Dubai Creek eyed by UNESCO as world heritage site

The World Heritage Committee will decide which sites should be protected and further preserved due to their cultural and historical significance. Dubai Creek is an iconic site in Dubai that perfectly manifests the beauty and ingenuity of the Emirati culture.

Also known as Khor Dubai, the Dubai Creek is one of the main landmarks in Dubai that hasn’t been affected by the vast growth of the city. More than a hundred years ago, Dubai, was a pearling village, where Dubai Creek was the centre of the harbour-based trade. Nowadays, Dubai has risen to be a global hub for business and development, with the Dubai Creek holding a significance in the history of the economic development of the emirate. Besides, the cultural importance, the site shows the extreme beauty and attracts millions of visitors each year.

According to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, “The Creek is the very heart and soul of Dubai – its raison d’etre.” The government of Dubai has recently placed much importance on cultural heritage, with the revival of the historic neighbourhood of Al Shindagha.

“The Creek is the place where Dubai took place”, notes Jeremy Jones, a senior research associate at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

For Dubai Creek to qualify for the UNESCO world heritage list it must show “outstanding universal value” and meet at least one of 10 criteria which include representing a masterpiece of human creative genius, an outstanding human settlement, using land or sea, or human interaction with the environment, especially one which has become vulnerable because of it being under the impact of irreversible change.

The Chairperson of Unesco’s Executive Board, Lee Byong-Hyun, said that “the World Heritage Convention, as Unesco’s most universally recognised normative instrument, is a remarkable example of how collaboration among nationals through education, science and culture can be put into practice through common effort.”

Arabia’s Al Ahsa Oasis and the Caliphate City of Medina Azahara.

The complete list includes five natural sites and 22 cultural sites. The 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee is scheduled from June 24 to July 4, 2018.

Copperstones would like to wish all the participants good luck!