New Delhi, June 28
Delhi’s historic 17th Century Red Fort complex, or Lal Quila as it more popularly known, has found its way into the Unesco list of world heritage sites.

Unesco today said that its World Heritage Committee had inscribed the Red Fort complex, built as the palace fort for Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, on the world heritage list. The Qutub Minar and the Humayun Tomb are the other two historic sites of Delhi already on the Unesco list.

Lal Quila happens to be among the four new cultural sites that were today inscribed on the list. The other three sites are Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Japan), Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan) and Sydney Opera House (Australia).

According to Unesco, the decision to add the Red Fort to its world heritage list was taken at the World Heritage Committee meeting on Thursday afternoon at Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Archaeological Survey of India, in charge of preservation and maintenance of the monument, has welcomed the move, saying that this would help get the cultural heritage of India a wider audience as more tourists from across the world would now visit the monument.

The fact is that historic and cultural standing of the Red Fort cannot be challenged and the monument should have been included in the list much earlier. The problem, however, was that the monument was earlier housing Indian soldiers. It has been included now that the Army has vacated the fort and its management is with the ASI, officials say.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed his happiness on the inclusion of the Red Fort Complex in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

"I am delighted to learn that the World Heritage Committee has included four cultural sites across the world including the Red Fort Complex on the UNESCO's World Heritage List.