4 days ago
Iraq ranks 9th in Arab UNESCO heritage list
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq ranked ninth among Arab countries for the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, according to the latest data released in July 2025 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Tunisia and Morocco topped the list with nine sites each, followed by Saudi Arabia with eight. Jordan, Egypt, and Algeria each have seven sites, while Syria and Lebanon share seventh place with six. Yemen, Palestine, Oman, and Libya each have five sites on the list, while Sudan and Bahrain have three. The United Arab Emirates and Mauritania each have two, and Qatar ranks last with a single World Heritage site.
Iraq currently has six UNESCO World Heritage Sites — five cultural and one mixed cultural and natural site: Hatra, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat), Samarra Archaeological City, Erbil Citadel, the Marshes of Southern Iraq, which includes Uruk, Ur, and Eridu, and Babylon.
In addition, several Iraqi sites are on UNESCO's Tentative List for possible future inscription, including the Ancient City of Nineveh, Nimrud, the Fortress of Al-Ukhaidar, Wasit, the Site of Thilkifl, Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery in Najaf, the Old City of Mosul, Lalish Temple, Kirkuk Citadel, the Hajj Pilgrimage Routes (Darb Zubaydah), and the Historical Features of the Tigris River in Baghdad Rusafa.
