Kingston, Jamaica – Port Royal, as soon as infamously dubbed “the richest and wickedest metropolis on this planet,” is on the verge of incomes one of many highest recognitions for cultural and historic significance: inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage Record. The announcement was made by Minister of Tradition, Gender, Leisure and Sport, Olivia Grange, throughout a floral tribute to commemorate the ninety fifth anniversary of the delivery of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga.
“I proudly report as we speak that I’ve acquired the excellent news from the World Heritage Centre that the analysis workforce has advisable our nomination of Port Royal for inscription on the World Heritage Record in July of this 12 months,” stated Grange.
The nominated web site, titled “The Archaeological Panorama of Seventeenth Century Port Royal”, would grow to be Jamaica’s second entry on the distinguished record, becoming a member of the Blue and John Crow Mountains, which acquired World Heritage standing in 2015.
Port Royal was as soon as a bustling hub of commerce and piracy within the 1600s, a key port for European powers and privateers alike. At its peak, it was an important buying and selling submit within the Caribbean and was stated to rival any metropolis within the Western Hemisphere when it comes to wealth—and notoriety. However on June 7, 1692, a devastating earthquake despatched two-thirds of the town plunging into the ocean, preserving a lot of it beneath the waves. The submerged ruins as we speak function a time capsule of Seventeenth-century life.
Minister Grange famous that the pending World Heritage designation is a major cultural achievement for Jamaica. “That is one other win for Jamaica and a second of delight that I do know Mr Seaga would have celebrated,” she stated, referencing the previous prime minister’s push within the Nineteen Eighties to appoint three Jamaican websites—Port Royal amongst them—for UNESCO recognition.
The anticipated designation is predicted to spice up Jamaica’s cultural tourism considerably, particularly when paired with current developments just like the Port Royal Cruise Ship Pier. Grange emphasised that the popularity won’t solely honor Jamaica’s wealthy historical past but in addition current new financial and academic alternatives for the nation.
Because the world awaits UNESCO’s ultimate determination in July, Jamaicans are celebrating the legacy of a city that has endured catastrophe, preserved its heritage, and continues to captivate imaginations worldwide.
