UNESCO Heritage Sites

The Queensland government says it would consider shipping uranium through the Great Barrier Reef if a new advisory committee made the recommendation. The comments come as the United Nation's environmental arm considers whether to list the reef as a World Heritage site in danger. In a report earlier this year, UNESCO identified shipping as one of the most pressing threats to the reef's future. Shipping over Great Barrier Reef ports The Queensland government this month lifted a long-standing ban on the mining of uranium in Queensland, despite saying before and after the March election it had no plans to do so. Chairman of the government's new uranium mining implementation committee, and Central Highlands councillor Paul Bell, revealed on Wednesday that all options are being examined, including shipping the ore from Great Barrier Reef ports.

The civil war in Syria war threatens to do irreparable damage to the country's archaeological treasures. When UNESCO described the Great Mosque of Aleppo as "one of the most beautiful mosques in the Muslim world", few would have begged to differ. The landmark12th-century building was an icon of Islamic architecture. As well as a place of worship, it served as a document of history, a national treasure and a testament to the breath-taking beauty that architecture can inspire. The Fate of Ummayad Mosque Until two weeks ago, that is, when it was ravaged by fire. Now, the famous stonewash courtyard is charred by flames. The domed interiors, hung with gold chandeliers, lie in rubble. Enamelled mosaic tiles are scattered on the floor alongside broken windows and empty ammunition cases. The fate of the Ummayad mosque is becoming a sadly familiar story for the cultural heritage of Syria. Earlier this month, the centuries-old Aleppo souk was destroyed, adding to an ever-inc...

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has recommended 3 more heritage sites to the UNESCO to accord World Heritage status to Hire Benakal, Bijapur-Bidar and the Pattadkal-Aihole-Badami-Mahakoota cluster. Announcing this on the third anniversary of the Indo-Asian Foundation of Archaeological Research (IAFAR) on Monday, D. Dayalan, Regional Director ASI, said there was also a plan to recommend Hoysala sites in Belur, Halebid and Somanathapura for World Heritage status. Recommending 3 Sites Hire Benakal is a small village in Gangavathi taluk of Koppal district — is the location of an "enormous" and "isolated" megalithic site. Bijapur and Bidar have some stunning architectural examples of Bahmani architecture. Pattadkal is already a world heritage site, and the ASI has recommended that the Aihole, Badami and the Mahakoota group of temples of Bagalkot district become part of it. Hire Benakal monuments were built more than 1,000 years ago spanning the southern I...

Sun Temple, Konarak is located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, the temple at Konarak is a monumental representation of the sun god Surya's chariot; its 24 wheels are decorated with symbolic designs and it is led by a team of six horses. Built in the 13th century, it is one of India's most famous Brahman sanctuaries. Konarak is an outstanding testimony to the 13th-century kingdom of Orissa. It is directly and materially linked to Brahmin beliefs, and forms the invaluable link in the history of the diffusion of the cult of Surya, which originated in Kashmir during the 8th century and finally reached the shores of eastern India. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (I)(III) (VI) Date of Inscription: 1984 Brahmin temple of Kimarak On the eastern coast of India, south of the Mahanadi Delta, is the Brahmin temple of Kimarak (still spelled as Konarak or Konarka), one of the most famous Brahmin ...

The Rock Shelters and Paintings of Bhimbetka are in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains on the southern edge of the central Indian plateau. Within massive sandstone outcrops, above comparatively dense forest, are five clusters of natural rock shelters, displaying paintings that appear to date from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical period. The cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the twenty-one villages adjacent to the site bear a strong resemblance to those represented in the rock paintings. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(V) Date of Inscription: 2003 Bhimbetka Buddhist site Bhimbetka reflects a long interaction between people and the landscape. It is closely associated with a hunting and gathering economy, as demonstrated in the rock art and in the relicts of this tradition in the local adivasi villages on the periphery of the site. The site complex was discovered by V. S. Wakankar in 1957. Almos...

