Canadian architecture students are currently formulating plans to preserve historical sites on Herzl Street in the Old City of Ramle. Their goal? Promoting UNESCO recognition of the city as a World Heritage Site. With the assistance of Israeli experts, the students are planning the preservation of sites sacred to all three major religions while emphasizing the presence of three churches ? Greek Orthodox, Franciscan and Armenian.

More than 800 sites around the world appear on UNESCO's World Heritage List, including the Kremlin in Moscow, Hiroshima, Olympia in Greece, Auschwitz and the Great Pyramid in Giza. In Israel, the hundreds of Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv's White City made the distinguished list ? as did Masada, the Old City of Acre, the Old City of Jerusalem and, last year, the Incense Route and ancient cities of the Negev, and Biblical Tells in Megiddo, Hazor and Tel Sheva.

"Ramle is one of the only places in the world where the three major religions live in close proximity; synagogues, mosques and churches are located side by side. All of them are located on Herzl Street, which was the historic artery from Jaffa to Jerusalem," explains Ramle Mayor Yoel Lavie.

According to Ramle City Planner Ehud Zaksenberg, who has played a role in a variety of preservation projects throughout the country, in two weeks the students will complete their plans and present them to Professor Mike Turner, chair of the Israel World Heritage Committee. They hope that UNESCO recognition will bring the necessary funds to preserve the Ramle sites.

"I have been trying to promote this issue in the Ministry of Tourism and the Israel Government Tourism Office for 12 years in order to persuade them to support a plan like this and transform Ramle into a tourist attraction. Fine people from these authorities have come here on tours, been impressed by the potential, dipped their pita in hummus and continued on their way, but nothing has been done on this matter," complains Zaksenberg.

But about four months ago, Professor Masha Atkins of Toronto arrived in Ramle quite by accident.

"Professor Atkins comprehended during a chance visit what tourism authorities in Israel failed to understand," Zaksenberg notes. "She formed a group of 20 Canadian students who would come to plan the preservation of these sites. She said there was a treasure here, buried in a lot of dust that just needed shaking off."

According to Zaksenberg, the Ramle municipality will turn to UNESCO if the Ministry of Tourism fails to invest in these sites.

The Canadian students will meet with a number of Israeli architects to prepare their proposal. Yesterday they met with Sofia Eldor, director of Urban Planning in the Ministry of Construction and Housing, and on Tuesday they met with architect Sa'adia Mandel to gain insight into the preservation of various sites in the Old City.

This week Professor Turner said that the Old City of Ramle is on the list of 25 sites in Israel that are designated for preservation and are candidates for UNESCO recognition. According to him, "The current planning efforts in Ramle will promote the issue and render it relevant for UNESCO recognition."

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