The new additions include Saint Hilarion Monastery at Tell Umm Amer (Palestine), Umm Al-Jimmāl (Jordan), and the Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area (Saudi Arabia).

The ruins of Saint Hilarion Monastery at Tell Umm Amer are situated on the coastal dunes in Nuseirat Municipality, close to Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. The remains represent one of the earliest monastic sites in the Middle East, dating back to the 4th century and embracing the first monastic community in the holy land.

Saint Hilarion Monastery is the fifth Palestinian site on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The previous four are the Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem; Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem; Battir Hebron, Al-Khalil Old Town; and Ancient Jericho, Tell es-Sultan.

The new site from Jordan is Umm Al-Jimmāl, located some 17 kilometres east of Mafraq in northern Jordan. The site is of an earlier Roman settlement, which functioned between the 5th and 8th centuries, with the earliest structures dating back to the 1st century.

According to the UNESCO announcement, Umm Al-Jimmāl "preserves basaltic structures from the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods that represent the local architecture style of the Hauran region, with some earlier Roman military buildings re-purposed by later inhabitants."

Jordan has 6 other sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, namely, Petra, Quseir Amra, Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a), Wadi Rum Protected Area, Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas), and As-Salt - The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality.

Saudi Arabia entered the new list with the Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area.

According to UNESCO, the area which includes 12,000 archaeological remains, spanning from prehistoric times to the Late pre-Islamic era, lies "at a strategic point of the ancient trade routes of the Arabian Peninsula; the property was abruptly abandoned around the 5th century."

Al-Faw Archaeological Area is Saudi Arabia's 8th site on the UNESCO list. The previous seven are Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr/Madā ͐ in Ṣāliḥ); At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah; Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah; Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia; Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape; Ḥimā Cultural Area; and ‘Uruq Bani Ma’arid.

UNESCO held the 46th session between 21 and 31 July in New Delhi, India.

The session saw a total of 24 new inscribed properties, 19 of which have cultural significance, 4 carry natural significance, and 1 is a mix between cultural and natural significance.

The session also modified the boundaries of two sites already on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: the Moravian Church Settlements and China's Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China.