Qutb Minar was built in the early 13th century a few kilometres south of Delhi; the red sandstone tower of Qutb Minar is 72.5 m high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at its peak to 14.32 m at its base, and alternating angular and rounded flutings. The surrounding archaeological area contains funerary buildings, notably the magnificent Alai-Darwaza Gate, the masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in 1311), and two mosques, including the Quwwatu'l-Islam, the oldest in northern India, built of materials reused from some 20 Brahman temples. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (IV) Date of Inscription: 1993 The Qutb Complex Lalkot is the first of the seven cities of Delhi, established by the Tomar Rajput ruler, Anang Pal, in 1060. The Qutb complex lies in the middle of the eastern part of Lalkot. Building of the Quwwatu'l-Islam (Might of Islam) congregational mosque was begun in 1192 by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak and completed in 1198, u...

The Beauty of Mountain Railways in India heritage property includes three railways. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the first, and is still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, its design applies bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty. The construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 46-km long metre-gauge single-track railway in Tamil Nadu State was first proposed in 1854, but due to the difficulty of the mountainous location the work only started in 1891 and was completed in 1908. This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 m to 2,203 m, represented the latest technology of the time. The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96-km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla is emblematic of the technical and material efforts to disenclave mountain populations through the railway....

Manas takes its name from the Goddess Manasa. The Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is noted for its spectacular scenery, with a variety of habitat types that support a diverse fauna, making it the richest of all Indian wildlife areas. The park represents the core of an extensive tiger reserve that protects an important migratory wildlife resource along the West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan borders. Its wetlands are of international importance. It is also the single most important site for the survival of pygmy hog, hispid hare and golden langur. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Natural Criterion: (VII)(IX) (X) Date of Inscription: 1985 Manas Reserve Forest The park, which includes part of Manas Reserve Forest and all of North Kamrup Reserve Forest, constitutes the core of Manas Tiger Reserve located in the forest divisions of Kachugaon, Haltugaon, Western Assam Wildlife and North Kamrup. Lying in the foothills of the Outer Himalaya, the area is low-l...

Keoladeo National Park is situated in eastern Rajasthan, the park is 2 km south-east of Bharatpur and 50 km west of Agra. The area consists of a flat patchwork of marshes in the Gangetic plain, artificially created in the 1850s and maintained ever since by a system of canals, sluices and dykes. Normally, water is fed into the marshes twice a year from inundations of the Gambira and Banganga rivers, which are impounded on arable land by means of an artificial dam called Ajan Bund, to the south of the park. The first time, usually in mid-July, is soon after the onset of the monsoon and the second time is in late September or October when Ajan Bund is drained ready for cultivation in winter. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Natural Criterion: (X) Date of Inscription: 1985 Keoladeo Monsoon Thus, the area is flooded to a depth of 1-2 m throughout the monsoon (July-September), after which the water level drops. From February onwards the land begins to dry ou...

In the heart of Assam, Kaziranga National Park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds. In the heart of Assam, this park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Natural Criterion: (II)(IV) Date of Inscription: 2011 The Water Coverage of Kaziranga The site is on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River at the foot of the Mikir Hills. The park lies in the flood plains of the Brahmaputra. The riverine habitat consists primarily of tall, dense grasslands interspersed with open forests, interconnecting...

Humayun's Tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. Exemplifying the formative stage of the Mughal structural style, Humayun's Tomb stands as a landmark in the development of Mughal architecture, and also represents the earliest extant specimen of the Mughal scheme of the garden tomb, with causeways and channels. It is a well-developed specimen of the double-domed elevation with kiosks on a grand scale. This building tradition culminated in the Taj Mahal, constructed a century later. Despite being the first standardized example of this style, Humayun's Tomb is an architectural achievement of the highest order. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(IV) Date of Inscription: 2011 The Tomb of Humayun The tomb of Humayun, second Mughal Emperor of India...

Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri or the City of Victory was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid. Fatehpur Sikri bears exceptional testimony to the Mughal civilization at the end of the 16th century. It offers a unique example of architectural ensembles of very high quality constructed between 1571 and 1585. Its form and layout strongly influenced the evolution of Indian town planning, notably at Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi). Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(III) (IV) Date of Inscription: 1986 Fatehpur Sikri The 'City of Victory' had only an ephemeral existence as the capital of the Mughal Empire. The Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) decided to construct it in 1571, on the same site where the birth of his son, the future J...

The 34 Ellora Caves Monasteries and Temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff, not far from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra. Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from A.D. 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life. Not only is the Ellora complex a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its sanctuaries devoted to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient India. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (I)(III) (VI) Date of Inscription: 1983

The 'City of Caves', on an island in the Sea of Oman close to Bombay, contains a collection of rock art linked to the cult of Shiva. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave. The island of Elephanta, the glorious abode of Lord Shiva and an epitome of Hindu cave culture, consists of seven caves on an island in the Sea of Oman close to Mumbai which, with their decorated temples and the images from Hindu mythology, bear a unique testimony to a civilization that has disappeared. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly in the huge high reliefs in the main cave. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (I)(III) Date of Inscription: 1987

On a hill overlooking the plain and about 40 km from Bhopal, the site of Sanchi comprises a group of Buddhist monuments (monolithic pillars, palaces, temples and monasteries) all in different states of conservation most of which date back to the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. It is the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence and was a major Buddhist centre in India until the 12th century A.D. From the time that the oldest preserved monument on the site (Asoka's column with its projecting capital of lions inspired by Achaemenid art) was erected, Sanchi's role as intermediary for the spread of cultures and their peripheral arts throughout the Maurya Empire, and later in India of the Sunga, Shatavahana, Kushan and Gupta dynasties, was confirmed. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (I)(II) (III)(IV) (VI) Date of Inscription: 1989

Rebels bring calm to north Yemen: Barely a decade ago, was the Old City of Saada tentatively placed on the list to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once an impeccably preserved relic of medieval Arabia, the ancient settlement is now largely in ruins. Centuries-old homes lie wrecked, their mud brick construction crumbling. Bullet holes pock-mark the walls of ancient mosques. Tentative calm has been restored For many here, the irreplaceable loss of one of Yemen's most prominent historical sites exemplifies the senseless destruction wrought upon the region during years of clashes between government forces and the Houthis, a Zaydi Shi'a rebel group that has battled Yemeni troops and allied tribal fighters since 2004. While a tentative calm has been restored in recent months, the violence continues to cast a pall over this rugged mountain town, which now lies under the effective control of the rebels.

The souks of Aleppo are among the longest in the world. The Ancient City of Aleppo is a UNESCO World Heritage site that used to draw tourists from all over the world, a magnificent maze of narrow streets and shop galleries carved in old stone. Today, approximately 70 % of the Ancient City of Aleppo has been destroyed, ravaged by shelling from Bashar al-Assad's government, the guerrilla warfare that took place inside and the ensuing fires. More than 1,200 shops have been burned to the ground. The Ancient City Crushed The remaining galleries are filled with debris; the air with dust. The sound of mortars crushing the stone of the Ancient City can be heard in the background. It is in this nerve-wracking atmosphere that members of the Osama Ben Zaid Katiba (Brigade) of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) perform their daily routine.

Indeed, there are not many places in the world where one can find both stunning unspoiled natural beauty and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, cultural and architectural significance. St. Kitts and Nevis is a country of two adjacent islands located in the Caribbean Sea. With a population of 53,000 people, the 100-square-kilometer country relies mostly on tourism. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park The country's most popular tourist attraction is the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, which was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The fortress is a well-preserved example of 17th- and 18th-century architecture, engineered by the British and built by African slaves. It is situated at a strategic point which enabled the British army to fire against any ships passing by St. Kitts. From the top of the hill one has a clear view of the Caribbean Sea and three nearby islands — St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Barthelemy.

