UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is the world's eminent governing body for developing human culture and preserving the natural landscape. Like many specialized agencies within the UN, UNESCO administrates many important policy initiatives to promote peace by addressing global issues such as literacy, the digital divide, and global human migration. Among many of the agency’s initiatives, its World Heritage Site program is perhaps the best publicized. It not only provides additional legal protections but also provides financial assistance and conservation expertise.
Of course, as an agency within the structure of the United Nations, UNESCO and its World Heritage Site program are not immune to geopolitics and controversy. From the under-representation of non-Western among non-Western countries to a rather dubious selection process, the program has had plenty of its critics over the years. Ironically, the publicity generated by the UNESCO designation has been blamed for over-tourism and displacement of the local population.
For travelers, their list of heritage sites and tentative sites is quite a handy tool in planning an itinerary. Before planning my itinerary to a foreign country, I often hop on Wikipedia to check the list. Although I did not make a point to “collect” them, I find them endlessly fascinating. Oddly enough, I am particularly fascinated by the obscure heritage sites that were not on anyone’s bucket list, such as the Struve Geodetic Arc or Qatar’s Al Zubarah Fort. Often, from these sites, one can appreciate the subtility and complexity of a nation’s history.
Africa
Egypt
Historic Cairo
Islamic Cairo [Dec. 2023]
Coptic Cairo [Dec. 2023]
Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
Saint Catherine Area
Mount Sinai [Dec. 2023]
Saint Catharine Monastery [Dec. 2023]
Morocco
Asia Pacific
Australia
Sydney Opera House [Jul. 1994]
China
Classical Gardens of Suzhou [Mar. 2011]
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties [Mar. 2011]
Old Town of Lijiang [Mar. 2011]
Summer Palace [Mar. 2011]
Temple of Heaven [Mar. 2011]
Georgia
India
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier:
Chandigarh Capitol Complex [Feb. 2012]
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus [Feb. 2012]
Elephanta Caves [Feb. 2012]
The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai [Feb. 2012]
Indonesia
Borobudur Temple Compounds [Jan. 1994]
Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy [Jan. 1994]
Japan
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji & Otsu Cities) [Aug. 1995]
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara [Aug. 1995]
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama [May. 2024]
Oman
Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman [Jan. 2018]
Ancient City of Qalhat [Jan. 2018]
Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm & Al-Ayn [Jan. 2018]
Bahla Fort [Jan. 2018]
Singapore
Singapore Botanic Gardens [Jan. 1999]
Sri Lanka
Ancient City of Polonnaruwa [Jan. 2019]
Ancient City of Sigiriya [Jan. 2019]
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka [Jan. 2019]
Rangiri Cave Temple of Dambulla [Jan. 2019]
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications [Jan. 2019]
Sacred City of Anuradhapura [Jan. 2019]
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic [Jan. 2019]
Europe
Austria
Historic Centre of Salzburg [Jul. 1999]
Historic Centre of Vienna [Jul. 1999]
City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg [Jul. 1999]
Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn [Jul. 1999]
Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape [Jul. 1999]
Wachau Cultural Landscape [Jul. 1999]
Belgium
Belfries of Belgium and France:
Belfry of Bruges [Jul. 2015]
Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp [Jul. 2015]
Town Hall, Antwep [Jul. 2015]
Historic Centre of Brugge [Jul. 2015]
La Grand-Place, Brussels [Jul. 2015]
Plantin-Moretus Museum, Antwerp [Jul. 2015]
Czech Republic
Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc [Jul. 2016]
Historic Centre of Telč [Jul. 2016]
Historic Centre of Prague [Jul. 2007]
Historic Centre of Český Krumlov [Jul. 2007]
Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč [Jul. 2016]
Tugendhat Villa in Brno [Jul. 2016]
Denmark
Kronborg Castle [Jul. 2015]
Estonia
Historic Centre of Tallinn [May. 2012]
Struve Geodetic Arc:
University of Tartu Old Observatory [Jun. 2012]
Finland
Fortress of Suomenlinna [May. 2012]
France
Chartes Cathedral [Sep. 2023]
Historic Site of Lyon [Jul. 1998]
