United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization

BELGRADE - Serbia has named its new ambassadors to Riyadh, Vienna, Sarajevo and Unesco.

"Today's publication of a decree by President Aleksandar Vucic completes the procedure of appointing four Serbian ambassadors," FM Ivica Dacic said in a written statement.

Tourists wishing to visit Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will have to pay admission starting in January 2024, the country's culture minister announced on Tuesday.

The 1,500-year-old Byzantine cathedral, which was converted from a museum into a mosque by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2020, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and receives over 3.5 million visitors a year.

Uber has started offering hot balloon rides in touristic Cappadocia, renowned for its natural formations, underground and aboveground cities, as well as its fairy chimneys.

"Starting this week, Uber Balloon will be available in the UNESCO World Heritage Göreme National Park, and riders can book directly in the app via Uber Reserve," the company said in a statement on Oct. 24.

The tiny cracks on the large stone statues at Mount Nemrut in the southeastern province of Adıyaman were filled with "nano lime" with syringes last year for their protection and officials announced that it worked.

Standing at the foot of the cliff overlooking Kemaliye, the golden statue of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of the nation, evokes the glorious past of this small town in the eastern province of Erzincan.

BELGRADE - At a briefing for foreign ambassadors on Serbia's UNESCO Executive Board candidacy, FM Ivica Dacic said on Friday Serbia advocated a strengthening of multilateralism as a foundation for its further activities in the broader international framework.

A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing hundreds of people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech.

Venice will trial a long-debated ticketing system from spring next year, officials said on Sept. 5, with day-trippers charged five euros to enter the Italian city's historic center in attempt to cut tourist numbers.

Fairy chimneys in Narman district of the eastern province of Erzurum are on the way to become a member of the UNESCO World Heritage List if the region is turned into a geopark, an expert has said, refusing the claims that the region was once removed from UNESCO's tentative list.

The monastery of Osios Loukas in central Greece, one of the most important Byzantine monuments in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been engulfed in flames on Wednesday. There are significant firefighting forces on scene to avert the total destruction of the site.