Property: Sukur Cultural Landscape
Id. N°: 938
State Party: Nigeria
Criteria: C (iii) (v) (vi)
The Committee inscribed the property on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii), (v) and (vi):
Criterion (iii): Sukur is an exceptional landscape that graphically illustrates a form of land-use that marks a critical stage in human settlement and its relationship with its environment.
Criterion (v): The cultural landscape of Sukur has survived unchanged for many centuries, and continues to do so at a period when this form of traditional human settlement is under threat in many parts of the world.
Criterion (vi): The cultural landscape of Sukur is eloquent testimony to a strong and continuing spiritual and cultural tradition that has endured for many centuries.
Several members of the Committee expressed their pleasure and emotion following the inscription of this cultural landscape on the World Heritage List as it reflects international recognition of African heritage and is of significant importance in achieving the goals of the Global Strategy.
The Chairperson, in the name of the Committee, congratulated Nigeria and expressed the wish that, in the near future, nominations for inscription from the biggest state in Africa that bear witness to its richness, its cultural diversity, and illustrate the specificity of African heritage would be submitted for inscription.
H.E. the Federal Minister for Culture and Tourism thanked the Committee and ICOMOS, the World Heritage Centre and transmitted to them a message from the highest authorities in his country. The text of his intervention is included as Annex VI to this report.