The Red Fort Complex was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad – the new capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan. Named for its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone, it is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh, built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546, with which it forms the Red Fort Complex. The private apartments consist of a row of pavilions connected by a continuous water channel, known as the Nahr-i-Behisht (Stream of Paradise). The Red Fort is considered to represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which, under the Shah Jahan, was brought to a new level of refinement. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(III) (VI) Date of Inscription: 2007

The Jantar Mantar, in Jaipur, is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18th century. It includes a set of some 20 main fixed instruments. They are monumental examples in masonry of known instruments but which in many cases have specific characteristics of their own. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations. This is the most significant, most comprehensive, and the best preserved of India's historic observatories. It is an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(IV) Date of Inscription: 2010

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is an outstanding example of late 19th-century railway architecture in the British Commonwealth, characterized by Victorian Gothic Revival and traditional Indian features, as well as its advanced structural and technical solutions. It became a symbol for Bombay (now Mumbai) as a major mercantile port city on the Indian subcontinent within the British Commonwealth. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(IV) Date of Inscription: 2004

The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park with its ancient Hindu architecture, temples and special water-retaining installations, together with its religious, military and agricultural structures, dating back to the regional capital city built by Mehmud Begda in the 16th century, represents a perfect blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture, mainly in the Great Mosque (Jami Masjid), which was a model for later mosque architecture in India. This special style comes from the significant period of regional sultanates. It is furthermore an outstanding example of a very short-lived capital, making the best use of its setting, topography and natural. Continent: Asia Country: India Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(IV) (V) (VI) Date of Inscription: 2011

Entries are now being accepted for the 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The deadline for receipt of materials is 31 March 2013. According to UNESCO, in addition to the conservation awards, the "Jury Commendation for Innovation" will also be considered for newly-built structures which demonstrate outstanding architectural design that is well-integrated into historic contexts. Winners will be announced in August The awards recognise the achievements of the private sector and public-private initiatives in successfully conserving or restoring structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. Winners will be announced in August. With support from the Macau Foundation, the awards programme is being enhanced to have a greater impact in raising awareness about exemplary practices in conserving heritage sites around the region, UNESCO said.

Mount Wuyi is one of the most outstanding subtropical forests in the world. It is the largest, most representative example of a largely intact forest encompassing the diversity of the Chinese Subtropical Forest and the South Chinese Rainforest. The riverine landscape of the Nine Bend River (lower gorge) is also of exceptional scenic quality in its juxtaposition of smooth rock cliffs with clear, deep water. The Mount Wuyi landscape has been protected for more than twelve centuries. It contains a series of exceptional archaeological sites. Mount Wuyi was the cradle of neo-Confucianism, a doctrine that played a dominant role in the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia for many centuries and influenced philosophy and government over much of the world. Continent: Asia Country: China Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(VI) (IX) (X) Date of Inscription: 1999

Hollokö is an exceptional example of a deliberately preserved traditional human settlement representative of a culture that has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. This village, which developed mainly during the 17th and 18th centuries, is a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century. Located about 100 km north-east of Budapest, Hollokö is a small rural community whose 126 houses and farm buildings, strip-field farming, orchards, vineyards, meadows and woods cover 141 ha. The village and the surrounding area are given the same protection as a historic monument such as the castle. Mentioned as early as 1310, this castle, whose ruins lie to the north-west of the village today, played a decisive part in the feudal wars of the Palocz and the Hussite wars. It served as protection for the village whose ruins have been found a little way from its walls. Continent: Europe Country: Hungary Category: Cultural Criterion...

