ABSTRACT
In this chapter I offer a comparative analysis of the management plans for two UNESCO World Heritage cities, Aleppo in Syria and Acre in Israel. These two cities share A third of the 12 criteria for inscription on the World Heritage List as they are considered to “bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared” (UNESCO 2008: paragraph 77). Additionally, Aleppo fulfils the fourth criterion, while Acre meets the second and fifth criteria (Table 12.1). Conforming with UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, the Syrian and the Israeli authorities developed a “comprehensive planning programme” for Aleppo and Acre (UNESCO 2008: article 5, i). Through managing the contemporary place making, both plans seek to preserve the “outstanding universal value” (UNESCO 1972) of Aleppo and Acre. I reveal however, how in the process, the two plans also influence how the users of these two World Heritage cities, whether residents or foreign tourists, experience their distinctiveness. The inscription criteria for Aleppo and Acre https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
Criterion #
Criterion details
Aleppo
Acre
ii
Exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.
X
iii
Bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
X
X
iv
Be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.
X
v
Be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change.
X
Source: Adapted from UNESCO 2008: paragraph 77.