TagUNESCO World Heritage Site

Known as ‘the Pearl of the Adriatic,’ Dubrovnik, rich in culture and history, dates back to the first century when Roman refugees founded it, linking Roman and Slavic civilizations. Though the city has passed through Roman, Byzantine and Venetian hands over the centuries, it largely maintained its independence as a city-state, making major contributions to

Quebec is the only North American city to preserve its colonial ramparts. The defensive walls, along with bastions and gates, still surround Upper Town. Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer, founded the city in the 17th century, and it served as the capital of New France until 1760 when it briefly came under British colonial

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a world-class center for botanical and horticultural research, conservation and education. A group of “public-spirited citizens” established the botanic gardens in 1859. After being handed over to the colonial government in the late 1870s when Singapore was part of British Malaya, the park was used to support the colony’s rubber

Bahla has been an oasis in the Gulf of Oman desert since the medieval period. Standing as both a fort and settlement, it served as the capital for the Banu Nebhan tribe from the 12th to the 15th centuries. The walls and towers, along with the dwellings of the settlement, are built from unbaked brick

On the most remote inhabited island on the planet, architectural and artistic traditions developed independent of external influence for the good part of a millennium. Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, was first inhabited by a group of Eastern Polynesian settlers around a thousand years ago. They constructed the island’s famous moai statues, which

Old Havana, founded in 1519 as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, boasts the title of the most notable historic city center in the Caribbean. The Havana Bay was an obligatory stop on the maritime route to the Americas during the colonial era, making military fortifications a necessity to protect the city.

Thebes, now the city of Luxor, was the city of the god Amon and capital of Egypt during the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms. With the temples and palaces at Karnak and Luxor, and the necropolises, large elaborate cemetaries, of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, Thebes is

On the northern island of Luzon, the living cultural landscape of the Ifugao Rice Terraces stretches across the face of the Philippine Cordillera mountains. For over 2,000 years, the Ifugao people have passed the terraces down from generation to generation, alongside intricate irrigation and farming systems and ritual practices that remain virtually unchanged—an enduring representation

La Grand-Place, in Brussels, Belgium, showcases the “architectural jewel” that blends styles of Western art and architecture. While the earliest written reference of the spectacular market square dates to the 12th century, the plaza was destroyed in 1695 by the troops of Louis XIV. Under the supervision of the city magistrate, a rebuilding campaign restored

Latte stones are an example of ancient CHamoru architecture. The monoliths usually consist of two parallel rows of pillars comprising two stones: the haligi, the supporting stone erected vertically from the ground, and the tasa, a hemispherical capstone. These structures, unique to Guam and other neighboring islands in the Marianas, were used by the CHamorus

The port city of Cartagena de Indias—found on the northern coast of Colombia facing the Caribbean Sea—is home to the most extensive military fortification in South America. The colorful colonial city stands as an eminent example of Spanish military architecture in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Its strategic location made it an essential link

The Taj Mahal, a universally admired masterpiece, sits on the right bank of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, India. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built this white marble mausoleum between 1631 and 1648 in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Many consider the Taj Mahal to be the greatest Indo-Islamic architectural achievement, and it

Named a national park in 1951 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Serengeti National Park covers nearly 6,000 square miles of savannah in northern Tanzania. It is home to the great migration, the world’s largest animal migration, in which 2 million wildebeests, gazelles and zebras embark on a 600-mile trek across the

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates cultural and natural sites around the world that demonstrate exceptional value to humanity with the aim of protecting and preserving them. Today, these World Heritage Sites number 1,154. Starting this month, the World Tribune will highlight one UNESCO World Heritage Site in every issue. Venice