World heritage and the contradictions of ‘universal value’

•Critiques the notion of universal value as a core principle of World Heritage.•Based on ethnographic research at Göreme Open-Air Museum, in central Turkey.•Examines stories told by guides in relation to the damage frescoes at the site.•Emphasises the singularity of the concept of ‘universal value’.•Argues for the need for World Heritage to embrace pluralism and be open to debate.

This article critically appraises the notion of ‘universal value’ as a core principle underpinning World Heritage Sites. It does so through examination of Göreme Open-Air Museum, a cultural tourism site of cave Byzantine churches in central Turkey. Focusing on the contestation surrounding the frescoes within the Byzantine churches, the article discusses tensions relating to the non-iconographic nature of Islam and to the ways that deliberate damage to the frescos is interpreted to tourists. We conclude that these tensions emphasise the singularity of the concept of universal value, and argue that it is only by embracing pluralism and being open to alternative narratives and debate that World Heritage Sites, as international tourism sites, might be able to achieve UNESCO’s unifying ideals.