UNESCO adds 6 Syrian sites in List of World Heritage in Danger

The World Heritage Committee has decided to place the six World Heritage sites in Syria on the List of World Heritage in Danger so as to draw attention to the risks they are facing because of the situation in the country, according to a UNESCO's press statement on Thursday.

"The danger listing is intended to mobilize all possible support for the safeguarding of these properties which are recognized by the international community as being of outstanding universal value for humanity as a whole," the statement said.

Syria has six sites on the World Heritage List: Ancient City of Damascus, Ancient city of Bosra, Site of Palmyra, Ancient City of Aleppo, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din, and Ancient Villages of Northern Syria.

"All six sites were placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger on Thursday during the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh," Roni Amelan, UNESCO's spokesman, told Xinhua over telephone.

According to the UNESCO's document, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies noted that due to the armed conflict situation in Syria, the conditions are no longer present to ensure the conservation and protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the six World Heritage properties located in Syria.

The UNESCO also called upon all parties associated with the situation in Syria to refrain from any action that would cause further damage to the cultural heritage of the country and to fulfill their obligations under international law by taking all possible measures to protect such heritage.

It is estimated the civil war in Syria has claimed about 93,000 lives since its outbreak in March 2011.