The ancient cities of palaces, mosques, public squares and narrow streets, some dating back to the 12th century, are still occupied today, even though many structures are in serious disrepair."This listing is not a finish line but a starting point," said Comoros culture minister Said Mohamed Ali Said, part of a government delegation that travelled to UNESCO's meeting in Busan, South Korea, for the announcement.It was a moment of "immense national pride", he told AFP.The medinas are the first sites from the Comoros archipelago to join the UNESCO list, which counts more than 1,200 properties around the world considered to have "outstanding universal value" worth protection.
Some of the Comoros medinas date back to the 12th century and are still occupied today © Shainess DAOUD / AFP
They "are not just historical sites for us: they are living towns, where people still pray, trade, and celebrate life's great moments exactly as our ancestors did", the minister said."This heritage is fragile and, in places, in real danger," he said. "The listing changes things: it places obligations on us, but it also opens doors for us."The Islamic country, about 300 kilometres (200 miles) off the coast of Africa and home today to around 870,000 people, was for centuries a crossroads of maritime trade between east Africa, the Middle East and Madagascar.Four of the inscribed medinas are on the main island of Grande Comore and two on the smaller island of Anjouan.'Uncontrolled urbanisation'The 14th-century medina in the capital Moroni includes the emblematic Friday Mosque with its green minaret across from the dhow port. It is surrounded by paved alleyways and multi-storey houses, some with heavy, carved doors. The small maritime Itsandra medina nearby is considered a cradle of Swahili civilisation. Further south, the 12th-century Iconi medina houses the tomb of Prince Said Ibrahim, son of the last sultan of Grande Comore, Said Ali.
