Yemen and Lebanon landmarks added to UNESCO endangered list

The threat of destruction from the ongoing conflict in Yemen was cited as the key reason to add the kingdom of Saba to the list of endangered sites [File: Nariman el-Mofty/AP Photo]

The landmarks of an ancient Yemeni kingdom and a modernist concrete fair park in Lebanon have been added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger, in “an emergency procedure” aimed at better preserving the neglected sites.

In an extraordinary session on Wednesday, the UN cultural agency’s World Heritage Committee said on Wednesday it had decided to inscribe the seven significant landmarks of the Ancient Yemenite Kingdom of Saba and the Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli to provide access to “enhanced international assistance, both technical and financial”.