Property: Masada
Id. N°: 1040
State Party: Israel
Criteria: C (iii) (iv) (vi)
The Committee inscribed the Masada National Park on the World Heritage List under criteria (iii), (iv), and (vi):
Criterion (iii): Masada is a symbol of the ancient Jewish Kingdom of Israel, of its violent destruction in the later 1st century CE, and of the subsequent Diaspora.
Criterion (iv): The Palace of Herod the Great at Masada is an outstanding example of a luxurious villa of the Early Roman Empire, whilst the camps and other fortifications that encircle the monument constitute the finest and most complete Roman siege works to have survived to the present day.
Criterion (vi): The tragic events during the last days of the Jewish refugees who occupied the fortress and palace of Masada make it a symbol both of Jewish cultural identity and, more universally, of the continuing human struggle between oppression and liberty.
Although the site was originally nominated as a mixed property, the Committee did not inscribe Masada National Park under natural criteria.
The Chairperson congratulated Israel on the inscription of its first site on the World Heritage List. In agreement with the State Party, the name of the property was changed to Masada.