Morocco 
Seventh Moroccan site included on World Heritage list

afrol News, 23 March - The Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) this week formally was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming the seventh Moroccan site on the list, also important to attract tourists. Essaouira was admitted for its unique mix of European and North African architecture. 

Essaouira is an exceptional example of a late-18th century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Since its foundation, it has been a major international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world.

With the opening up of Morocco to the rest of the world in the later 17th century Essaouira was laid out by a French architect who had been profoundly influenced by the work of Vauban at Saint-Malo. It has retained its European appearance to a substantial extent. 

Inclusion in the World Heritage List can mean substantial gains in local tourist arrivals. The UNESCO however warns that inscription in the List produces many new challenges, including the creation of tourism infrastructure, sustainable management and conservation. Only "if sustainably managed," a World Heritage Site "could offer socio-economic development opportunities," the UN agency states. 

Morocco's seven World Heritage sites now include the medina of Fez (admitted in 1981), the medina of Marrakech (1985), the ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou (1987), the historic city of Meknes (1996), the archaeological site of Volubilis (1997) and the medinas of Tétouan (1997) and Essaouira (2001). The only African country to have more World Heritage sites than Morocco is Tunisia (8 sites).

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Helsinki in December last year, decided on the inscription of 31 new sites on the World Heritage List. The List now numbers 721 sites of "outstanding universal value" in 124 countries. The new List was published on Tuesday at a ceremony attended by UNESCO director general, Koïchiro Matsuura.

The only other World Heritage Site in Madagascar is the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve. The reserve is made up of karstic landscapes and limestone uplands cut into impressive "tsingy" peaks and a "forest" of limestone needles, the spectacular canyon of the Manambolo River, rolling hills and high peaks. The undisturbed forests, lakes and mangrove swamps are the habitat for rare and endangered lemurs and birds. This reserve was inscribed in UNESCO's list in 1990. 

Sources: Based on UNESCO and afrol archives

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