Baha’i shrines chosen as World Heritage sites8 July 2008 QUEBEC
CITY — A United Nations committee meeting here has determined
that two Baha'i shrines in Israel possess "outstanding universal
value" and should be considered as part of the cultural heritage
of humanity. The decision today by the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee means that the two most sacred sites for Baha'is - the
resting places of the founders of their religion - join a list
of internationally recognized sites like the Great Wall of
China, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and Stonehenge. The World
Heritage List also includes places of global religious
significance like the Vatican, the Old City of Jerusalem, and
the remains of the recently destroyed Bamiyan Buddhist statues
in Afghanistan. The Baha'i shrines are the first sites connected
with a religious tradition born in modern times to be added to
the list, which is maintained by UNESCO, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The two
shrines, one near the recognize