Memory of the World Register – Arab States

The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register were made in 1997.^[1] By creating a compendium of the world's documentary heritage—manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings^[2] – the program aims to tap on its networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials.^[3] As of 2018, 432^[4] documentary heritages have been included in the register, among them recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics, aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts, collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature, science and music, copies of landmark motion pictures and short films, and accounts documenting changes in the world's political, economic and social stage. Of these, thirteen properties were nominated by countries from the region of the Arab States.

List by country/territory

The sarcophagus of Ahiram in Lebanon contains the oldest known inscription of the Phoenician alphabet, the precursor to all alphabets in the world.

Documentary heritage[A]	Country/Territory	Custodian(s), Location(s)	Year inscribed	Reference
Al-Mustamlah Min Kitab Al-Takmila	Algeria	National Library of Algeria, Algiers 36°44′55″N 3°04′19″E	2017	[5]
Memory of the Suez Canal	Egypt	Egyptian Embassy, Paris 48°52′04″N 2°17′46″E	1997	[6]
National Library of Egypt's Collection of Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts	Egypt	National Archives of Egypt, Cairo 30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E	2013	[7]
Deeds of Sultans and Princes	Egypt	National Archives of Egypt, Cairo 30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E	2005	[8]
Persian Illustrated and Illuminated Manuscripts	Egypt	National Library and Archives of Egypt, Cairo 30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E	2007	[9]
The Phoenician Alphabet	Lebanon	National Museum, Beirut 33°52′42″N 35°30′54″E	2005	[10]
Commemorative stela of Nahr el-Kalb, Mount Lebanon	Lebanon	Municipality of Zouk Mosbeh; Municipality of Dbayeh 33°58′15″N 35°43′37″E	2005	[11]
Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar	Morocco	Bibliothèque al-Quaraouiyyine, Fez 34°03′51″N 4°58′22″W	2011	[12]
Manuscript of al- Zahrāwīsur	Morocco	Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, Rabat 34°00′30″N 6°50′34″W	2017	[13]
Maden Al Asrar Fi Elm Al Behar Manuscript	Oman	Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Muscat 23°35′55″N 58°25′24″E	2017	[14]
Earliest Islamic (Kufic) Inscription	Saudi Arabia	near Al-'Ula and Al Hijr archeological site NW Saudi Arabia 26°48′14″N 37°57′18″E	2003	[15]
Privateering and the international relations of the Regency of Tunis in the 18th and 19th centuries	Tunisia	National Archives of Tunisia, Tunis 36°47′58″N 10°09′53″E	2011	[16]
The Abolition of Slavery in Tunisia 1841-1846	Tunisia	National Archives of Tunisia, Tunis 36°47′58″N 10°09′53″E	2017	[17]

Notes

^ A. Names and spellings provided are based on the official list released by the Memory of the World Programme.

References

1. "Third Meeting of the International Advisory Committee of the Memory of the World Programme". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
2. "UNESCO MEMORY OF THE WORLD PROGRAMME: The Asia-Pacific Strategy". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. 1999-04-17. Archived from the original on 2005-02-28. Retrieved 2004-10-21.
3. "Twenty-three new inscriptions on Memory of the World Register of Documentary Collections". UNESCO Press. 2003-09-01. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
4. "Memory of the World statistics as of December 2018" (PDF).
5. "Al – Mustamlah Min Kitab Al – Takmila | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
6. "Memory of the Suez Canal | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
7. "The National Library of Egypt's Collection of Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
8. "Deeds of Sultans and Princes | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
9. "Persian Illustrated and Illuminated Manuscripts | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
10. "The Phoenician Alphabet | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
11. "Commemorative stela of Nahr el-Kalb, Mount Lebanon | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
12. "Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
13. "Manuscript of al- Zahrāwīsu | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
14. "Maden Al Asrar Fi Elm Al Behar Manuscript | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
15. "Earliest Islamic (Kufic) inscription | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
16. "Privateering and the international relations of the Regency of Tunis in the 18th and 19th centuries | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
17. "The Abolition of Slavery in Tunisia 1841-1846 | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-03-19.

Notes

^ A. Names and spellings provided are based on the official list released by the Memory of the World Programme.

External links

• UNESCO Memory of the World - Official website