Five sites in Nigeria for World Islamic Heritage listing

Nigeria has presented a list of five Heritage Sites to the Islamic World Heritage Committee of Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, for listing on the World Islamic Heritage List.

According to the Director-General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman the five heritage sites submitted include Hubbaren Shehu, Sokoto State; Gobarau Minaret, Katsina State; Sheikh Alimi Mosque complex, Ilorin, Kwara State; Mbormi Battle Ground, Gombe; and Fanisau Palace Mosque, Kano State. He added that Nigeria is scheduled to attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of. ISESCO holding in Oman, from November 2 – 5, 2015.

Usman said the sites were selected based on their outstanding universal value as architectural masterpieces, archaeological and historical edifices.

Last month, Nigeria was elected Co-Vice Chair of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of the States Parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The election, which took place at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, France, also voted Poland, India and Iraq as co-Vice Chair to Greece while Ecuador is to serve as Rapporteur for a term of two years. Usman was at the event as the national implementation agency of the convention.