By Libya Herald reporter.
Benghazi, 13 November 2014:
Ghadames has been chosen as the Arab Heritage City for 2016 by the Arab Media . . .[restrict]Association, an NGO based in Cairo.
The decision has puzzled observers not because of the town’s worthiness of the title – the old town of Ghadames is already classified by UNESCO as one of five a World Heritage sites in Libya – but the timing.
With Libya divided be between rival power, there is no chance of using the award to develop tourism. Furthermore, reports that the final race was between Ghadames and the capital of Yemen, Sana’a – now also off the cultural and tourist track because of the country’s equally deadly civil conflict – have raised questions about the association’s grasp of reality.
“It’s the wrong time for this,” commented a UNESCO official.
The ancient town, known by the Romans as Cydamus, and now on the border of Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, thrived for centuries on trans-Sahara trade. It is known for its houses partly built underground to keep cool.
The town is now regarded as the only place in Libya where both side of the current political conflict can meet together in safety. [/restrict]
