List of World Heritage Sites in Oman

Bahla Fort

Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn

Qalhat

class=notpageimage|

Location of World Heritage Sites in Oman. Blue dots indicate the sites of the Land of Frankincense while green are the sites of the Aflaj Irrigation Systems.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by signatories to the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention.^[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.^[2] Oman accepted the convention on 6 October 1981, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. It has five World Heritage Sites and a further seven sites on the tentative list.^[3]

The first site listed in Oman was the Bahla Fort in 1987, while the most recent one was the Ancient City of Qalhat in 2018. All five sites are listed for their cultural significance. Bahla Fort was listed as endangered in 1988 because of the degradation of the structure. In 2004, after reconstruction, it was removed from the endangered list.^[4] Oman has served on the World Heritage Committee three times.^[3]