Abu Mena removed from Danger List - Heritage - Al-Ahram Weekly
In a historic move reflecting Egypt's commitment to cultural heritage preservation, the UN cultural agency UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in its 47th session in Paris has officially removed the ancient site of Abu Mena from its In Danger List, marking the successful culmination of years of dedicated restoration and protection efforts.
Situated in the desert of Borg Al-Arab southwest of Alexandria, Abu Mena, a testament to centuries of history and spiritual significance, is one of Egypt's most important early Christian archaeological sites and a once-thriving pilgrimage centre dating back to the late Roman and Byzantine periods.
After more than two decades on UNESCO's World Heritage in Danger List, due to rising groundwater levels that threatened its structural integrity, the site has now been restored to stability through an ambitious national project.
The international recognition of this signalled by the site's removal from the In Danger List not only celebrates Egypt's commitment to safeguarding its cultural legacy but also sets a precedent for the sustainable preservation of threatened heritage sites around the world.
The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 in recognition of its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) as well as its cultural and religious significance. However, it was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2001 due to a rising water table caused by agricultural development in the surrounding area. The excessive groundwater threatened the fragile foundations of the mudbrick and limestone structures, leading to significant deterioration and collapse.
In response to the site's deteriorating condition, a comprehensive and multi-phase conservation project was launched in 2019 by former minister of tourism and antiquities Khaled El-Enany who inaugurated its completion in 2022. The Groundwater Lowering Project breathed new life into Abu Mena, ensuring its preservation for generations to come and making it ready to be removed from the In Danger List.
The efforts included advanced hydrological studies, the installation of modern drainage systems to lower the groundwater levels, and the stabilisation and restoration of key architectural elements. The project also saw enhanced cooperation with local communities, environmental agencies, and experts in heritage conservation. These efforts were not only aimed at saving the site from physical damage, but also at creating a sustainable framework for its long-term protection and integration into Egypt's cultural tourism landscape.
The project was carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in collaboration with both the ministries of water resources and irrigation and agriculture and land reclamation as well as the Alexandria governorate with a budget of LE50 million funded by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
It includes the execution of a collection of 69 water trenches of 35 to 50 metres deep, where 12 are located around the burial of St Abu Mena while the other 57 were dug around the whole site. Pumping pipes some 6,000 metres long were also extended on site, connecting the new trenches and electromechanical work to the control system to follow up on the level of the groundwater inside each trench.
The sewage drains located on site and those found in the surrounding area were cleared, while the irrigation system for agricultural land around the archaeological area was converted to a drip irrigation system, which led to the reduction of the groundwater problem in the area.
The western wall surrounding the basilica was restored and all the architectural elements of the basilica, church, and burial were repaired in their original location. Meanwhile, the fine restoration of the basilica's walls, decoration, and the main entrance was completed.
The facility management of the site was upgraded, said Bassem Ibrahim, supervisor of the Department for Archaeological Sites at the SCA, and signs were installed in collaboration with the Alexandria governorate along the roads leading to the city to facilitate reaching the site.
In collaboration with UNESCO, indicative, explanatory, and guide panels were installed along with a map of the site in addition to information in Arabic and English. The work also involved extending various services for visitors, such as installing restrooms, sunshades, benches, and rubbish bins designed for recycling, The site was made accessible for people with special needs.
REPORT: After the inauguration of the project in 2022, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities provided UNESCO with a report on the state of preservation of the Abu Mena site, including the efforts undertaken in terms of corrective measures at the site, in preparation for submitting an official request to remove it from the World Heritage in Danger List.
The report included an explanation of the groundwater lowering project and an integrated management plan for the site for the first time since it was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. The plan included proposals to identify dangers, amend the boundaries of the archaeological site, and carry out preservation and restoration. It asked for a monitoring mission to be sent from the World Heritage Centre to inspect the site in preparation for its removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
In February 2025, the monitoring mission arrived at Abu Mena and inspected the archaeological site.
During the recently held session of the World Heritage Committee, the 2025 Joint Reactive Monitoring Mission report by the World Heritage Centre and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) was reviewed. The report welcomed Egypt's efforts in implementing the corrective measures at the site, particularly the consolidation of its archaeological features and the establishment of a monitoring system to stabilise the ground water table, the efficacy of which has been confirmed through continuous periodic measurements and confirmed by the 2025 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring Mission.
The report praised the Egyptian government's comprehensive efforts to implement all the previously recommended corrective measures, confirming that the Desired State of Conservation for Removal (DSOCR) had been fully achieved. In recognition of this success, the committee congratulated Egypt and endorsed the site's removal from the In Danger List, underscoring the country's commitment to protecting its cultural heritage in accordance with international standards.
Sherif Fathy, the minister of tourism and antiquities, hailed the decision as a major achievement and a reflection of the state's dedication to protecting its archaeological treasures. He noted that the success at Abu Mena adds to Egypt's growing record in the field of cultural heritage preservation and strengthens its leadership within the international heritage community.
