UNESCO Threatens to Remove Qadisha Valley from World Heritage List

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The Qadisha Valley, which has been the site of monastic communities since the earliest years of Christianity, is under the threat of removal from UNESCO's World Heritage List.
An Nahar daily said violations in the valley in the north led UNESCO's World Heritage Center to warn Lebanon that it would put the area on the List of World Heritage in Danger which is the first step in dropping it from the World Heritage List.

Culture Minister Salim Warde has sent letters to President Michel Suleiman and Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir asking for assistance to find a solution to the "Valley of the Saints."

"The monasteries of the Qadisha Valley are the most significant surviving examples of the fundamental demonstration of Christian faith," says the UNESCO website.

However, An Nahar reported that violations, such as picnics, restaurants and other building projects in the area, are tarnishing the valley's image.

The newspaper even went on saying that all-terrain vehicle (ATV) races are taking place at the valley's entrances and sewage is flowing into it.

Beirut, 20 May 10, 08:03


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