The Boka Navy was founded in 809 in the coastal town of Kotor, and for about 1,000 years served as a brotherhood of seafarers.

It has since lost its original function, and today operates as a folklore group, showcasing traditional dance and costume.

"For the past two centuries, it has played a memorial role, preserving and promoting maritime history and tradition," UNESCO said.

The city of Kotor itself — a picturesque medieval town in the scenic Adriatic bay of Boka Kotorska — was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

The navy's origin is linked to the arrival of the relics of St. Tryphon, the patron saint of Kotor, which is marked by the annual festivities whose backbone is the Boka Navy.

During the festivities, members wear colorful uniforms, carry traditional weapons and perform the traditional circle kolo dance.

The navy is led by an "admiral", and each year, a boy aged six to 12 is elected to act as a "young admiral", the symbol of renewal and durability.

"This is a dream come true for members of the Boka Navy," current admiral of the Boka Navy Antun Sbutega told local media.

Meanwhile, UNESCO on Dec. 14 added Arabic calligraphy, a key tradition in the Arab and Islamic worlds, to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

A total of 16 Muslim-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia, presented the nomination to the UNESCO, which announced the listing on Twitter. 

"Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty," UNESCO said on its website.

"The fluidity of Arabic script offers infinite possibilities, even within a single word, as letters can be stretched and transformed in numerous ways to create different motifs."

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud welcomed the decision and said it would "contribute to developing this cultural heritage", in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Abdelmajid Mahboub from the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society, which was involved in the proposal, said calligraphy "has always served as a symbol of the Arab-Muslim world".

But he lamented that "many people no longer write by hand due to technological advances", adding that the number of specialized Arab calligraphic artists had dropped sharply.

The UNESCO listing "will certainly have a positive impact" on preserving the tradition, he added.

According to the UNESCO website, intangible cultural heritage "is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization". 

Its importance "is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next".

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