Skepticism meets plan to transform Tahrir into UNESCO site

Al Masry Al Youm (Maggie Hyde)

Cairo Governor Abdel Kawi Khalifa wants to turn the epicenter of the city and the revolution into an official UNESCO World Heritage site. But with protesters still occupying parts of the traffic islands and sidewalks, the governor’s plan seems a little out of touch and far-fetched, especially to people who live, work, or protest in Tahrir Square.

“The revolution is still ongoing,” says Ahmed Maziz, one of dozens of protesters staging a sit-in in Tahrir. “The revolution will continue until the ruling military council is sacked and the killers of protesters are tried.”

A World Heritage site can be either a place of natural value and beauty or a man-made place with great cultural significance. There are 936 such sites in the world today.

Egypt is one of the founding members of UNESCO and has 7 World Heritage sites, with another 32 still pending. If the governor has his way, Tahrir Square would be next on the list.