Why should Failaka Island be given the status 'World Heritage Site'?
Failaka Island was submitted to UNESCO on the 27th of February, 2013 by by the National an is currently being viewed. There are many reasons why Failaka Island deserves to be given the world heritage site status, for one it meets much of the criteria needed to qualify as a world heritage site. This exquisite land is yet to be fully discovered as up until recently it was thought to be a normal piece of land with no significance to Kuwait's history what so ever, however archeologists have discovered that this place has a rich history dating 4,000 years back.
The Island's history is thought to date back to the Bronze Age from the Early Dilmun Period to the Hellenistic Period in which the travelers of Alexander the Great entered it, giving the island its first historically documented name, Ikaros. Failaka does not only highlight Kuwait's history it is also connected to Greek history which just shows how valuable it is in every single way possible.
Recently the government had opted to turn Failaka Island into a tourist magnet by building spas, chalets and the like on this land which would completely destroy its historical value. If Failaka were to be given the status of world heritage site it could be protected and preserved by UNESCO. It is a seriously essential part of Kuwait's history and would benefit highly from this status as archeologists could continue their research and it would enable them to discover a rich history that is obviously existent on the island.
The Island's history is thought to date back to the Bronze Age from the Early Dilmun Period to the Hellenistic Period in which the travelers of Alexander the Great entered it, giving the island its first historically documented name, Ikaros. Failaka does not only highlight Kuwait's history it is also connected to Greek history which just shows how valuable it is in every single way possible.
Recently the government had opted to turn Failaka Island into a tourist magnet by building spas, chalets and the like on this land which would completely destroy its historical value. If Failaka were to be given the status of world heritage site it could be protected and preserved by UNESCO. It is a seriously essential part of Kuwait's history and would benefit highly from this status as archeologists could continue their research and it would enable them to discover a rich history that is obviously existent on the island.
How can tourism affect a World Heritage Site?
Tourism can affect a world heritage site very severely as most artificially and naturally valuable sites are not well known until they are given the label world heritage site. This attracts lots of tourists which will help acquire more money, however there are many disadvantages too, in this case the island of Failaka is quite old and is worn down because of the recent war with Iraq so tourism will result in the further wearing down of the island. One of the other disadvantages of tourism is that this will heighten the chances of historical robbing and other serious crimes. All of these advantages and disadvantages should be taken in a serious manner and considered thoughtfully when adding a site to the world heritage list.
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How will protecting the site within UNESCO benefit the site:
The protection given by UNESCO will highly benefit this specific site as it is a perfectly situated island and is at serious risk of being turned into a tourist magnet by the government marinas, spas, chalets were to be built, eventually destroying the islands cultural value. However if it successfully earned the status of world heritage site, then its cultural value could be preserved and protected by UNESCO.
How is the site used culturally/naturally withing the country or region and what significance does it have to the population?
Failaka Island is a very beautiful and large island that is often visited by Kuwaitis as it can be a great place for a short vacation and an escape from the city's heat. The island has been seriously underestimated by many people, however it proves to be much more than an escape as it has lots of historical value and the tourism it brings also happens to benefit the country very much in many ways, especially financially. On the other hand, the government is not very keen on increasing the population, so this may be a disadvantage as some of the tourists attracted by Failaka might actually decide to stay in Kuwait.
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Why Failaka Island has outstanding value and why the site is important enough to be protected as a part of World Heritage:
Failaka Island, which is located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, 20km off the coast of Kuwait City, is packed with ancient remnants of ancient civilizations, including the Dilmun and Kassite civilizations. Even Alexander the Great had a presence on the humble Kuwaiti island. The remnants that are found in Failaka Island are unique since they cannot be found anywhere else. The site is important enough to be protected as a World Heritage Site because it contains many rare artifacts dating back thousands of years. It does not only highlight Kuwait's history but also Greek history and because of that it also has outstanding values.
Since Failaka Island contains all those important ancient and important artifacts, it is important and in need of protection. If the island doesn't get protected something might happen to the valuable artifacts and then we would lose a valuable piece of our history.
Failaka island has outstanding value since it fits three of the UNESCO criterias for a World Heritage Site;
Since Failaka Island does indeed fit those three criterias, it has outstanding value. Meaning Failaka Island should become a World Heritage Site.
Since Failaka Island contains all those important ancient and important artifacts, it is important and in need of protection. If the island doesn't get protected something might happen to the valuable artifacts and then we would lose a valuable piece of our history.
Failaka island has outstanding value since it fits three of the UNESCO criterias for a World Heritage Site;
- II. To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.
- III. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or has disappeared.
- IV. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant feature (s) in human history.
Since Failaka Island does indeed fit those three criterias, it has outstanding value. Meaning Failaka Island should become a World Heritage Site.
Criteria:
II. To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
- Failaka Island meets this criteria as it does in fact show the interchange of human values over a span of time, from the Bronze Age, Dilmun period to the Hellenistic period, as you look around you can see how it has developed over time. This is shown through the ancient archeological monuments found in the Tower Temple, the Hellenistic Fortress and such archeological sites.
III. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
- This island dates all the way back to the Bronze Age and is filled with history and artifacts from different time periods. Failaka shows lots of the Greek civilization's culture as the first name the island was given is actually a Greek word, Ikaros, in fact it was given by the order of Alexander The Great. A dedication slab was even found on the island, furthermore, a temple was unearthed from the Hellenistic period, this clearly shows the Greek civilizations cultural tradition throughout the Hellenistic Period.
IV. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
- Failaka Island does in fact contain buildings that do illustrate important stages of human history. The Hellenistic Fortress is a perfect example of this as it shows how Failaka does not just represent history in the archeological way, but also represents history in a spiritual manner. This is shown through the two Temples found in the Fortress in which Artemis the god was worshiped. Ultimately this represents human history, Greek culture and some of the spiritual beliefs back then.
- Failaka Island meets this criteria as it does in fact show the interchange of human values over a span of time, from the Bronze Age, Dilmun period to the Hellenistic period, as you look around you can see how it has developed over time. This is shown through the ancient archeological monuments found in the Tower Temple, the Hellenistic Fortress and such archeological sites.
III. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
- This island dates all the way back to the Bronze Age and is filled with history and artifacts from different time periods. Failaka shows lots of the Greek civilization's culture as the first name the island was given is actually a Greek word, Ikaros, in fact it was given by the order of Alexander The Great. A dedication slab was even found on the island, furthermore, a temple was unearthed from the Hellenistic period, this clearly shows the Greek civilizations cultural tradition throughout the Hellenistic Period.
IV. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
- Failaka Island does in fact contain buildings that do illustrate important stages of human history. The Hellenistic Fortress is a perfect example of this as it shows how Failaka does not just represent history in the archeological way, but also represents history in a spiritual manner. This is shown through the two Temples found in the Fortress in which Artemis the god was worshiped. Ultimately this represents human history, Greek culture and some of the spiritual beliefs back then.