Unesco to the Rescue

In 1959, the Egyptian government was planning to build the Aswan Dam on the River Nile. Electricity would be generated by the dam and the river water could be used for agriculture and farming. However, there was one big problem with the plan. A nearby valley that contained ancient Egyptian treasures, including two enormous stone temples, would be flooded by the dam.

It can be hard for governments to choose national history and culture over economics. Fortunately, UNESCO formed a committee to convince Egypt to protect its ancient treasures. Many countries supported UNESCO and they finally succeeded. The huge temples were moved very carefully from their original site to a safe place. This meant the government could go ahead and build the dam.

UNESCO is a branch of the United Nations, which is a partnership between countries from all over the world that aims to promote world peace, enforce human rights and help countries develop. UNESCO handles science and culture.

UNESCO has gone on to save more sites around the world since their success in Egypt. They have protected temples in Indonesia, lagoons in Venice, and ancient ruins in Pakistan. Eventually, UNESCO formed the World Heritage Organization to protect important natural and historic sites wherever it was necessary.

The World Heritage Organization protects hundreds of sites around the world; from ancient ruins to beautiful natural islands to buildings in large cities.