UNESCO recently designated 22 new World Heritage sites which have now joined iconic locations like India’s Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.

Asmara, the capital of Eritrea has officially been labeled a World Heritage site by the United Nations Education, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

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It followed years of lobbying by the country that is nestled close to the Red Sea and is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti on different sides.

Eritreans have long maintained that their capital, also known as “Little Rome” is like no other city in Africa. The U.N. cultural body finally accepted the claim during a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in the Polish city of Krakow over the past weekend.