Inclusion of Tell Umm Amer in UNESCO World Heritage Site List

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

• The World Heritage Committee (WHC) decided to include the Palestinian site of Tell Umm Amer, also known as the 'Monastery of Saint Hilarion', in both the UNESCO World Heritage Site List and the List of World Heritage in Danger during its 46th session in New Delhi.
• This decision highlights the site's historical and cultural significance while addressing the current threats it faces.

READ ABOUT UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/unesco-world-heritage-committee

READ ABOUT UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/unesco-world-heritage-sites

READ ABOUT WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN DANGER: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/unesco-list-of-world-heritage-sites-in-danger

Historical Significance of Tell Umm Amer

Fourth Century Monastery

• Tell Umm Amer is situated on the coastal dunes of the Nuseirat Municipality, just 10 km south of Gaza City.
• This ancient Christian monastery was founded in the fourth century by Hilarion the Great (291-371 CE), often regarded as the father of Palestinian monasticism.
• Hilarion, born in Tabatha near the monastery site, became a monk at 15. As his fame for performing miracles grew, the small hermitage transformed into a thriving monastery, attracting followers who embraced Hilarion’s mendicant lifestyle.

Archaeological Remains

• The present-day archaeological remains of Tell Umm Amer span more than four centuries, from the time of Hilarion to the Umayyad period.
• The site includes five successive churches, bath and sanctuary complexes, geometric mosaics, and an expansive crypt. According to The World Monuments Fund, this makes the monastery one of the largest in the Middle East.
• The site is referred to by UNICEF as "the first monastic community in the Holy Land" and a hub of religious, cultural, and economic interchange. The monastery was likely abandoned after a seventh-century earthquake and was only uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999.

READ ABOUT WORLD MONUMENTS FUND: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/world-monuments-fund#:~:text=The%20World%20Monuments%20Fund%20(WMF,sites%20all%20over%20the%20world.&text=WMF%2C%20founded%20in%201965%20and,cultural%20assets%20for%20future%20generations.

Importance of the World Heritage Inclusions

Much-Needed Protection

• The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to widespread destruction, including damage to sites of cultural significance.
• Institute of Palestinian Studies noted that as of February this year, 207 archaeological sites and buildings of cultural and historical significance in Gaza had been reduced to rubble or severely damaged, including old mosques, churches, cemeteries, museums, libraries, and archives. The site of Tell Umm Amer was also damaged.

UNESCO's Role

• Tell Umm Amer’s inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage lists is crucial.
• The 1972 World Heritage Convention, to which Israel is a party, mandates the identification, protection, and preservation of World Heritage sites.
• States are prohibited from taking deliberate measures that could cause direct or indirect damage to these sites.
• Additionally, in December 2023, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict granted 'provisional enhanced protection' to the monastery under the 1954 Hague Convention and its Second Protocol.

International Support and Rehabilitation

• The inclusion of Tell Umm Amer on the list of World Heritage in Danger opens the door to enhanced international technical and financial assistance.
• These mechanisms are designed to guarantee the protection of the property and, if necessary, facilitate its rehabilitation.
• This move aims to ensure that the cultural and historical heritage of Tell Umm Amer is preserved for future generations despite the ongoing conflict.

SOURCE: THE INDIAN EXPRESS