https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/710Founded in 1106 in the west of Georgia, the Monastery of Gelati is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia, a period of political strength and economic growth between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is characterized by the facades of smoothly hewn large blocks, balanced proportions and blind arches for exterior decoration. The Gelati monastery, one of the largest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was also a centre of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most im WHS cowpoke
Upper Svaneti [svɑnɛti] - Georgia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/709Preserved by its long isolation, the Upper Svaneti region of the Caucasus is an exceptional example of mountain scenery with medieval-type villages and tower-houses. The village of Chazhashi still has more than 200 of these very unusual houses, which were used both as dwellings and as defence posts against the invaders who plagued the region. 2024-05-01 WHS cowpoke
Historical Monuments of Mtskheta [mtsʰxɛtʰɑ] - Georgia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/708The historic churches of Mtskheta, former capital of Georgia, are outstanding examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus. They show the high artistic and cultural level attained by this ancient kingdom. 2024-05-01 WHS cowpoke
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa - China
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/707The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m. Also founded in the 7th century, the Jokhang Temple Monastery is an exceptional Buddhist religious complex. Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace, cons... WHS cowpoke
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains - China
武当山古建筑群
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/705The palaces and temples which form the nucleus of this group of secular and religious buildings exemplify the architectural and artistic achievements of China's Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Situated in the scenic valleys and on the slopes of the Wudang mountains in Hubei Province, the site, which was built as an organized complex during the Ming dynasty (14th–17th centuries), contains Taoist buildings from as early as the 7th century. It represents the highest standards of Chine... WHS cowpoke
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu - China
曲阜孔庙、孔林和孔府
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/704The temple, cemetery and family mansion of Confucius, the great philosopher, politician and educator of the 6th–5th centuries B.C., are located at Qufu, in Shandong Province. Built to commemorate him in 478 B.C., the temple has been destroyed and reconstructed over the centuries; today it comprises more than 100 buildings. The cemetery contains Confucius' tomb and the remains of more than 100,000 of his descendants. The small house of the Kong family developed into a gigantic aristocratic r... WHS cowpoke
Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde - China
承德避暑山庄及其周围寺庙
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/703The Mountain Resort (the Qing dynasty's summer palace), in Hebei Province, was built between 1703 and 1792. It is a vast complex of palaces and administrative and ceremonial buildings. Temples of various architectural styles and imperial gardens blend harmoniously into a landscape of lakes, pastureland and forests. In addition to its aesthetic interest, the Mountain Resort is a rare historic vestige of the final development of feudal society in China. 2024-04-30 WHS cowpoke
Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatépetl [popokaˈtepet͡ɬ] - Mexico
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/702The Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl is a serial property with 15 component parts located in the states of Morelos, Puebla and Tlaxcala in Mexico, built as part of the evangelisation and colonisation of the northern territories of Mexico. They are in an excellent state of conservation and are good examples of the architectural style adopted by the first missionaries – Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians – who converted the indigenous populations to Christianit WHS cowpoke
Canaima [kanaˈima] National Park - Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/701Canaima National Park is spread over 3 million ha in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. Roughly 65% of the park is covered by table mountain (tepui) formations. The tepuis constitute a unique biogeological entity and are of great geological interest. The sheer cliffs and waterfalls, including the world's highest (1,000 m), form a spectacular landscape. 2024-04-29 WHS cowpoke
Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca [ˈnaska] and Palpa [ˈpalpa] - Peru
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/700Located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima, the geoglyphs of Nasca and the pampas of Jumana cover about 450 km<sup>2</sup> . These lines, which were scratched on the surface of the ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500, are among archaeology's greatest enigmas because of their quantity, nature, size and continuity. The geoglyphs depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. They are ... WHS cowpoke