The part of modern Hungary west of the Danube, which was first settled in the Neolithic period, came into the Roman Empire in the 1st century CE. It formed part of the Roman province of Pannonia. The town of Sopianae was founded on the southern slope of the Mecsek massif in the 2nd century by colonists coming from western Pannonia and Italy, who intermarried with the indigenous Illyrian-Celtic peoples. It became the headquarters of the civil governor (praeses) of the new province of Valeria at the end of the 3rd century. Sopianae was especially prosperous in the 4th century because of its situation at the junction of several important trading and military routes. Archaeological excavations have revealed a number of new public buildings in the forum area from this time. Continent: Europe Country: Hungary Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(IV) Date of Inscription: 2000

The imperial Chinese garden, illustrated by the Summer Palace, is a potent symbol of one of the major world civilizations. The Summer Palace epitomizes the philosophy and practice of Chinese garden design, which played a key role in the development of this cultural form throughout the east. Between 1750 and 1764 the Qing Emperor Qianlong created the Garden of Clear Ripples (Summer Palace), extending the area of the lake and carrying out other improvements based on the hill and its landscape. During the Second Opium War (1856-60) the garden and its buildings were destroyed by the allied forces. Between 1886 and 1895 it was reconstructed by Emperor Guangxu and renamed the Summer Palace, for use by Empress Dowager Cixi. It was damaged in 1900 by the international expeditionary force during the suppression of the Boxer Rising and restored two years later. It became a public park in 1924. Continent: Asia Country: China Category: Cultural Criterion: (I) (II)(III) Date of Insc...

The remains of the Reichenau foundation bear outstanding witness to the religious and cultural role of a great Benedictine monastery in the early middle Ages. The Monastery of Reichenau was a highly significant artistic centre of great significance to the history of art in Europe in the 10th and 11th centuries, as is superbly illustrated by its monumental wall paintings and its illuminations. The churches retain remarkable elements of several stages of construction and thus offer outstanding examples of monastic architecture in Central Europe from the 9th to the 11th centuries. Continent: Europe Country: Germany Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(IV) (VI) Date of Inscription: 2000

At the end of the 17th century a wall surrounded the city of Pest and for the most part Germans lived along the banks of the Danube. The areas outside of the city were arable land with fruit orchards, but by 1699 craftsmen had begun to establish suburban communities. From 1730 they began to settle an area then called Pacsirtamezq. In 1777 it was renamed Terezvaros after Saint Theresa and in honour of Maria Theresa. The parish church of Terezvaros was built in 1801-09 and by 1805 the current street grid had taken shape. Most of the merchants in the area settled and established themselves along Kiraly Street. At the beginning of the 20th century the areas of Erzsebetvaros and the City Park split off from this district. Continent: Europe Country: Hungary Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(IV) Date of Inscription: 2002

Consolidation of the mining claim area was completed in December 1847: the area concerned covered 13.2km2. At that time it was the northernmost mine in the region. It belongs to the Gelsenkirchen anticline, in which the coal seams, averaging 1.17m thick, are deeply stratified. Mining began in the mid-19th century at a depth of c 120m and finished at the fourteenth level (1200m). By the end of mining the underground roadways extended over 120km; they were accessed by twelve shafts, opened up progressively between 1847 and 1932. When Zollverein XII was opened, the earlier shafts were used solely for the movement of men and supplies; all the extracted coal was handled by the new shaft until the mine closed in 1986. The methods of mining evolved as technology developed from hand picks to mechanized coal cutting.t Continent: Europe Country: Germany Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(III) Date of Inscription: 2001

The entire landscape of the Tokaji wine region, including both vineyards and long established settlements, vividly illustrates a specialized form of traditional land use and represents a distinct viticultural tradition that has existed for at least 1,000 years and which has survived intact to the present day. The Magyar tribes who entered the area at the end of the 9th century assigned special significance to the region, as they believed (with some justification) that it was the centre of the empire of Attila the Hun, with whom they closely identified themselves. It became a protected refuge for Hungarians in the centuries that followed in the face of pressure from invading Mongols and others, as well as an important commercial crossroads for Polish merchants travelling to the Balkans and elsewhere. Continent: Europe Country: Hungary Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(V) Date of Inscription: 2002

