UNESCO highlights Saudi heritage and intercultural
dialogue in new study
UNESCO has released a groundbreaking academic
study under its Memory of the World (MoW) Program, highlighting how AlUla’s
ancient inscriptions and documentary heritage contribute to fostering intercultural
dialogue across the Arab region and beyond. The initiative forms part of a
broader partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) to safeguard and
promote the region’s cultural legacy.
Authored by Dr. Nour Allah Munawar, the
publication — Documentary Heritage for Intercultural Dialogue: A Case Study of
AlUla, Saudi Arabia — examines how the thousands of inscriptions carved into
AlUla’s rock faces serve as powerful records of early human expression and
communication. These inscriptions, found particularly at Jabal Ikmah, one of
the world’s richest repositories of Dadanitic and Lihyanite texts, trace the evolution
of the Arabic script and illuminate the social, linguistic, and cultural
history of the Arabian Peninsula. Recognized by UNESCO’s MoW International
Register, Jabal Ikmah is often described as an “open-air library” preserving
the voices of ancient civilizations.
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The study also integrates the perspectives of
AlUla’s local community, featuring interviews and focus group discussions with
residents — the majority of whom are under 35 — and heritage professionals. By
merging global academic insights with the lived experiences of local
custodians, the research underscores the importance of community-led heritage
preservation.
Key recommendations from the study include:
- Empowering local communities as active stewards of documentary heritage;
- Integrating documentary heritage education into formal and informal learning frameworks;
- Leveraging technology — including 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and virtual or augmented reality — to digitally preserve and interpret ancient inscriptions; and
- Promoting Arabic-language research and digital platforms to enhance regional engagement and accessibility.
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For
millennia, AlUla has been a crossroads of cultures and trade, situated along
the historic Incense Route and serving as a hub of exchange between
civilizations. This new UNESCO publication reinforces AlUla’s enduring role as
a living model of cultural dialogue and coexistence, offering a roadmap for how
heritage preservation can unite communities through a shared understanding of
history.
Source: UNESCO
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