UNESCO
Greece
UNESCO Representative on Spinalonga to Review Adding it to World Heritage List
Τeresa Colletta, an architect, and representative of UNESCO visited recently the islet of Spinalonga on Crete to review the application to add the historic site onto UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Colletta gave her remarks to the local authorities, and these...
Culture
French Government Supports Bid to Include Greek in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
A cultural association from the French town of Autun published a manifesto on Saturday asking for the Ancient Greek and Latin languages to be included in UNESCO's list of entities which are part of the world's "Intangible Cultural Heritage."
Their...
Culture
Turning Hagia Sophia into Mosque Requires UNESCO’s Approval, Officials Say
Greek media, citing sources from UNESCO on Wednesday morning, reported that the Paris-based organization has tried to halt Erdogan’s plans to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine Christian Cathedral until Constantinople’s fall in 1453, is now...
Archaeology
Crete’s Minoan Treasures Are Still in UNESCO Limbo
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By Phil Butler*
It has been called “Europe’s oldest city.” The Palace at Knossos on Crete was the center of European culture from before 2800 B.C. until after 1350 B.C. Today, the archaeological site dating back to Neolithic times 9,000...
Culture
Greece Seeks UNESCO Heritage Status for Spinalonga Islet (video)
Greece's Culture ministry submitted a nomination to UNESCO on Tuesday asking them to declare Crete’s Spinalonga islet, with its impressive sixteenth-century Venetian fortress, a new "World Heritage Site".
The Central Archaeological Council of Greece had earlier given its approval to the...
Archaeology
Byzantine Monuments To Be Protected by New Global Charter
An agreement called "The Charter for the Protection of the Byzantine Heritage Monuments" was unanimously ratified this weekend after a three-day meeting held in the city of Thessaloniki.
Representatives from twenty-one countries agreed on a framework of principles for the protection of...
Archaeology
Twelve Countries Back Greece over Return of Parthenon Sculptures
A UNESCO committee has called for talks between Britain and Greece over the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens, with no less than 12 nations throwing their weight behind the demand.
The Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property...
Animals
Greece Rejects Fur Farmers' Bid to Join Cultural Heritage List
Greece's Ministry of Culture and Sports has rejected a proposal by the Greek fur industry to include its products in a list of unique cultural phenomena.
According to the Fur Free Alliance, the submission by the Hellenic Fur Federation was...
Greece
Greece to Submit Bid to UNESCO for 'Exile Island'
Greece is preparing to submit an application to UNESCO to recognize the uninhabited island of Makronisos; an island where tens of thousands of political prisoners were once held, as a World Heritage Site.
The island is located near the southernmost...
Culture
Athens to Become UNESCO World Book Capital in April
Athens is ready to begin this year with an exciting celebration having been designated World Book Capital, a title the city will hold from April 2018.
UNESCO World Book Capitals have been established to promote books, authors and reading activities as...