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Look: Sharjah's Faya added to UNESCO's World Heritage List
Faya was the only Arab site added this year and the second from the UAE after Al Ain’s cultural sites were inscribed in 2011
The UAE marked a milestone in heritage preservation as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee officially inscribed Sharjah's Faya Palaeolandscape on the World Heritage List. Recognised under the Cultural Landscape category, Faya was the only Arab site added this year and the second from the UAE after Al Ain’s cultural sites were inscribed in 2011.
Located in Sharjah’s central region, Faya Palaeolandscape holds one of the world’s oldest and most continuous records of early human habitation in arid environments, dating back over 200,000 years. It is an intact fossil desert landscape.
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Faya's critical role as a repeated destination for habitation has fundamentally altered our understanding of prehistoric life in Southeast Arabia, and represents a significant milestone in human evolution. This is what makes the inscription of Faya on the World Heritage List extremely significant. Until the inscription of Faya, desert Paleolithic sites were not represented in the World Heritage List.
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Sharjah formally submitted the nomination in February 2024 following 12 years of dossier preparation. Faya’s inclusion came after a rigorous evaluation based on UNESCO’s standards of Outstanding Universal Value. The achievement reflects Sharjah’s long-standing vision to integrate heritage, education and sustainable development, in line with the commitment of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, official ambassador of the nomination file, expressed gratitude to the World Heritage Committee for recognising Faya’s significance. She said the inscription affirms Sharjah’s role in early human history and highlights the Arabian Peninsula’s position in the story of human migration from Africa.
“The stone tools found at Faya are testimony to the ingenuity of our ancestors and the deep roots of cultural tradition in our region,” she said, adding, “We remain fully committed to protecting this site and ensuring its legacy continues to inspire future generations.”
Eisa Yousif, Director-General of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, said the inscription reflects shared ownership of world heritage. “Faya now belongs to all peoples of the world, just as it did over 200,000 years ago,” he said, noting that this milestone represents the culmination of scientific research, cultural preservation and international cooperation.
The UAE and Sharjah have adopted a comprehensive conservation plan for 2024–2030 to protect Faya’s universal value, with a continued focus on research, education and sustainable tourism. For over a decade, Faya has also been a key site in UNESCO’s Human Evolution, Adaptations, Dispersals and Social Developments (HEADS) Programme, alongside world-renowned locations such as Klasies River Caves and Wonderwerk Cave.
Faya’s inscription brings the total number of World Heritage sites to 1,226 across 168 countries, including 955 cultural, 231 natural and 40 mixed sites. The Arab region now hosts 96 such sites across 18 countries.
Cultural Sites of Al Ain
The other UAE site previously added to the list is the cultural sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas), which provide testimony to ancient sedentary human occupation in a desert region since the Neolithic period.
The UN organisation said in comments on adding the sites to the list that they establish "the existence of sustainable human development, bearing testimony to the transition from hunter and nomad societies to the sedentary human occupation of the oasis, and the sustainability of this culture up until the present day."
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