https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/90The church, baptistry, basilicas, public buildings, streets, monasteries, houses and workshops in this early Christian holy city were built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, who died in A.D. 296. WHS Dec 12, 2023, 7:36 AM cowpoke
Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci - Italy
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/93The refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie forms an integral part of this architectural complex, begun in Milan in 1463 and reworked at the end of the 15th century by Bramante. On the north wall is <em>The Last Supper</em>, the unrivalled masterpiece painted between 1495 and 1497 by Leonardo da Vinci, whose work was to herald a new era in the history of art. WHS Dec 12, 2023, 7:37 AM cowpoke
Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura - Holy See, Italy
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/91Founded, according to legend, by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC, Rome was first the centre of the Roman Republic, then of the Roman Empire, and it became the capital of the Christian world in the 4th century. The World Heritage site, extended in 1990 to the walls of Urban VIII, includes some of the major monuments of antiquity such as the Forums, the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Mausoleum of Hadrian, the Pantheon, Trajan’s Column and the Column of Marcus Aurelius, as well as the religious and public WHS Dec 12, 2023, 7:36 AM cowpoke
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/113The ruins of the holy city of the Kingdom of Elam, surrounded by three huge concentric walls, are found at Tchogha Zanbil. Founded c. 1250 B.C., the city remained unfinished after it was invaded by Ashurbanipal, as shown by the thousands of unused bricks left at the site. WHS Dec 16, 2023, 12:17 PM cowpoke
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/115Built by Shah Abbas I the Great at the beginning of the 17th century, and bordered on all sides by monumental buildings linked by a series of two-storeyed arcades, the site is known for the Royal Mosque, the Mosque of Sheykh Lotfollah, the magnificent Portico of Qaysariyyeh and the 15th-century Timurid palace. They are an impressive testimony to the level of social and cultural life in Persia during the Safavid era. WHS Dec 16, 2023, 12:18 PM cowpoke
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/114Founded by Darius I in 518 B.C., Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It was built on an immense half-artificial, half-natural terrace, where the king of kings created an impressive palace complex inspired by Mesopotamian models. The importance and quality of the monumental ruins make it a unique archaeological site. WHS Dec 16, 2023, 12:18 PM cowpoke
Megalithic Temples of Malta - Malta
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/132Seven megalithic temples are found on the islands of Malta and Gozo, each the result of an individual development. The two temples of Ggantija on the island of Gozo are notable for their gigantic Bronze Age structures. On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces, given the limited resources available to their builders. The Ta'Hagrat and Skorba complexes show how the tradition of temple-building was handed down in Malta. WHS Dec 20, 2023, 8:18 AM cowpoke
Redwood National and State Parks - United States of America
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/134Redwood National Park comprises a region of coastal mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco. It is covered with a magnificent forest of coastal redwood trees, the tallest and most impressive trees in the world. The marine and land life are equally remarkable, in particular the sea lions, the bald eagle and the endangered California brown pelican. WHS Dec 20, 2023, 8:18 AM cowpoke
Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo - Panama
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/135Magnificent examples of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture, these Panamanian forts on the Caribbean coast form part of the defence system built by the Spanish Crown to protect transatlantic trade. WHS Dec 20, 2023, 8:18 AM cowpoke
Durmitor [dûrmitɔr] National Park - Montenegro
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/100This breathtaking national park was formed by glaciers and is traversed by rivers and underground streams. Along the Tara river canyon, which has the deepest gorges in Europe, the dense pine forests are interspersed with clear lakes and harbour a wide range of endemic flora. WHS Dec 15, 2023, 3:46 PM cowpoke
Al Qal'a [el ˈqælə] of Beni Hammad [bni ˈħæməd] - Algeria
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/102In a mountainous site of extraordinary beauty, the ruins of the first capital of the Hammadid emirs, founded in 1007 and demolished in 1152, provide an authentic picture of a fortified Muslim city. The mosque, whose prayer room has 13 aisles with eight bays, is one of the largest in Algeria. WHS Dec 15, 2023, 3:47 PM cowpoke
Bale [ˈbɑːleɪ] Mountains National Park - Ethiopia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/111This property protects a landscape mosaic of extraordinary beauty that is shaped by the combined forces of ancient lava outpourings, glaciation and the dissection by the Great Rift Valley. It features volcanic peaks and ridges, dramatic escarpments, sweeping valleys, glacial lakes, lush forests, deep gorges and numerous waterfalls, creating exceptional natural beauty. The property harbours diverse and unique biodiversity at ecosystem, species and genetic levels, and five major rivers originate w WHS Dec 15, 2023, 3:47 PM cowpoke
Garamba [ɡa.ˈɾam.ba] National Park - Democratic Republic of the Congo
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/136The park's immense savannahs, grasslands and woodlands, interspersed with gallery forests along the river banks and the swampy depressions, are home to four large mammals: the elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus and above all the white rhinoceros. Though much larger than the black rhino, it is harmless; only some 30 individuals remain. WHS Dec 21, 2023, 7:49 AM cowpoke
Kahuzi-Biega [ka.hu.zi ˈbje.ɡa/] National Park - Democratic Republic of the Congo
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/137A vast area of primary tropical forest dominated by two spectacular extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, the park has a diverse and abundant fauna. One of the last groups of eastern lowland (graueri) gorillas (consisting of only some 250 individuals) lives at between 2,100 and 2,400 m above sea-level. WHS Dec 21, 2023, 7:49 AM cowpoke
Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro [moʊˈɛn.dʒoʊˌdɑːroʊ] - Pakistan
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/138The ruins of the huge city of Moenjodaro – built entirely of unbaked brick in the 3rd millennium B.C. – lie in the Indus valley. The acropolis, set on high embankments, the ramparts, and the lower town, which is laid out according to strict rules, provide evidence of an early system of town planning. WHS Dec 21, 2023, 7:49 AM cowpoke
Sagarmatha [sæˈɡʌrmæˌθɑ] National Park - Nepal
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/120Sagarmatha is an exceptional area with dramatic mountains, glaciers and deep valleys, dominated by Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world (8,848 m). Several rare species, such as the snow leopard and the lesser panda, are found in the park. The presence of the Sherpas, with their unique culture, adds further interest to this site. WHS Dec 17, 2023, 9:44 AM cowpoke
Old Towns of Djenné [dʒɛn.e] - Mali
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/116Inhabited since 250 B.C., Djenné became a market centre and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the centres for the propagation of Islam. Its traditional houses, of which nearly 2,000 have survived, are built on hillocks (<em>toguere</em>) as protection from the seasonal floods. WHS Dec 17, 2023, 9:44 AM cowpoke
Timbuktu [tɪmˈbʌktu] - Mali
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other <em>madrasas</em>, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification. WHS Dec 17, 2023, 9:44 AM cowpoke
Kathmandu [kætˈmændu] Valley - Nepal
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/121The cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley is illustrated by seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu Valley is world famous. The seven include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan. WHS Dec 18, 2023, 8:32 AM cowpoke
Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor [ˈkɔtɔr] - Montenegro
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/125In the Middle Ages, this natural harbour on the Adriatic coast in Montenegro was an important artistic and commercial centre with its own famous schools of masonry and iconography. A large number of the monuments (including four Romanesque churches and the town walls) were seriously damaged by the 1979 earthquake but the town has been restored, largely with UNESCO’s help. WHS Dec 18, 2023, 8:33 AM cowpoke