The House of Councillors approved the draft law concerning the protection of heritage with a majority vote in a legislative session held yesterday, Tuesday.
The draft law received the support of 32 parliamentary advisers, with three abstentions from voting.
Presenting this legislative text, the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, responsible for relations with Parliament and the government spokesman, Mustafa Baaitas, emphasized that its key provisions include the introduction of new definitions related to various types of cultural, natural, and geological heritage that align with internationally recognized concepts regarding cultural heritage and are consistent with modern definitions upheld by UNESCO.
Baaitas explained, on behalf of Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, that the draft law establishes the concept of “historical groups,” which consist of assembled real estate properties, whether built or unbuilt, that are significant due to their architectural character, historical value, or uniqueness, such as ancient cities, lost cities, villages, palaces, or kasbahs.
He also noted that the draft law stipulates the inclusion of submerged cultural heritage, referring to remains of human existence that are cultural, historical, archaeological, scientific, or artistic in nature, which have been partially or entirely submerged in water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years, particularly sites, structures, artifacts, and human or animal remains, as well as shipwrecks.
According to the minister, this legislative text includes a category of natural heritage, which encompasses natural sites, environments, spaces, and landscapes. It also incorporates geological heritage, which includes geological formations, sites, mineral samples, fossils, meteorites, and geological documents that belong to geological times prior to the Quaternary period.
Baaitas highlighted that intangible cultural heritage has been introduced, representing the set of practices, representations, tools, artifacts, and cultural spaces that communities, groups, and individuals consider part of their cultural heritage, in addition to the concept of living human treasures that enable the transfer of knowledge and skills to ensure the continuity of intangible cultural heritage.
The provisions of the draft law also include the establishment of a national registry for the inventory of heritage, which will encompass the national inventory of immovable cultural heritage, the national inventory of movable heritage, the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage, the national inventory of submerged heritage, the national inventory of natural heritage, and the national inventory of geological heritage.
