Acre won
its place thanks to the wonderfully preserved medieval town both above and below
street level, and its status as an outstanding example of an Ottoman walled city
whose ramparts, with marvelous views of the Mediterranean, visitors still walk.
UNESCO honored Masada as a symbol of Jewish cultural identity and of the
human struggle for freedom from oppression. Masada’s
construction by Herod the Great is also considered an extraordinary
example of an early Roman villa, and the Roman siege works surrounding the
plateau are the most complete in the world. Masada National
Park continues to upgrade in response to its World
Heritage status, most recently with an innovative new museum displaying some of
the most precious finds of its excavations.
UNESCO also considers the White
City of Tel Aviv to be outstanding – in synthesizing architectural trends of the
Modern Movement and integrating them into local conditions. The buildings of the
White
City are one of Tel Aviv’s
latest attractions, as the knots of visitors and locals, who can be seen
perusing them on Dizengoff, Rothschild and other streets, attest.