The iconic waterway could soon be rubbing shoulders with other world-famous sites like the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza…

The Dubai Creek has been nominated alongside 30 other sites for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee currently underway in Bahrain.

The list is made up of 1,037 sites to date, and is maintained and selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s International World Heritage program.

In order to be considered for the list sites must be “of outstanding universal value” and meet a of strict number of criteria, according to the UNESCO website. For reference, some of the more famous World Heritage sites include the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.

This latest crop of 30 nominees includes everything from the Prosecco hills in Italy to the Victorian and Art Deco landmarks in Mumbai, so the Dubai Creek is up against some pretty stiff competition.

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Having said that, we think that our mighty waterway is in with a good chance.

It has a long and storied history as a major trading hub and is an essential part of how Dubai transformed from a small fishing village into the modern metropolis it is today. You can learn more about it in this video:

There’s already one other UAE site on the UNESCO World Heritage List


Image: UNESCO

The Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) were added to the UNESCO list in 2011.

They are noteworthy because they prove the human occupation of a desert region as far back as the Neolithic period.

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