Filenews 7 November 2023 - by Natasha Christoforou
Despite the fact that there has been for many years a list of very important monuments that are on a waiting list for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the process of submitting applications has stalled, with the new Deputy Minister of Culture stating to Philenews that the issue is high on her agenda.
It is noted that our country has not included a monument in the list of the international organization for more than fifteen years, which is of great importance both for the purpose of promoting our rich cultural heritage and attracting visitors.
The list also includes two important monuments of the Larnaka district, for which the city's Tourism Development and Promotion Company has been asking for their inclusion in the UNESCO list for about a decade.
These are the church of Panagia Angeloktisti in Kiti and the salt pan/Hala Sultan complex. Regarding Panagia Angeloktisti, in which a unique early Christian mosaic of the 6th century is preserved, the application has been pending since 2016. In the same year, it was decided by the Department of Antiquities to promote the request for the salt pans and the Hala Sultan, which is considered one of the most important places of worship of Muslims.
Asked to indicate when applications for the monuments on the waiting list will be submitted, the Secretary of State. Culture Minister Vasiliki Kassianidou said proceedings have been initiated. "I was on the UNESCO National Commission for years. This is an issue that interests me very much and that we are currently dealing with with with great intensity. We have already taken the first steps to strengthen our presence on UNESCO committees and one of the issues we have begun to see concerns World Heritage sites, which are on the waiting list. Some steps need to be taken before the application can be submitted and external expertise may be needed."
Ms. Kassianidou will soon have a meeting with the Minister of Culture of Greece and will request, as she noted, information. "Greece managed to pass Zagorochoria on the list of UNESCO monuments and I will ask for information to see how we can start too." He also added that the two monuments of Larnaka, which has only the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia on the UNESCO list, are among the priorities. "It has been many years before a monument of Cyprus has been included in the UNESCO list. On the contrary, in the field of intangible cultural heritage, Cyprus is very active and has inscribed monuments both in the world list and in the National List".
It is noted that 11 monuments/sites are on the waiting list, including Troodos, the Mathiatis Mine and holy temples.
