The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added new destinations to its list of World Heritage Sites, continuing it’s legacy of preserving unique and historically relevant places around the world.
Recently added to the list is Minoan Palatial Centre in Crete, an island off the coast of Greece. This historical ruins site dates back to 1900 BC, according to Travel + Leisure. This destination includes six archaeological sites on the island that are representative of the Minoan civilization, a prehistoric Mediterranean culture. The sites now a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list were the Minoan’s economic, religious, and administrative hubs, and neighborhoods. Today, findings from the site have revealed early writing systems, maritime networks, and cultural exchanges of Minoan society.
Also joining the list was Møns Klint, a cascade of white chalk cliffs along the Baltic Sea in Denmark. Not only are these cliffs as stunning as the Cliffs of Moher, but they also date back 70 million years and are a great place to search for ancient fossils and imagine what early life in Denmark looked like all those years ago. The site is just under a two hour drive from Copenhagen.
The Xixia Imperial Tombs in China were awarded World Heritage designation this year. Lying along the foothills of the southern Helan Mountains in Ningxia, a region in northern China, this site is an ancient imperial cemetery from the Xixia Dynasty. With nine imperial mausoleums, 271 subordinate tombs, a northern architectural complex, and 32 flood control structures, the site is a tribute to a civilization of the past. The cemetery was strategically positioned along the Silk Road, making the area a multicultural civilization based around Buddhism.
In the UAE, the Faya Paleolandscape also makes the list. Situated between the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, this land offers evidence of human life dating back to the Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods – approximately 210,000 to 6,000 years ago. The landscape tells the story of hunter-gatherers and pastoralists who adapted to extreme weather conditions, and civilizations who farmed the rich geographical rock formations for resources and raw materials.
The West African nation of Sierra Leone was awarded its first ever World Heritage site designation this year in the Gola-Tiwai Complex forests. According to UNESCO, this region houses over 1,000 plant species, 55 mammals, including 19 that are globally endangered, 448 species of bird, and other prominent species including the African Forest Elephant and Pygmy Hippopotamus.
In Brazil, the Peruaçu River Canyon in Minas Gerais also joins the UNESCO list, offering gorgeous canyon karst landscapes and caves all stunningly formed by carbonate rock. The destination features limestone arches, underground rivers, and collapsed sinkholes. The park is situated at the intersection of Cerrado, Caatinga and Atlantic Forest biomes, making it home to more than 2,000 plant and animal species, many of which are endangered.
Click here to learn more about the 26 places around the world that have been newly inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list this year.
