World Tour, With Protection
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation was founded on November 16, 1945, in London, England. The organisation was founded as a means to maintain worldwide peace and security after World War II ended, and it adopted the idea of conserving national heritage in 1972. Today, UNESCO has 193 member states and 12 associate members. Have you heard of any of these historic sites?
1. Region of Kotor
Located in the Boka Kotorska Bay of Montenegro, this 14,600-hectare property contains cities, settlements, palaces, and places of worship that flourished during the Middle Ages. Montenegro was an important artistic and commercial centre during that year, and this property became a heritage site in 1979.
2. City of Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador, and was founded on the ruins of an Inca city back in the 16th century. Located at an altitude of almost 3,000 m, Quito’s historic centre gives us a look at medieval Latin America. Quito was one of the first official UNESCO heritage sites, alongside the Galapagos Islands.
3. Pirin National Park
Located in southwest Bulgaria, this 27,000-hectare national park sits in the Pirin Mountains. The protected property is closer to 40,000 hectares and contains limestone mountain landscapes, glacial lakes, caves, and conifer forests. The area became a heritage site in 1983.
4. Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple
Located in Sri Lanka, this cave monastery has been a pilgrimage site for Buddhists since the 1st century BCE. It is the largest preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka, containing a total of 5 sanctuaries. The site went under UNESCO’s protection in 1991.
5. Serra Da Capivara National Park
This heritage site protects some of South America's most ancient human settlements. It contains 25,000-year-old paintings, area houses, and over 300 archeological sites within its 129,140-hectare space. The park went under UNESCO’s protection in 1991.
6. Eisinga Planetarium
Located in Franeker, this 18th-century planetarium is the world’s oldest continuously operating planetarium. Built by wool manufacturer Eise Eisinga, the planetarium provided accurate and realistic images of the sun, moon, earth, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, and saturn. This Netherlands staple was adopted as a heritage site in 2023.
Willem van Valkenburg from Delft, Netherlands on Wikimedia
7. Church Town of Gammelstad
Located in Lulea, Sweden, this church village is a well-preserved example of dwellings in the 15th century. Gammelstad contains over 400 wooden houses huddled around a stone church. The church is said to have been only used on Sundays, for religious festivals, or for overnight housing for worshippers in the surrounding countryside. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
8. City of Potosi
This 16th-century city was considered the world’s largest industrial complex. Located in the state of Bolivia, this city contained a highly advanced mining and aqueduct system for silver ore extraction, alongside a historic town, church, and patrician houses. The city became a heritage site in 1987.
9. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
Located in India, this 10-hectare property contains 12th and 13th-century Hoysala temple complexes. Most notably, this region contains the Channakeshava Temple, the Hoysalesvara Temple, and the Keshava Temple, all of which contain artistic and architectural elements not seen during other dynasties. This area became a UNESCO site in 2023.
Dineshkannambadi at English Wikipedia on Wikimedia
10. The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta
This 18th-century complex was developed by Sultan Mangkubumi, which connects this palace with landmarks, monuments, and spaces on a six-kilometre-long axis. Located in Indonesia, this axis formed our knowledge of 18th-century civilisation, philosophical beliefs, and cultural ideology. The area became a world heritage site in 2023.
11. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Located in Alberta, Canada, this cliff base holds over 6,000 years of primarily Bison bones. Native American tribes used the cliff as a more efficient means of killing the large animals, and its use can be dated from 5,800 BCE to 1850 CE. The area became a heritage site in 1981.
12. Minaret Of Jam
Dating back to 12th-century Afghanistan, this 65m-tall structure is a thing of beauty. It contains elaborate brickwork, a blue tile inscription, and a geometric decoration. The Minaret likely stands at the ancient city of Firuzkuh, but only the large structure stands today. It became a world heritage site in 2002.
13. Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman
This nearly 1,500-hectare zone contains a vast water irrigation system that was used as early as 2500 BCE. The systems travelled under several villages and towns, and represent some 3,000 systems still used in Oman today. The area became a heritage site in 2006.
14. Gaya Tumuli
Located in Korea, this 189-hectare zone holds archaeological cemeteries and burial mounds that were part of the Gaya Confederacy. This confederacy, which existed from the 1st to the 6th century CE, introduced large societal changes to this civilization. The area became a heritage site in 2023.
Taken by User:Visviva and released into the public domain. on Wikimedia
15. Historic Centre Of Shakhrisyabz
Located in Uzbekistan, this city-centre gives us a look at 15th and 16th-century life in central Asia. This city was located on the Silk Road and contains several secular buildings that gained prominence during the Timur Empire. This area became a heritage site in 2000.
Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France on Wikimedia
16. Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe
Located in France, this 11th and 12th-century church was built by Saint Benoît d’Aniane, the father of Western Monasticism. Considered the “Romanesque Sistine Chapel,” this Abbey contains the largest area of Roman murals to date. It became a heritage site in 1983.
17. L’Anse Aux Meadows
Located in Newfoundland, Canada, this nearly 8,00-hectare property contains the remains of an 11th-century Viking settlement. It’s considered one of the first European presences in North America, and the structures are similar to those found in Greenland and Iceland. The area became a World Heritage Site in 1978.
18. Cahokia Mounds
Located in Missouri, USA, this is the largest known pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. There were likely tens of thousands of Mississippians (800-1350) at the height of this settlement’s popularity, around 1100 BCE, the mounds serving as buildings, ceremonial sites, and burial grounds. The area became a heritage site in 1982.
19. Dilmun Burial Mounds
Located in Bahrain, this 168-hectare area contains over 21 archaeological sites. Many burial mounds, which were built between 2200 and 1750 BCE, have been found so far, with almost 12,000 being found. The mounds are evidence of the Early Dilmun civilization. The area became a heritage site in 2019.
© Think Heritage Author: Melanie Münzner on Wikimedia
20. Phoenix Islands
Located in Kiribati, encompassing an area of nearly 41 million hectares, sits the Phoenix Islands. The area is the largest designated Marine Protected Area worldwide, containing 14 known underwater sea volcanoes and over 800 species of fauna. This area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.
