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Ammon News -

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted Tuesday to inscribe the city of Salt, north-west of Amman, on the World Heritage List.

The Committee had convened online in this year's host, China, to choose between 39 nominations proposed in 2020 and 2021.

Salt became the sixth Jordanian landmark to be declared a World Heritage Site, joining Petra, Quseir 'Amra, Umm al-Rasas, Wadi Rum and the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Bethany beyond the Jordan).

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Fayez, who participated in the Committee's meetings, said that the city of Salt's nomination is of prime importance to the Kingdom, pointing to the atmosphere of tolerance, coexistence and social welfare.

He noted social solidarity as a key characteristic of the city, where there is no residential segregation along religious lines, adding that Salt's addition to the World Heritage List will support a culture of heritage, tolerance and interfaith harmony. The distinguished architecture of Salt, he added, is a direct result of the cultural exchanges that created a "unique mixture of high-level architectural styles."

Fayez said that "Jordan and the World Heritage Committee both send an important message to the whole world; a message of peace, tolerance and coexistence in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s speech at the 2019 International Conference on Cohesive Societies in Singapore." During the conference, His Majesty stressed that "the attack on interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence is the biggest threat in the world, and requires everyone to join forces to address hatred and exclusion," he said.

He pointed out that Salt's nomination was first proposed in 1995, then in 2017 and finally in 2021, which indicates Jordan's commitment to protecting and sustaining the characteristics of the city.

The minister thanked the World Heritage Committee, the staff of the World Heritage Center, the advisory bodies and the International Council on World Heritage (ICOMOS), for their support and advice throughout the nomination process.