(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
RABAT, 21st January, 2019 (WAM) -- The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, ISESCO, yesterday condemned the Houthi militias' looting of significant amount of historical and scientific books and manuscripts from Zabid old city's library in Hodeidah.
ISESCO's Director-General Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri said, "The manuscripts and looted books represent a valuable heritage documenting the history of Zabid, the capital of Yemen from 13th to 15th century."
Altwaijri stressed that the "theft of this valuable heritage is a criminal act against the Yemeni cultural heritage, and a serious violation of international conventions and declarations for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage."
The ISESCO Director-General called on the United Nations and international organisations, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, to intervene to compel the Houthi militias to return the stolen precious items as it considered a part of the cultural heritage for all mankind, noting that the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict criminalises such acts.
The Houthi militias on Sunday stormed the historical library, looting the books which document the history of Zabid, that was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 for its centuries-old urban planning and architecture, including the world's fifth-oldest mosque.
WAM/Esraa Ismail
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