List of World Heritage Sites in Western Asia


The UNESCO has designated 95 World Heritage Sites in 18 countries of Western Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen. While Egypt is partially in Western Asia, its World Heritage Sites are listed under Africa instead. One site is located in Jerusalem. Kuwait is the only country in the region that does not have any World Heritage Sites. Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was designated as a World Heritage Site of Oman in 1994 but was delisted in 2007. As the protected area was reduced by 90% as a result of Oman's decision, UNESCO delisted the site.
In this region, Iran is home to the most inscribed sites with 23 sites. The first sites to be recognized by UNESCO from the region were Persepolis, Meidan Emam, Esfahan, Tchogha Zanbil and the Ancient City of Damascus. Each year, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee may inscribe new sites on the list, or delist sites that no longer meet the criteria. Selection is based on ten criteria: six for cultural heritage and four for natural heritage. Some sites, designated "mixed sites," represent both cultural and natural heritage. In Western Asia, there are 67 cultural, 1 natural, and 3 mixed sites.
The World Heritage Committee may also specify that a site is endangered, citing "conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List." Seven sites in this region are currently listed as endangered; one site had been listed previously, and possible danger listing has been considered by UNESCO in a number of other cases.

Legend

World Heritage Sites

SiteImageLocationCriteriaArea
ha 		YearDescriptionRefs
Aflaj Irrigation Systems of OmanCultural:
; buffer zone 2006
Al-AhsaCultural:
; buffer zone 2018
Al-Hijr Archaeological Site Cultural:
; buffer zone 2008
Al Zubarah Archaeological SiteCultural:
; buffer zone 2013
Ancient City of AleppoCultural:
1986
Ancient City of BosraCultural:
—1980
Ancient City of DamascusCultural:
1979
Ancient City of QalhatCultural:
; buffer zone 2018
Ancient Villages of Northern SyriaCultural:
2011
AnjarCultural:
—1984
Archaeological Site of TroyCultural:
1998
Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-AynCultural:
—1988
Armenian Monastic Ensembles of IranCultural:
; buffer zone 2008including: St Thaddeus Monastery, St Stepanos Monastery, Chapel of Dzordzor, Chapel of Chupan, Church of the Holy Mother of God
Ashur Cultural:
; buffer zone 2003
At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyahCultural:
2008
BaalbekCultural:
—1984
BabylonCultural:
 ; buffer zone 2019
Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western GalileeCultural:
; buffer zone 2008
Bahla FortCultural:
—1987
Bam and its Cultural LandscapeCultural:
—2004
Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” Cultural:
; buffer zone 2015
Biblical tells - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer ShebaCultural:
; buffer zone 2005
BisotunCultural:
; buffer zone 2006
Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman EmpireCultural:
2014
ByblosCultural:
—1984
Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the CavesCultural:
2014
Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of ZvartnotsCultural:
2000
ChoirokoitiaCultural:
—1998
Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, BethlehemCultural:
, 		2012
Erbil CitadelCultural:
; buffer zone 2014
City of SafranboluCultural:
1994
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-DinCultural:
2006
Cultural Sites of Al Ain Cultural:
; buffer zone 2011
Dilmun Burial MoundsCultural:
 ; buffer zone 2019
Gelati MonasteryCultural:
; buffer zone 1994
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural LandscapeCultural:
; buffer zone 2007
Golestan PalaceCultural:
; buffer zone 2013
Gonbad-e QabusCultural:
; buffer zone 2012
Great Mosque and Hospital of DivriğiCultural:
1985
Göbekli TepeCultural:
; buffer zone 2018
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of CappadociaMixed:
1985
HatraCultural:
1985
Hattusha: the Hittite CapitalCultural:
1986
Hebron/Al-Khalil Old TownPalHebron Governorate,

Cultural:PalPal
2017The centre of interest of the town was the site of Al mosque -Ibrahim / the tomb of the Patriarchs whose buildings are in a compound built in the 1st century CE to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham / Ibrahim and his family.
Hierapolis-PamukkaleMixed:
1988
Historic Areas of IstanbulCultural:
1985-
Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s PalaceCultural:
 ; buffer zone 2019
Historic Jeddah, the Gate to MakkahCultural:
 ; buffer zone 2014
Historical Monuments of MtskhetaCultural:
—1994
Historic Town of ZabidCultural:
—1993
Hyrcanian forestsNatural:
 ; buffer zone 2019
Incense Route – Desert Cities in the NegevCultural:
—2005
Land of FrankincenseCultural:
; buffer zone 2000
Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, BattirCultural:
, 		2014
MasadaCultural:
; buffer zone 2001
Masjed-e Jāmé of IsfahanCultural:
; buffer zone 2012
Meidan Emam, EsfahanCultural:
—1979
Monasteries of Haghpat and SanahinCultural:
; buffer zone 1996
Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat ValleyCultural:
2000
Nemrut DağCultural:
1987
Neolithic Site of ÇatalhöyükCultural:
; buffer zone 2012
Old City of AcreCultural:
2001
Old City of Jerusalem and its WallsCultural:JerOld
—1985As a holy city for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Jerusalem holds great symbolic importance and is recognized by all three religions as the site of Abraham's sacrifice. The Wailing Wall delimits the quarters of the different religious communities, while the Resurrection rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre houses Christ's tomb.
Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural LandscapeCultural:
; buffer zone 2014
Old City of Sana'aCultural:
—1986
Shahr-i SokhtaCultural:
; buffer zone 2014
Old Walled City of ShibamCultural:
—1982
Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of God Cultural:
—1998
Painted Churches in the Troodos RegionCultural:
—1985
PaphosCultural:
—1980
PasargadaeCultural:
; buffer zone 2004
Pearling, Testimony of an Island EconomyCultural:
; buffer zone 2012
PersepolisCultural:
1979
PetraCultural:
—1985
Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of DilmunCultural:
; buffer zone 2005
Quseir AmraCultural:
—1985
Samarra Archaeological CityCultural:
; buffer zone 2007
Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars RegionCultural:
; buffer zone 2018
Selimiye Mosque and its Social ComplexCultural:
; buffer zone 2011
Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in ArdabilCultural:
; buffer zone 2010
Shushtar Historical Hydraulic SystemCultural:
; buffer zone 2009
Site of PalmyraCultural:
1980
Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara CavesCultural:
; buffer zone 2012
Socotra ArchipelagoNatural:
; buffer zone 2008
SoltaniyehCultural:
; buffer zone 2005
Tabriz Historic Bazaar ComplexCultural:
; buffer zone 2010
Takht-e SoleymanCultural:
; buffer zone 2003
Tchogha ZanbilCultural:
—1979
The Persian GardenCultural:
; buffer zone 2011including 9 selected gardens in Iran: Pasargadae, Chehel Sotoun, Fin, Eram, Shazdeh, Dolatabad, Abbasabad, Akbarieh, Pahlevanpour
TyreCultural:
1984
Um er-Rasas Cultural:
; buffer zone 2005
Upper SvanetiCultural:
; buffer zone 1996
Wadi Rum Protected AreaMixed:
; buffer zone 2011
Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden TowerCultural:
2000
White City of Tel-Aviv—the Modern MovementCultural:
; buffer zone 2003
Xanthos-LetoonCultural:
; buffer zone 1988