Algeria Escalates UNESCO Battle to Safeguard Cultural Heritage from Moroccan Claims

Between 2008 and 2024, Algeria has been able to register 13 elements of its intangible heritage such as Zellige with UNESCO. Algiers and Rabat have disputed the paternity of this ornamental ceramic tile. In September 2022, the Moroccan Ministry of Culture had put Adidas on notice to "withdraw the new jersey of the Algerian national team from the market", considering that the patterns on the jersey, inspired by "a traditional Moroccan ceramic art, the zellige, are a cultural appropriation of Morocco". The German equipment manufacturer Adidas finally gave up the zellige by producing a new jersey without any reference to Morocco.

Algeria plans to file new applications to have the burnous, the haik and the Haouzi musical style recognized. The Ministry of Culture is working in coordination with the National Center for Prehistoric, Anthropological and Historical Research (CNRPAH) to develop new files for their registration, said Zouhir Ballalou, Minister of Culture, who announced on Thursday the upcoming revision of the 1998 law on the protection of cultural heritage, with "the introduction of a specific provision relating to intangible cultural heritage".

Algeria also protects its historical and natural heritage. The national parks of Djurdjura, El-Kala and Ahaggar, the collective granary fortresses of the Touat-Gourara-Tidikelt Cultural Park (Ighamaouen), the archaeological heritage of the city of Tébessa, the ksour of the Algerian Saharan Atlas, the royal mausoleums of ancient Algeria, the oasis systems of the Ghoufi gorges and Oued Labiod, the "Tafedest" massif in the Ahaggar Cultural Park, Nedroma and the Trara, the Augustinian itineraries in Algeria and the oasis landscapes of Oued Souf, are on the updated World Heritage List published last Tuesday by UNESCO.