The kingdom wants to preserve its history…
The village of Rijal Alma in Saudi Arabia is preparing to join the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Located in the southern Asir region, the village is already award-winning. It won the Prince Sultan bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage in 2007. It was also awarded first place in the Arab Cities “Mudon” Award in 2017.
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The tourist destination has been re-developed in recent years to include an open air theatre housing 1,000 people and an increase of green spaces by 7,000 square metres.
The UNESCO pitch follows the kingdom’s commitment to register rich archeological and historical sites in the region after the government approved the registration of three sites on the World Heritage list in 2006.
Other UNESCO sites in Saudi Arabia include the historical Samhan District of Ad’Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh. The kingdom’s Al-Ahsa Oasis, which spans gardens, canals, springs, historical buildings and archeological sites had also made the cut.
This comes as part of the kingdom’s efforts to become a tourist destination by 2030. In February, Saudi Arabia announced it would spend US$64 billion over the next decade to expand its entertainment sector, according to The Guardian.
Images: Getty