In the pre-Hispanic period, Potosí was only a small hamlet perched at an altitude of 4,000 m, in the icy solitude of the Andes. It owes its prosperity to the discovery, between 1542 and 1545, of the New World's biggest silver lodes in the Cerro de Potosí, the mountain south of the city which overlooks it. As a result, Potosí is directly and tangibly associated with an event of outstanding universal significance: the economic change brought about in the 16th century by the flood of Spanish currency resulting from the massive import of precious metals from the New World into Seville. Continent: South America Country: Bolivia Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(IV) (VI) Date of Inscription: 1987

The high artistic quality of the public and private buildings and parks in and around the town testify to the remarkable cultural flowering of the Weimar classical period. Enlightened ducal patronage attracted many of the leading writers and thinkers in Germany, such as Goethe, Schiller and Herder, to Weimar in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, making it the cultural centre of the Europe of the day. Weimar became the capital of the Duchy of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach in 1572. For many years the painter Lucas Cranach the Elder worked in Weimar, where he died in 1553. This marked the start of a long period of growing cultural importance in which many painters, writers, poets, and philosopher lived in the city - Johann Sebastian Bach, Christoph Martin Wieland, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, Friedrich Schiller, Franz Liszt, Henry van de Velde, and Walter Gropius. Continent: Europe Country: Germany Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(VI) Date of Inscript...

The discovery in 1982 of the Thracian tomb of Sveshtari was one of the most spectacular archaeological events of the 20th century. The tomb itself is a unique artistic achievement with its half-human, half-vegetable caryatids enclosed in chitons in the shape of inverted palmettes. The fact the original polychromy has been preserved with its ochre, brown, blue, red and lilac shades adds to the bewitching charm of an expressive composition where the anthropomorphic supports conjure up the image of a choir of mourners frozen in the abstract positions of a ritual dance. The tomb is an exceptional testimony to the culture of the Getae, a Thracian people living in the north of Hemus, in contact with the Greek and Hyperborean worlds according to ancient geographers. Continent: Europe Country: Bulgaria Category: Cultural Criterion: (I)(III) Date of Inscription: 1985

The Castle of Wartburg is an outstanding monument of the feudal period in central Europe. It is rich in cultural associations, most notably its role as the place of exile of Martin Luther, who composed his German translation of the New Testament there. It is also a powerful symbol of German integration and unity. The legendary creation of the castle is attributed to Count Ludwig der Springer. The first steps in its construction were taken in 1067, and it became one of the key points in the early years of Ludovician sovereignty. Continent: Europe Country: Germany Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(VI) Date of Inscription: 1999

In the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north-east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists of the Tarnovo School of painting. he period of the history of Bulgaria from the last years of the 12th century, when for the second time the country became independent from Byzantium, until the Ottoman Empire annexation in 1396, is known as the Second Bulgarian Empire. Continent: Europe Country: Bulgaria Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(III) Date of Inscription: 1979

The Kempff Mercado National Park is one of the largest (1,523,000 ha) and most intact parks in the Amazon Basin. With an altitudinal range of 200 m to about 1,000 m, it contains a rich mosaic of habitat types from cerrado savannah and forest to upland evergreen Amazonian forests. The park boasts an evolutionary history dating back over a billion years to the Precambrian. Located on the border with Brazil, the site includes a large section of the Huanchaca Plateau and surrounding lowlands. There are rugged cliffs in the northern, western and southern sides of the plateau, with several valleys and steep slopes in its eastern side. Several rivers have their sources on the plateau and form spectacular waterfalls. The largest river in the area is the Iténez, which marks the border with Brazil, to the north of the park, and the Paraguá River dominates the lowlands to the west. Continent: South America Country: Bolivia Category: Natural Criterion: (IX)(X) Date of Inscription: ...

