The World Heritage Committee, 1. Having examined Documents
WHC-08/32.COM/8B and WHC-08/32.COM/INF.8B1, 2. Inscribes the Al-
Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih), Saudi Arabia,on the
World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iii); 3.
Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
The archaeological site of Al-Hijr is a major site of the
Nabataean civilisation, in the south of its zone of influence.
Its integrity is remarkable and it is well conserved. It
includes a major ensemble of tombs and monuments, whose
architecture and decorations are directly cut into the
sandstone. It bears witness to the encounter between a variety
of decorative and architectural influences (Assyrian, Egyptian,
Phoenician, Hellenistic), and the epigraphic presence of several
ancient languages (Lihyanite, Talmudic, Nabataean, Greek,
Latin). It bears witness to the development of Nabataean
agricultural techniques using a large number of artificial wells
in rocky ground. The wells are still in use. The anc