The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes [Sep. 2023]
Mont Saint-Michel and its Bay [Oct. 2023]
Palace and Park of Versailles [Nov. 2012]
Paris: Banks of the Seine [Sep. 2011]
Hungary
Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter & Andrássy Avenue [Jun. 2016]
Iceland
Þingvellir National Park [Jun. 2021]
Surtsey, Vestmannaeyjar [Jul. 2021]
Vatnajökull National Park – Dynamic Nature of Fire and Ice [Jul. 2021]
Italy
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata [Jun. 2006]
Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites [Apr. 2017]
Castel del Monte [May. 2022]
Historic Centre of Florence [Jul. 2006]
Historic Centre of Naples [Jun. 2006]
Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura [May. 2006]
Longobards in Italy: Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)
Basilica of San Salvatore, Spoleto [Apr. 2017]
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa [Jul. 1998]
18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli [May. 2022]
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera [May. 2022]
The Trulli of Alberobello [May. 2022]
Venice and its Lagoon [Jun. 2006]
Villa d'Este, Tivoli [Jun. 2006]
Villa Adriana, Tivoli [Jun. 2006]
Malta
The Netherlands
Rietveld Schröder House [Nov. 2018]
Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht [Jul. 2015]
Latvia
Historic Centre of Riga [Jun. 2012]
Lithuania
Historic Centre of Vilnius [Jun. 2012]
Poland
Auschwitz Birkenau, German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940–1945) [Jul. 2014]
Historic Centre of Kraków [Jul. 2014]
Historic Centre of Warsaw [Jul. 2014]
Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines [Jul. 2014]
Portugal
Convent of Christ in Tomar [Jul. 2017]
Cultural Landscape of Sintra [Jul. 2017]
Historic Centre of Porto [Jul. 2017]
Monastery of Alcobaça [Jul. 2017]
Monastery of Batalha [Jul. 2017]
Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon [Jul. 2017]
University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia [Jul. 2017]
Russia
Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments [Oct. 2010]
Kolomenskoye [Oct. 2011]
Moscow Kremlin and Red Square [Oct. 2010]
Novodevichy Convent [Oct. 2011]
Spain
The Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct [Nov. 2012]
Historic City of Toledo [Nov. 2012]
Paseo del Prado [Nov. 2012]
The Old Town of Santiago de Compostela [Sep. 2022]
Turkey
Historic Areas of Istanbul [Nov. 2011]
United Kingdom
Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret's Church [Jun. 2012]
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh [May. 2012]
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites [Nov. 2022]
Canada
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site [Jul. 1997]
Historic District of Old Québec [May. 2011]
Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala [Nov. 2023]
Mexico
Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) [Jan. 2012]
Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco [Jan. 2012 & Jan 2022]
Historic Centre of Puebla [Jan. 2012]
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro [Dec. 2021]
Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines [Jan. 2022]
Luis Barragán House and Studio [Jan. 2022]
Pre-Hispanic City of Chichén Itzá [Dec. 2020]
Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal [Dec. 2020]
Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacán [Jan. 2012]
Protective town of San Miguel de Allende and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco [Jan. 2022]
Peru
The City of Cusco [July. 2023]
Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System [July. 2023]
Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu [July. 2023]
United States of America
Olympic National Park [Sep. 2012]
Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville [Feb. 2020]
La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico [Jun. 2016]
Independence Hall [Jul. 2006]
Statue of Liberty [Jan. 2013]
The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright:
Unity Temple, Oak Park [Aug. 2008]
Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago [Aug. 2008]
Taliesin, Spring Green [Sep. 2012]
Hollyhock House, Los Angeles [Mar. 2012]
Fallingwater, Bull Run [Sep. 2018]
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House, Madison [Sep. 2012]
Taliesin West, Scottsdale [Jan. 2009]
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York [Jun. 2006]
Grand Canyon National Park [Jan. 2004]
Yosemite National Park [Sep. 2011]