Villefranche-sur-Mer

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New UN Heritage Sites

This is the third of three descriptions of the 24 sites of “outstanding
universal value”, that have been designated world heritage sites
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).

These are as follows:

  • Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro, Mexico:
    Built during the last phase of the conversion to Christianity of the
    interior of Mexico in the mid-18th Century. The richly decorated church
    façades are of special interest as they represent an example
    of the joint creative efforts of the missionaries and the Indios.
  • Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland, Poland: The churches
    represent outstanding examples of the different aspects of medieval
    church-building traditions in Roman Catholic culture.
  • Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent, Russian
    Federation:
    Part of the northern limits of the Sassanian Persian
    Empire, which extended east and west of the Caspian Sea. The town of
    Derbent has retained part of its medieval fabric.
  • Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, South Africa: An open, expansive
    savannah landscape situated on the northern border of South Africa joining
    Zimbabwe and Botswana. Mapungubwe developed into the largest kingdom
    in the sub-continent before it was abandoned in the 14th Century. The
    almost untouched remains of the palace sites, a settlement area and
    two earlier capital sites survive.
  • Ubeda-Baeza: Urban duality, cultural unity, Spain: The urban
    morphology of the two small cities of Ubeda and Baeza in southern Spain
    dates back to the Moorish 9th Century and to the Reconquista in the
    13th Century. In the 16th Century, the cities were renovated along the
    lines of the emerging Renaissance.
  • Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region, Sudan: Includes
    several archaeological sites, over more than 60 km (37 miles) in the
    Nile Valley, of the Napatan (900 to 270 BC) and Meroitic (270 BC to
    350 AD) cultures, of the second kingdom of Kush. Tombs, with and without
    pyramids, temples, living complexes and palaces are also found on the
    site.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom: The historic landscape
    garden illustrates the art of gardens from the 18th to the 20th Centuries.
    The gardens house botanic collections (conserved plants, living plants
    and documents) that have been considerably enriched through the centuries.
  • Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe: Distinctive rock land forms associated
    with human occupation from the early Stone Age to early historical times,
    and intermittently since. They also feature an outstanding collection
    of rock paintings.
  • Central Amazon Conservation Complex, Brazil: Comprises the
    largest protected area in the Amazon Basin and one of the planet's
    richest regions in terms of biodiversity.
  • Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China: These
    tombs were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. The property
    inscribed this year as an extension consists of two distinct burial
    sites of the Ming Dynasty emperors. Xiaoling, the first emperor of that
    dynasty is buried there, as are 13 others.
  • Archaeological Site of Panama Viejo and the Historic District
    of Panama, Panama:
    Panama Viejo covers the location and ruins of
    the first European settlement on the American mainland and pre-Hispanic
    remains. It features impressive ruins. Moreover, older remains, dating
    to up to 1,000 years before the arrival of the Europeans, were excavated
    on this site.

Source: BBC News


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