Between a Rock and a Hard Place Quiz

Answer: Iran

Built some time around 200 B.C.E., the citadel at Bam was the largest adobe building in the world, and was occupied continually from when it was built until the mid 19th century. Sadly, the site was severely damaged by a massive earthquake in 2003, but a joint group from several countries are committed to rebuilding and restoring this fascinating site. Bam was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Answer: Incense Route

Declared a World Heritage Site in 2005, the Incense Route consists of four towns in the Negev Desert of Israel: Avdat, Haluza, Mamshit and Shivta as well as the route and surrounding area linking them to the Mediterranean Sea. These areas were along the incense and spice routes that brought frankincense and myrrh to the Mediterranean region, and they were constructed by the Nabatean civilization that was also responsible for the building of Petra and Al-Hijr.

Answer: Minaret

The Minaret of Jam is almost seventy metres tall, and stands in a beautiful unspoiled river valley, almost 2000 metres above sea level. The setting is so remote that the minaret was only made known to UNESCO (and the West in general) in the late 1950s. The Minaret of Jam became a World Heritage Site in 2002.

Answer: Saudi Arabia

The resemblance of Al-Hijr, also known as Madain Saleh or Hegra, to the site of Petra, Jordan, isn't coincidental; both sites were created by the Nabataean civilization. Al-Hijr consists of a series of over 100 tombs carved into sandstone mountains between the 1st century B.C.E. and the 1st century C.E. In 2008, Al-Hijr was the first World Heritage Site to be recognized in Saudi Arabia.

Answer: Bath house

A hammam is a Turkish bath, often described as a mix between a Scandinavian sauna and a Roman bath-house. The fourteen hammams which survive in Sana'a were all built before the 11th century. The old city of Sana'a was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.

Answer: An ancient desert city

Declared a World Heritage Site in 1980, Palmyra contains the ruins of a great city that served as a caravan oasis. Called The Bride of the Desert or The Oasis, the exact age of the city isn't known, but it was mentioned in tablets dating back to 2000 B.C.E. The city fell to the Romans in the late second century C.E. and gradually fell into disuse afterwards.

Answer: Dilmun

Until excavation began at Qal'at al-Bahrain, the Dilmun civilisation was only known from references in some ancient Sumerian writings. The whole site is known as a "Tell" which is a mound made up of layer upon layer of detritus of previous habitation on the same site.

The tell at Qal'at al-Bahrain is over 12m tall, and is crowned with the Portuguese fort that gives the site its name. Qal'at al-Bahrain became a World Heritage Site in 2005.

Answer: Oman

Declared a World Heritage Site in 2000 as the "Land of Frankincense", the Frankincense Trail consists of several sites that highlight the production and distribution of the aromatic resin of the Boswellia trees. Frankincense was an important luxury trade item in the Mediterranean and Asian regions.

The trees of Wadi Dawkah, the caravan oasis of Shisr/Wubar and the port areas of Khor Rori and Al-Baleed make up the site designated as the Land of Frankincense.

Answer: Valley

The city was named for the nearby Wadi Zabid, and was once the capital of the territory ruled over by the Ziyadid Dynasty, from the ninth to the eleventh centuries C.E. The historic town was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993. In 2000, it was declared to be an endangered site due to "poor upkeep and conservation" by the Yememi government.

Answer: It was an early Christian holy city.

Declared a World Heritage Site in 1979, the city located near Alexandria was built on the tomb of the martyr Saint Menas who died in 296 C.E. The site was destroyed during the mid-7th century C.E. but archeological excavations in the 20th century uncovered many of the remains. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list in 2001 due to rising local water tables that have collapsed structures in the city.