The Historic Centre of Sao Luis do Maranhao is an outstanding example of a Portuguese colonial town that adapted successfully to the climatic conditions in equatorial South America and which has preserved its urban fabric, harmoniously integrated with its natural setting, to an exceptional degree. The late 17th-century core of this historic town, founded by the French in 1612 and occupied by the Dutch before coming under Portuguese rule, has preserved the original rectangular street plan in its entirety. Thanks to a period of economic stagnation in the early 20th century, an exceptional number of fine historic buildings have survived, making this an outstanding example of an Iberian colonial town. Continent: South America Country: Brazil Category: Cultural Criterion: (III)(IV) (V) Date of Inscription: 1997

Indian officials slammed a proposal by the UAE to build a clone of its iconic Taj Mahal in Dubai. Taj Arabia, which is planned to be a 300-room hotel and four times bigger in size than the original Taj Mahal in Agra city, about 200 km south of New Delhi, had Indian cultural officials frowning over what they called "duplicating history artificially." You cannot re-create history "It is patently wrong and absurd," Satish told India's IANS news agency on Tuesday. "This kind of distortion and in principle duplication of history artificially…You cannot re-create history. Agra must get its share in terms of royalty from anyone using the brand Taj Mahal."

Entries are being accepted for the 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The awards recognise the achievements of the private sector and public-private initiatives in successfully conserving or restoring structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. The deadline for receipt of materials is March 31, 2013. Winners will be announced in August. The Heritage Awards Programme With support from the Macau Foundation, the awards programme is being enhanced to have even greater impact in raising awareness about exemplary practices in conserving heritage sites around the region, UNESCO said. Projects involving heritage properties more than 50 years old that were completed within the last 10 years are eligible for consideration. Houses, commercial and institutional buildings, historic towns and villages, archaeological heritage sites and cultural landscapes, for example, are all suitable for entry.t

UNESCO Celebrates its 40th Anniversary World Heritage Convention. When the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the World Heritage Convention 40 years ago; it set for itself the ambitious task of establishing an inventory of works considered to be of outstanding and universal value, and of ensuring their safekeeping so that present and future generations can enjoy them. Heritage is our Legacy The Convention established that certain features of heritage are of importance to the country or culture in which they are located, and all nations as a whole benefit from the cultures of various people, and that they are all responsible for protecting and preserving them. Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we will pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage is sources of life and inspiration.

Digitization Preservation and protecting civil rights: Issues concerning the management and preservation of digital information were examined at the international conference, "The Memory of the World in the Digital Age: Digitization and Preservation," held in Vancouver (Canada) in September 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme. Be Safe of Digitally Generated Information The participants adopted a series of recommendations to ensure the durability and reliability of digital records, whose importance has grown in keeping with the growth of digitally generated information. These measures also reflect increased awareness of the crucial legal and technical problems of preserving digital records and data—including audio and video documents.

Jesuit Missions sent by the Spanish Crown to assure the conquest of the Indias del Cielo, the Jesuit fathers arrived at the Viceroyalty of Peru in 1567 to bring Christianity to the indigenous communities. The first collegial church was founded in 1577 at Potosí, on Bolivian territory; in 1592 a new house was established at Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The Jesuits seemed to have rationalized, in the Chiquito territory, the model of reducciones (settlements of Christianized Indians) which was largely inspired by the ideal city of the humanist philosophers. Between 1696 and 1760, six groups of reducciones were founded in a style that married Roman Catholic architecture with local traditions. Continent: South America Country: Bolivia Category: Cultural Criterion: (IV)(V) Date of Inscription: 1990

The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations. It's symbolic layout and design had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries. Furthermore, the legitimacy of the feudal dynasties that for more than 2,000 years ruled over China is symbolized by the design and layout of the Temple of Heaven. Continent: Asia Country: China Category: Cultural Criterion: (I) (II)(III) Date of Inscription: 1998