City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications - Luxembourg
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/699Because of its strategic position, Luxembourg was, from the 16th century until 1867, when its walls were dismantled, one of Europe's greatest fortified sites. It was repeatedly reinforced as it passed from one great European power to another: the Holy Roman Emperors, the House of Burgundy, the Habsburgs, the French and Spanish kings, and finally the Prussians. Until their partial demolition, the fortifications were a fine example of military architecture spanning several centuries. 2024-04-... WHS cowpoke
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh [ˈrɪvərzˌli] / Naracoorte [ˌnærəˈkʊərt]) - Australia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/698Riversleigh and Naracoorte, situated in the north and south respectively of eastern Australia, are among the world’s 10 greatest fossil sites. They are a superb illustration of the key stages of evolution of Australia’s unique fauna. 2024-04-28 WHS cowpoke
Jelling [ˈjɛlɪŋ] Mounds, Runic [古北歐文字的；盧恩文的] Stones and Church - Denmark
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/697The Jelling burial mounds and one of the runic stones are striking examples of pagan Nordic culture, while the other runic stone and the church illustrate the Christianization of the Danish people towards the middle of the 10th century. 2024-04-28 WHS cowpoke
Kronborg [ˈkʁɔnˌbɔɐ̯ˀ] Castle - Denmark
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/696Located on a strategically important site commanding the Sund, the stretch of water between Denmark and Sweden, the Royal castle of Kronborg at Helsingør (Elsinore) is of immense symbolic value to the Danish people and played a key role in the history of northern Europe in the 16th-18th centuries. Work began on the construction of this outstanding Renaissance castle in 1574, and its defences were reinforced according to the canons of the period's military architecture in the late 17th centu... WHS cowpoke
Roskilde [ˈʁʌsˌkildə] Cathedral - Denmark
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/695Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, this was Scandinavia's first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick and it encouraged the spread of this style throughout northern Europe. It has been the mausoleum of the Danish royal family since the 15th century. Porches and side chapels were added up to the end of the 19th century. Thus it provides a clear overview of the development of European religious architecture. 2024-04-27 WHS cowpoke
Forest Massif [ˈmæsɪf] of Odzala-Kokoua [oʊdˈzɑːlə kɒˈkuː.ə] - Congo
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/692This property is an excellent example, at an exceptionally large-scale, of the process of post-glacial forest recolonization of savanna ecosystems. It is therefore ecologically significant as a convergence point of multiple ecosystem types (Congolese Forest, Lower Guinean Forest and Savanna). The broad range of age classifications across the forest succession spectrum contributes to the park’s highly distinct ecology, incorporating a broad range of remarkable ecological processes. It is one of t WHS cowpoke
Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk [ˈnɛpəˌmʊk] at Zelená Hora [zɛlɛˈnaː ˈɦɔra] - Czechia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/690This pilgrimage church, built in honour of St John of Nepomuk, stands at Zelená Hora, not far from Ždár nad Sázavou in Moravia. Constructed at the beginning of the 18th century on a star-shaped plan, it is the most unusual work by the great architect Jan Blazej Santini, whose highly original style falls between neo-Gothic and Baroque. 2024-04-26 WHS cowpoke
As-Salt [æt-sɑlt] - The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality - Jordan
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/689Built on three closely-spaced hills in the Balqa highland of west-central Jordan, the city of As-Salt, was an important trading link between the eastern desert and the west. During the last 60 years of the Ottoman period, the region prospered from the arrival and settlement of merchants from Nablus, Syria, and Lebanon who made their fortunes in trade, banking, and farming. This prosperity attracted skilled craftsmen from different parts of the region who worked on transforming the modest rural s WHS cowpoke
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) - Japan
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/688Built in A.D. 794 on the model of the capitals of ancient China, Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan from its foundation until the middle of the 19th century. As the centre of Japanese culture for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto illustrates the development of Japanese wooden architecture, particularly religious architecture, and the art of Japanese gardens, which has influenced landscape gardening the world over. 2024-04-26 WHS cowpoke
Völklingen [ˈfœlk.lɪŋən] Ironworks - Germany
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/687The ironworks, which cover some 6 ha, dominate the city of Völklingen. Although they have recently gone out of production, they are the only intact example, in the whole of western Europe and North America, of an integrated ironworks that was built and equipped in the 19th and 20th centuries and has remained intact. 2024-04-25 WHS cowpoke