'This achievement reflects the deep partnership between Egypt and UNESCO and our shared responsibility to preserve World Heritage for future generations,' Fathy said. He also extended his congratulations to Pope Tawadros II, pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St Mark, in recognition of his supportive role and the contributions of the Coptic Church to the success of the project.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the SCA, said that the World Heritage Committee's decision to remove Abu Mena from the List of World Heritage in Danger represents a strong international endorsement of Egypt's commitment to heritage preservation and its successful implementation of corrective measures.
These included the structural reinforcement of key archaeological elements and the development of a dedicated groundwater management system, measures whose effectiveness was confirmed through continuous monitoring and validated in the mission report issued in 2025.
Khaled reiterated Egypt's continued dedication to preserving the site's integrity through regular updates to its conservation strategy, in close coordination with international advisory bodies and by ensuring the allocation of necessary resources and maintaining open channels of communication with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
He expressed his sincere appreciation to the World Heritage Centre for its ongoing support and trust and welcomed the committee's decision as a milestone in the protection of one of Egypt's most significant Christian archaeological sites. He also acknowledged the crucial role played by the Foreign Ministry, the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo, and the collective efforts of all those involved in the project, including archaeologists, conservators, experts, technicians, and workers, whose professionalism and dedication made the achievement possible.
In its statement to the World Heritage Committee, the Egyptian delegation remarked that 'this decision is the culmination of decades of hard work by Egyptian experts, local communities, and UNESCO. It restores dignity to a site that embodies our shared sacred heritage. We owe this achievement to the visionary and effective support of the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo, whose technical guidance and capacity-building were indispensable.'
It further stated that 'this moment stands as a clear demonstration of how international cooperation, anchored in local engagement and scientific expertise, can safeguard humanity's cultural landmarks, particularly in the Arab region and Africa, for future generations.'
On its Facebook page, the UNESCO Regional office in Cairo celebrated the removal of Abu Mena from the In Danger List and described it as 'a landmark achievement for Egypt and the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo'.
'This remarkable achievement is the result of nearly two decades of dedicated technical support, strategic guidance, and capacity building led by the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo and a model of effective international cooperation rooted in strong national ownership,' it said.
'We proudly celebrate this moment of national pride, global solidarity, and the successful collaboration between Egypt and the UNESCO Regional Office in Cairo.'
ABU MENA: The Abu Mena site was one of the great centres of pilgrimage in Egypt from the fifth to seventh centuries CE.
Thousands of people came from all over the Christian world seeking the site's reputed healing powers. Pilgrims took home sacred water in tiny pottery ampoules (shaped like two-handled jars and stamped with the figure of the saint between two camels) or oil from the lamp that burned before the tomb.
Bishop Badawes Avamena, responsible for antiquities at the Abu Mena Monastery, said that Abu Mena was a soldier-saint who had died a martyr's death. His cult gained popularity when, according to legend, his body was placed on a camel and borne inland to be buried. At a certain spot the camel refused to move further, a sign taken as divine revelation that he should be buried there.
Wind-blown sand eventually covered the tomb, and no trace was left. Some centuries later, a shepherd observed that a sick lamb that crossed the spot immediately became well. When the remains of the saint were discovered, a church was built over his grave.
The reputation of the place spread far and wide. Pilgrims came in scores, and the stories of the wondrous cures that they carried home attracted more pilgrims. Soon the original church was too small to accommodate the number of visitors, and the Roman Emperor Arcadius (395-408 CE) built another church, to which the saint's relics were transferred.
Subsequent emperors erected other buildings, and eventually the site's Great Basilica was built, to which thousands of pilgrims flocked from as far afield as England, France, Germany, Spain, and Turkey. Cures were attributed to the therapeutic effects of the water, which came from springs in limestone rocks (they have since dried up) and baths were built flanking the church.
When the Roman emperor Constantine the Great's only daughter, who suffered from leprosy, was reputedly healed at Abu Mena, the fame of the site spread further throughout the Roman world.
A great city grew up, flourished, and eventually disappeared. The famed city written up by classical writers was thought to be legendary until in 1961 the German Archaeological Institute excavated the area under the direction of archaeologist Peter Grossman and discovered one of the largest and most ancient pilgrimage sites in the world.
The ruins cover an area one km square where the main colonnaded pilgrimage route of the early Christians has been identified. It had shops and workshops to the left and right, leading to the Church of the Martyr, built during the era of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (528-565 CE). The ruins suggest that the pilgrims gathered in a great square surrounded by hostels. There, monks could take care of the sick who came to the shrine to be healed. There are also the ruins of two large bathhouses and wells.
A new monastery has now been built at the site, its lofty surrounding walls and twin towers situated no more than 500 metres from the ancient site.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 24 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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