Old City cries for help! [Archives:2002/31/Local News]

The World Heritage Board, a UNESCO-based organization, warned that the Old City of Sanaa could be dropped off the list of the worlds most important heritage sites list unless the Yemeni authorities exert serious efforts to protect Old Sanaa from further deterioration.
Old City of Sanaa, which has been recently nominated among the worlds new wonders and is getting an increasing publicity and fame by worldwide tourism operators, has been recently distorted because of random construction and lack of infrastructure installations in the absence of appropriate protection mechanisms.
In a statement to the Yemen Times, Dr. Abdullah Zaid, Chairman of the General Organization for Preservation of Historic Cities (GOPH) appealed to the political leadership to interfere before it is too late. We must save the Old City of Sanaa from random construction which distorts its architectural and historical beauty, he said.
He added further that the authority has received a recent report by the World Heritage Committee noting the current deteriorating conditions of the Old City of Sanaa may have devastating results on the reputation of the old city. The report urged the Yemeni government to ask for an urgent international assistance from the World Heritage Committee to help in setting up a long-term plan to prevent further damage to the Old City of Sanaa.

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