Ancient 200,000-year-old UAE site joins UNESCO World Heritage List
Recognised under the Cultural Landscape category, Faya was the only Arab site added this year and the second from the UAE after Al Ain's cultural sites were inscribed in 2011.
Located in Sharjah's central region, Faya Palaeolandscape holds one of the world's oldest and most continuous records of early human habitation in arid environments, dating back more than 200,000 years.
Faya Palaeolandscape in the UAE
It is the first desert Paleolithic site on the World Heritage List, offering invaluable insight into human evolution and prehistoric life in Southeast Arabia.
This inscription affirms the UAE's and Sharjah's global standing in heritage protection and acknowledges over three decades of archaeological research led by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority in collaboration with institutions such as the University of Tübingen and Oxford Brookes University.
The site has yielded 18 archaeological layers, providing critical evidence of human settlement in desert environments.
Sharjah formally submitted the nomination in February 2024 following 12 years of dossier preparation.
Faya's inclusion came after a rigorous evaluation based on UNESCO's standards of Outstanding Universal Value.
The achievement reflects Sharjah's long-standing vision to integrate heritage, education and sustainable development, in line with the commitment of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, official ambassador of the nomination file, expressed gratitude to the World Heritage Committee for recognising Faya's significance.
She said the inscription affirms Sharjah's role in early human history and highlights the Arabian Peninsula's position in the story of human migration from Africa.
She said: 'The stone tools found at Faya are testimony to the ingenuity of our ancestors and the deep roots of cultural tradition in our region.
'We remain fully committed to protecting this site and ensuring its legacy continues to inspire future generations.'
Eisa Yousif, Director-General of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, said the inscription reflects shared ownership of world heritage.
'Faya now belongs to all peoples of the world, just as it did over 200,000 years ago,' he said, noting that this milestone represents the culmination of scientific research, cultural preservation and international cooperation.
The UAE and Sharjah have adopted a comprehensive conservation plan for 2024–2030 to protect Faya's universal value, with a continued focus on research, education and sustainable tourism.
For more than a decade, Faya has also been a key site in UNESCO's Human Evolution, Adaptations, Dispersals and Social Developments (HEADS) Programme, alongside world-renowned locations such as Klasies River Caves and Wonderwerk Cave.
Faya's inscription brings the total number of World Heritage sites to 1,226 across 168 countries, including 955 cultural, 231 natural and 40 mixed sites.
The Arab region now hosts 96 such sites across 18 countries.
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