This ancient Arab irrigation system invented before Rome’s aqueduct
An ancient water management system engineered 3000 years ago is still keeping farms and oases green in the UAE and Oman.
UNESCO
Wind turbine power company nixed for biosphere risks in Israel
Israel is known as a solar energy pioneer, but wind in some locations, is not lacking in the small Middle East nation. But after seeing the research and the environmental impacts of wind energy companies, offshore wind turbines, and on land turbines, the Israeli government has rejected a plan for a local company Energix which works with wind turbine energy suppliers such as Vestas and Siemens.
Flip flops take over shores of the Seychelles
Your tuna is contributing to more than 80% of the plastic waste clogging up the Seychelles Islands. It would make David Attenborough cry.
Middle Eastern artefacts looted by 95-year-old “Indiana Joan”
The Australian government is investigating the case of a 95-year-old Perth woman accused of looting artefacts from Middle Eastern countries including Egypt. Joan Howard – now dubbed “Indiana Joan” – lived in during the 1960s and 70s with her husband, a senior official with the United Nations.
All Moroccan Synagogues to be Renovated, Says King Mohammed VI
Morocco Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, Mayor of Fez and Secretary General of Istiqlal Party Hamid Chabat, and security official at the inauguration of a restored synagogue in Fez. AFP Islamist Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane represented King Mohammed VI in an inauguration ceremony marking the completion of a 17th century synagogue restoration project in Fez yesterday. In 2011, […]
You Don’t Need That Plastic Bag – A New Campaign in Jordan
‘Balash Kees’ is a new campaign launched by UNESCO Amman to help reduce the use of plastic bags in Jordan Walk around Jordan and you’ll realise pretty quickly that the country has a huge plastic bag and litter problem. Cheap black plastic bags are literally everywhere and they are a real eyesore. No more so […]
The Shard is Qatar’s London land grab
When Britain’s own financing institutions staggered under the weight of the 2008 economic crisis, a Qatari consortium stepped in to finance The Shard in London- it’s a sleek pyramidal skyscraper designed by Italian starchitect Renzo Piano. Officially inaugurated amid great pomp and circumstance, the building is small when compared to Dubai’s 2,717 foot Burj Al-Khalifa, but at […]
Pamukkale for Liquid Relaxation the Turkish Way
Think Egypt’s White Desert meeting Mont Blanc. Three days of heavy snowfall hit downtown Amman, fat flakes screaming for clothes not found in our closets. Schools shut and offices closed. Icy roads wrought havoc on the annual Dead2Red bike and running race. Park aside historical significance, religious connotation, and cultural pride: I say this waterbody’s main value is as […]
Yemen’s Manhattan of the desert is 400 towers made from clay
If you have lost faith in earth architecture, take note: Yemen’s Manhattan of the desert boasts 400 habitable clay towers! Yemen has a UNESCO World Heritage Site secret, but it’s not so well-kept anymore. One of the most impressive examples of earth architecture that has survived for hundreds of years, the Shibam district in Hadramaut […]
Canada Cuts UNESCO Funds Based on US Law
Voluntary funding to support nature and ancient cities is thinned even more as Canada cuts its funding to UNESCO. If existing members don’t cough up about $70 million USD, trees like this one in Yemen could be under threat. Palestine is neither a country nor a state, but Palestinian people living in the West Bank […]
How Palestine’s UNESCO Membership Could Affect Middle East Heritage Sites
Akko in Israel is just one important World Heritage Site in the Middle East region that could suffer from the United States’ decision to withhold funding to UNESCO following the admittance of Palestine as a member state. Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that the United States will “refrain from making contributions to UNESCO” […]
Police Beat, Tie-Up, and Fire On Citizens Protesting Dying Ramsar Protected Lake in Iran
Police violently repressed activists protesting the nearly irreversible damage done to the Middle East’s largest salt lake over the weekend. This image was taken of a protest earlier this year. Like a chain of dominos, citizen protests are erupting everywhere: following the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions catalyzed in part by skyrocketing food prices, political protests […]
UNESCO Urges Ethiopia To Halt Gibe III Dam
Green Prophet has followed the Renaissance Dam project for months, on which another Ethiopian dam project sheds some light. On its list of dams to be constructed, Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam project (formerly known as the Grand Millennium Dam) has drawn passionate commentary to our site. Despite the country’s inability to afford the dam and its potential […]
Has Ford´s Ambassador – The Green Sheikh – Been Cloned?
Ford has appointed The Green Sheikh (right) as the Ambassador to their generous environmental grants program. Already a columnist for Green Prophet and a roaming environmentalist whose Ramadan post sent bright green ripples throughout the Muslim world, the Sheikh from Ajman known for his eco-sensitivities has taken on yet another major role. And no, he hasn´t […]
Environmental Concerns Greet Wadi Rum World Heritage Status
Can Wadi Rum cope with a predicted influx of tourists attracted by its World Heritage status? In June, the Jordanian desert valley of Wadi Rum joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a decision which has been much predicted since the end of 2010. According to Green Prophet’s Tafline Laylin, writing in September 2010, UNESCO […]
Apply Now for Ford & UNESCO’s $100,000 Enviro-Grants
Ford offers up another $100,000 to get green initiatives in the Gulf and Levant rolling. Applications are due 10 September, 2011. After writing a visceral post about environmental organizations that accept money from large corporations, in protest of greenwashing, Arwa interviewed the Emirates Diving Association, who explained their decision to accept $10,000 from Ford. One […]
Jordan Gets A New UNESCO-Protected Pit Stop
It’s hard to believe that Jordan -thought worldwide to be nothing more than a sliver of desert – would have rushing waterfalls to protect. At the end of June, 2011, UNESCO is expected to name Jordan’s Mujib Nature Reserve a protected biosphere reserve. The second such site in this small sliver of country, the Mujib […]
Evergreen Supertanker Arrives In Israel To Fight Carmel Fire
A private American company has sent the world’s largest firefighting plane to help Israel fight the Carmel fire. The international community has poured out assistance to Israel as it struggles against the worst fire on record. Turkey, Greece, the United States, Russia and Britain are among thirteen nations that have demonstrated their support. As the […]
Imam Worries Chinese Port Will Ruin UNESCO-Protected Swahili Culture
Young Swahili “beach boys” ride in a traditional dhow in Lamu, which is threatened by a multi-billion dollar port project. Lamu’s enclave of UNESCO-protected Swahili culture – an enduring tradition born from a fusion of coastal Bantu and Arab traders that settled here centuries ago – is threatened by a multi-billion dollar port project. For […]
Israel Shares Strategies For Taking Back The Desert Oasis November 8-11, 2010
Over 500 people from 50 countries will join the Third Annual International Conference on “Drylands, Deserts and Desertification: The Route to Restoration,” on November 8-11, 2010. Although their own water problems are far from over, Israel has mastered techniques that are crucial to desert survival. In addition to developing among the most advanced irrigation procedures, […]
Jordan Hopes For The Gulf And Levant’s First “Mixed” UNESCO Heritage Site
As both a cultural and natural marvel, if Wadi Rum’s candidacy as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is approved, sustainability will be easier to achieve. Concerned organizations have taken huge leaps towards preserving Jordan’s culture and wild heritage. The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature have set aside an additional nine protected areas in […]