Minoan sites, Spinalonga proposed for UNESCO monuments list

Tornos News — The issue of the integration of the Minoan civilization and the island of Spinalonga in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage sites was raised at an international meeting of the UNESCO Committee Convention held this weekend in Crete, with the participation of 35 delegates from 18 countries from Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America.

The committee meeting was held in the Basilica of St. Mark Heraklion, chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture Ms. Maria Vlazakis.

The topic of discussion of the committee was the protection of  cultural property from illicit trade in antiquities, while the committee members toured in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion earlier.

Then, they watched a video on the Minoan Palaces proposed for the UNESCO list (Knossos, Phaistos, etc.) as well as a video on the islet of Spinalonga which for some decades in the early 20th century was turned into a leper colony, where lepers originally from Crete and later from all over Greece were sent.