Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

country. Germany

year of inscription. 2000 (modification: 2019)

criteria. Cultural

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz WHS is located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is an exceptional example of landscape design and planning during the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century CE. It serves aesthetic, educational, and economic functions through its assemblage of buildings, landscaped English-style parks and gardens, and agricultural land. The design and construction of the garden can be attributed to Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau and his adviser, Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff in the 18th century. Over the years, philosophers, artists, architects, and agricultural horticulturists added their marks to this place.

Upper Middle Rhine Valley

country. Germany

year of inscription. 2002

criteria. Cultural

The 65km-stretch of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley WHS is located in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. Historically, for more than 1,000 years, this area has been an important transport artery and this is reflected in the sixty historic small town, forty hilltop castles and fortresses, and terraced vineyards set against a dramatic and varied natural landscape. The importance of the area waned in the 17th century CE and much of it was abandoned; however, in the 19th century, the recognition of the beauty of the place led to reconstruction and restoration. In so doing, it served to be a place of great artistic inspiration.

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

countries. Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Ukraine

year of inscription. 2007 (extensions: 2011, 2017)

criteria. Natural

This is a transnational WHS which spreads across twelve countries. At the end of the last Ice Age, the European Beech was confined to a few areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean, and Pyrenees. From thence, its adaptability and tolerance of different physical conditions have allowed it to spread across the whole of Europe. This WHS includes areas in Europe where virgin beech forests remain intact.

The protected areas can be found in the following regions:

• Albania: counties of Elbasan and Kukës
• Austria: states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Upper Austria
• Belgium: province of Brabant
• Bulgaria: provinces of Gabrovo, Lovech, Plovdiv, Sofia, and Stara Zagora
• Croatia: counties of Lika-Senj and Zadar
• Germany: states of Brandeburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Thuringia
• Italy: regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, and Tuscany
• Romania: counties of Brașov, Caraș-Severin, Gorj, Maramureș, Mehedinți, Suceava, and Vâlcea
• Slovakia: region of Prešov
• Slovenia: municipalities of Ilirska Bistrica, Kočevje, and Loška Dolina
• Spain: communities of Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Madrid, and Navarre
• Ukraine: oblasts of Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Zakarpattia

Museuminsel (Museum Island), Berlin

country. Germany

year of inscription. 1999

criteria. Cultural

The Museuminsel (Museum Island), Berlin WHS is located in the city and state of Berlin. It is a complex of five museums, each built between 1824CE and 1930CE and of prime historical and artistic importance.

Speyer Cathedral

country. Germany

year of inscription. 1981

criteria. Cultural

The Speyer Cathedral, officially known as the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, is in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The Roman Catholic church was founded by Conrad II of the Holy Roman Empire in 1030CE and remodelled in end-11th century CE. This monument, which is one of the most significant Romanesque architecture in Europe, was the burial place of German emperors for almost 300 years.

Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur

country. Bangladesh

year of inscription. 1985

criteria. Cultural

The Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur WHS is located in the Rajshahi Divison. The Somapura Mahavira (or, Great Monastery) was first built here by Dharmapala Vikramshila (770 – 810CE), the king of Varendi-Magadha. It is evident of the rise of this region as an important centre of Mahayana Buddhism from the 7th to the 12th century CE.

Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta

country. Pakistan

year of inscription. 1981

criteria. Cultural

Between the 14th and 18th century CE, Thatta, located in today’s Sindh province, was the capital of three successive dynasties and then under the rule of the Mughal Empire. Amongst the city’s legacy is that of Makli Necropolis, whose lavish scale and constructions is testament to the history of Thatta as a centre of Islamic culture and architectural art of the region.

Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore

country. Pakistan

year of inscription. 1981

criteria. Cultural

This WHS, located in the province of Punjab, is composed of two royal complexes. The first is the Lahore Fort, which was built over 13th – 15 century CE by several Mughal emperors, including Shah Jahan, which contains within its grounds twenty-one monuments, as well as Shalamar Gardens (1641 – 42CE), a prime exemplar of Mughal gardens. Together, they manifest the brilliance of the Mughal Empire, which reached its height under Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666CE, reigned: 1628 – 58CE).

Taxila

country. Pakistan

year of inscription. 1980

criteria. Cultural

From the ancient Neolithic tumulus of Saraikala to the ramparts of Sirkap (2nd century B.C.) and the city of Sirsukh (1st century A.D.), Taxila illustrates the different stages in the development of a city on the Indus that was alternately influenced by Persia, Greece and Central Asia and which, from the 5th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., was an important Buddhist centre of learning.

Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro

country. Pakistan

year of inscription. 1980

criteria. Cultural

Moenjodaro was a huge city dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. It was built entirely of unbaked bricks, and the ruins are evidence of a well-planned city of great importance of the Indus Valley (or, Harappan) Civilisation.

Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

country. Egypt

year of inscription. 1979 

criteria. Cultural

The Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae WHS is located in the governorate of Aswan. It comprises monuments from the Nubian civilisation, which was closely intertwined with ancient Egyptian civilisation. These monuments include places of worship such as the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae.

In 1954, Egypt firmed up plans to build a new dam across the Nile at Aswan. Known as the Aswan High Dam, construction was to begin in 1960, and the resultant reservoir formed would submerge many Nubian monuments constructed in the locale, Hence, in 1959, Egypt and Sudan requested for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to help them save the monuments. In 1960, UNESCO launched an international fundraising project in support of these efforts. With the aid of an international team, many of the monuments were relocated to higher grounds, safe from the flood waters. The campaign ended in 1980 and was declared a success. The success of this campaign inspired others, for saving sites such as Venice and its lagoons in Italy, the Moenjodaro in Pakistan, and the Borobudur in Indonesia.

Consequently, between 1965 and 1972, the UNESCO, working together with other heritage convention proposals by the International Convention on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the United States government, drafted a convention to protect cultural and natural heritage in other parts of the world; it was signed in 1972 and effected in 1975. In 1978, the first twelve World Heritage Sites were inscribed.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

where. Vietnam
year of inscription. 2003 (extension: 2015)
criteria. Natural

The Phang Nha-Ke Bang National Park is located in Quanh Binh province. It was inscribed as a WHS for its natural features. These include an outstanding karst landscape with spectacular cave and subterranean river systems and of high geo- and geomorphic diversity; Son Doong Cave, the world's largest cave passage by volume, is located in the park. It also has tropical forests and other vegetation types with a rich diversity of fauna and flora, including many endemic species.