UNESCO inscribes Tunisia's Sidi Bou Saïd and Comoros' six medinas on World Heritage list

At the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea (19‑29 July 2026), members unanimously approved two landmark inscriptions.

The village of Sidi Bou Saïd in Tunisia was added, raising the country's total to ten World Heritage sites. Tunisian officials highlighted its “exceptional universal value as a centre of cultural, spiritual and artistic inspiration” and called the decision “a historic day for Tunisian heritage.”

The committee also listed six historic medinas in the Union of the Comoros – four on Grande Comore and two on Anjouan – marking the archipelago’s first World Heritage sites. The Comorian culture minister Said Mohamed Ali Said said the listing “is not a finish line but a starting point,” stressing the fragile state of the sites and the opportunities for preservation and development.

Both inscriptions underscore UNESCO’s role in safeguarding diverse cultural landscapes and are expected to boost tourism and conservation efforts in the two nations.