The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to culturalornatural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.[1] Qatar accepted the convention on September 12, 1984, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2023, Qatar has only one World Heritage Site, Al Zubara Fort, which was inscribed in 2013. [2]
Qatar
| Name | Image | Location | Criteria | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Zubarah Archaeological Site | 
|
Al Shamal Municipality
25°58′37″N 51°02′43″E / 25.9769°N 51.0454°E / 25.9769; 51.0454 (Al Zubarah Archaeological Site) |
Cultural (iii) (iv) (v) | 2013 | The walled coastal town of Al Zubarah in the Persian Gulf flourished as a pearling and trading centre in the late 18th century and early 19th centuries, before it was destroyed in 1811 and abandoned in the early 1900s. Founded by merchants from Kuwait, Al Zubarah had trading links across the Indian Ocean, Arabia and Western Asia. A layer of sand blown from the desert has protected the remains of the site’s palaces, mosques, streets, courtyard houses, and fishermen’s huts; its harbour and double defensive walls, a canal, walls, and cemeteries. Excavation has only taken place over a small part of the site, which offers an outstanding testimony to an urban trading and pearl-diving tradition which sustained the region’s major coastal towns and led to the development of small independent states that flourished outside the control of the Ottoman, European, and Persian empires and eventually led to the emergence of modern day Gulf States.[3] |
| Site | Image | Location | Criteria | Area ha (acre) |
Year of submission | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khor Al Adaid natural reserve | 
|
Al Wakrah Municipality
24°37′48″N 51°17′46″E / 24.63°N 51.296°E / 24.63; 51.296 (Khor Al-Adaid natural reserve) |
Natural (vii) (viii) | 2008 | A unique ecosystem known for its inland sea, a geographical phenomenon where the sea encroaches deep into the heart of the desert. This area, also referred to as the Inland Sea, is surrounded by sand dunes and is accessible only through the desert, making it one of the few places in the world where the sea meets the dunes. The reserve is a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including migratory birds, marine species, and desert fauna. Recognized for its pristine environment and ecological importance, Khor Al-Adaid has been designated as a natural reserve to ensure the conservation of its unique landscape and biodiversity.[4] |
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