The historical centre of Olinda, which is located several kilometres to the north of the harbour installations, industrial zones and skyscrapers of Recife, still retains the charm of a city museum of the colonial period. Olinda was founded in 1537 by the Portuguese Duarte Coelho Pereira and owed its rapid rise to the cultivation of sugar cane in the region of Pernambuco using slave labour. Continent: South America Country: Brazil Category: Cultural Criterion: (II)(IV) Date of Inscription: 1982

This week, the Big Island's Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its designation as a World Heritage site with two events: an "After Dark in the Park" presentation and a roundtable talk, both focusing on World Heritage site status and the 40th anniversary of the international World Heritage Convention. Today, there are 21 World Heritage sites in the United States, including two in Hawaii. World Heritage Hawaii Volcanoes National Park World Heritage Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contains two of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mauna Loa (4,170 m high) and Kilauea (1,250 m high), both of which tower over the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic eruptions have created a constantly changing landscape, and the lava flows reveal surprising geological formations. Rare birds and endemic species can be found there, as well as forests of giant ferns.

The UNESCO team likely to visit India in November, preparations to enlist the names of monuments to be nominated as world heritage sites for the year 2012-13 have begun. In this regard, a meeting of the state apex advisory committee was held in Jaipur under the chairmanship of chief secretary on Thursday. In the meeting, chief secretary CK Mathew directed Jaisalmer district collector Shuchi Tyagi to send a proposal to the state government for starting conservation work of the 857-year- old Sonar Fort, so that if not this year, the fort's can be nominated in the next one or two years. In this meeting, apart from Tyagi, district collectors of Udaipur, Ajmer, Jaipur, Chittorgarh and Sawai Madhopur along with ASI officers, Drona director Shikha Jain including state government's senior officers were present. Nominating Sonar Fort Tyagi, after the meeting, said that the state government intends to nominate the Sonar Fort in next one or two years. She also said that a proposa...

Cultural ministers from south-eastern European countries are to meet in Bulgaria on Thursday to discuss heritage protection and sustainable development, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced Monday, Xinhua reported. Cultural ministers from 13 south-eastern European countries will present their respective policies and measures at the 8th Ministerial Conference on Cultural Heritage in South-East Europe to safeguard the cultural heritage in their countries and promote sustainable development, according to the UNESCO. Discussing heritage protection and sustainable development Participants will discuss issues concerning the reinforcement of regional cooperation on capacity-building and the exchange of knowledge and good practices, as well as on the safeguarding of the elements of intangible cultural heritage that are shared by countries and local communities in the region. The event will be officially opened by Director-General of U...

The Sydney Opera House has been unveiled as the latest global landmark to feature in a pioneering Scottish cultural project. The Scottish Ten uses lasers to scan iconic locations, which include five Scottish World Heritage sites. The Opera House will join Mount Rushmore in the US and the remote St Kilda ruins of Hirta on the list. Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop made the announcement at a digital conference in Edinburgh. Scottish cultural 3D project The St Kilda ruins, the Heart of Neolithic Orkney and New Lanark's 18th Century mills have already been scanned. Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage Site, which covers the Old Town and the New Town, is currently being scanned and the Antonnine Wall is yet to be captured using the special technology. The recording process involves a laser being fired millions of times a second at the buildings and monuments. The end result will be a precise record of the sites, accurate down to just millimetres.

Opponents of a vaiduct connecting Panama City to outlying suburbs say that it will destroy the atmosphere of a neighborhood protected by UNESCO World Heritage status. A rendering of the Cinta Costera, a planned ring road around Casco Viejo, the oldest section of Panama City and a UNESCO World Heritage site. More than 300 years after it was settled, Casco Viejo, the oldest section of Panama City, is a picturesque, if sometimes slummy, neighbourhood protected by UNESCO World Heritage status. Cinta Costera But the limits of that protection are unclear. Residents of Casco Viejo, including several American property owners, have been sounding the alarm about plans to build a road around the peninsula, which until now has culminated in a historic seawall. The road—three lanes in each direction—would link the center of Panama City to outlying suburbs by connecting sections of a highway, called the Cinta Costera, that already flank Casco Viejo.