and Yemeni organizations from the sector. It foresees several work front to reduce the consequences of the destruction, such as awareness and assistance actions. The work group that made the decision included experts on archeology, intangible cultural heritage, arts and crafts, museums and archives, besides institutions such as the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
According to Unesco, the cultural heritage of ancient cities such as Sana’a, Aden, Taiz, Zabid, Saada and Marib has been strongly affected by the conflict, with the destruction of ancient graves, museusm and historical centers. Sana’a was inhabited for more than 2,500 years and holds 103 mosques, 14 Turkish baths and more than six thousand houses built before the 11th century. Among the places that were already damaged are the Citadel of Taiz, the archeological sites of the Pre-Islamic city of Baraqish and Marib and the Dhamar Museum, which has a collection fo 12,500 pieces.
Unesco’s general director called for the funding of the plan, since, according to Bokova, the local government has no conditions to fund it itself. She asks for the economic support of international institutions. The government of Yemen, along with a coalition of Arab countries, is fighting the Shiite rebels that are trying to seize control of the country.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
