This post discusses the meaning of cultural heritage, the heritage, Egypt heritage world sites and properties on the tentative list
Meaning of cultural Heritage:
Cultural heritage includes artifacts, monuments, a group of buildings and sites, museums that have a diversity of values including symbolic, historic, artistic, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological, scientific and social significance.
HERITAGE OF EGYPT:
The heritage of Egypt is known for its richness and diversity; besides the numerous archaeological and historical sites (tangible heritage), different regions in the country are distinguished for their poetry, songs, dances, handicrafts and other forms of intangible heritage.
Egypt is probably the oldest civilization on the face of the earth dating back to more than 5000 years and also one of the few nations which have left a big mark on people’s hearts and minds for countless generations. Egypt’s legacy goes back to more than 5000 years filled with happiness and agony; each era had its own unique transformation and factors that greatly influenced the ages. Egypt’s cities and monuments are enchanting portraits reflecting the grandeur of ancient Egyptian History.
EGYPT WORLD HERITAGE SITES:
| Site | Location | Criteria | Area ha (acre) |
Year | Description |
| Abu Mena | Alexandria Governorate, Egypt |
Cultural: (iv) |
183 (450) | 1979 | The ruins of the former Christian holy city contain a church, a baptistery, basilicas, public buildings, streets, monasteries, houses, and workshops, and were built over the tomb of Menas of Alexandria. |
| Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis | Luxor Governorate, Egypt |
Cultural: (i)(iii)(vi) |
7,390 (18,300) | 1979 | The former capital of Egypt and the city of Amun, Thebes contains temples and palaces at Karnak and Luxor, as well as the necropolises at the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, bearing witness to the height of the Egyptian civilization. |
| Historic Cairo | Cairo Governorate, Egypt |
Cultural: (i)(v)(vi) |
524 (1,290) | 1979 | One of the world’s oldest Islamic cities and in the middle of urban Cairo, the site dates from the 10th century and reached its golden age in the 14th century. It contains mosques, madrasah, hammams and fountains. |
| Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur | Giza Governorate, Egypt |
Cultural: (i)(v)(vi) |
16,358.52 (40,422.8) | 1979 | The capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt has some extraordinary funerary monuments, including rock tombs, ornate mastabas, temples and pyramids. In ancient times, the site was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. |
| Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae | Aswan Governorate, Egypt |
Cultural: (i)(iii)(vi) |
374 (920) | 1979 | Located along the Nile, the site contains monuments such as the Temple of Ramsses II at Abu Simbel and the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae, saved from being submerged by Lake Nasser as a result of the construction of the Aswan Dam. |
| Saint Catherine Area |
South Sinai Governorate, Egypt |
Cultural: (i)(iii)(iv)(vi) |
60,100 (149,000) | 2002 | The orthodox monastery of Saint Catherine is among the oldest Christian monasteries still in function. Dating from the 6th century, it is positioned near Mount Horeb where, according to the Old Testament, Moses received the Tablets of the Law. The region is sacred for Christians, Muslims and Jews. |
| Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley) | Faiyum Governorate,
Egypt |
Natural: (viii) |
20,015 (49,460) | 2005 | Located in western Egypt, Wadi Al-Hitan contains fossil remains of the now extinct Archaeoceti, mapping the evolution of the whales from a land-based to an aquatic mammal. |
Tentative list
In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. As of 2016.
Egypt lists thirty-three properties on its tentative list:
| Name | Date |
| Siwa archaeological area | 1994 |
| Temple of Serabit Khadem | 1994 |
| North Sinai Archaeological Sites Zone | 1994 |
| Temple of Hator built by Ramses III | 1994 |
| Dahshour archaeological area | 1994 |
| El Fayoum : Kom Aushim (Karanis), Dimai (Soknopaiou Nesos), Qasr Qarun (Dionysias), Batn I hrit (Theadelphia), Byahma-Medinet el Fayoum (Crocodilopolis or Arsinoe), Abibgi Hawara, Seila-Medinet Madi (Narmouthis), tell Umm el-Breigat (Tebtunis) | 1994 |
| El-Gendi Fortress | 1994 |
| Rutho Monastery | 1994 |
| Wadi Feiran | 1994 |
| Pharaoh’s Island | 1994 |
| Dahab | 1994 |
| Minia | 1994 |
| Newibah castle | 1994 |
| Ras Mohammed | 2002 |
| Gebel Qatrani Area, Lake Qaroun Nature Reserve | 2003 |
| Southern and Smaller Oases, the Western Desert | 2003 |
| Bird Migration Routes | 2003 |
| Desert Wadis | 2003 |
| Mountain Chains | 2003 |
| Great Desert Landscapes | 2003 |
| Alexandria, ancient remains and the new library | 2003 |
| Abydos, city of pilgrimage of the Pharaohs | 2003 |
| Pharaonic temples in Upper Egypt from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods | 2003 |
| Necropolises of Middle Egypt, from the Middle Empire to the Roman period | 2003 |
| Raoudha nilometre in Cairo | 2003 |
| The monasteries of the Arab Desert and Wadi Natrun | 2003 |
| Two citadels in Sinai from the Saladin period (Al-Gundi and Pharaoh’s island) | 2003 |
| The An-Nakhl fortress, a stage on the pilgrimage route to Mecca | 2003 |
| Oasis of Fayoum, hydraulic remains and ancient cultural landscapes | 2003 |
| Historic quarters and monuments of Rosetta/Rachid | 2003 |
| Dababiya | 2008 |
| Helwan Observatory | 2010 |
| Kharga Oasis and the Small Southern Oases | 2015 |
NOTE:
The problems facing heritage in Egypt, particularly intangible heritage, clearly are human actions and climate change, globalization, political instability, improper tourism development and social change are all contributing to the erosion of an integral part of the Egyptian culture and social identity. General recommendations were given on ways to save this valuable heritage from loss; these mainly relate documentation, protecting cultural properties, raising awareness and behavior modification.