26 new sites inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List during 47th session of WHC in Paris

Paris, Jul 14 (PTI) The World Heritage Committee has inscribed 26 new sites from various countries, including India's 'Maratha Military Landscape', on UNESCO's heritage list during its ongoing session in Paris.

Besides, two existing UNESCO World Heritage Sites were also examined for "significant modifications to the boundaries", and extensions were approved, a senior official of the world body said.

The new sites were added to the coveted list during the three-day proceedings (July 11-13) of the session of the WHC.

The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) is being hosted in the French capital from July 6-16.

These new inscriptions include 21 cultural sites, four natural sites and one mixed site, the official said.

For Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone, a site each from the two countries was inscribed for the first time, the UNESCO official said.

The property from Guinea-Bissau -- Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagós Archipelago - Omatí Minhô -- includes a continuous series of coastal and marine ecosystems, corresponding to the marine and intertidal environments of the best-preserved areas of the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau.

From Sierra Leone -- Gola-Tiwai Complex -- a serial property that includes the Gola Rainforest National Park and the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. A part of the Greater Gola Landscape, it lies within the Upper Guinean Forest, and is a biodiversity hotspot, according to UNESCO website.

On July 13, six new sites fetched the UNESCO tag, including Brazil's Peruaçu River Canyon; Denmark's Møns Klint, featuring a dramatic glaciotectonic landscape shaped by Pleistocene glaciers, the property includes chalk cliffs, rolling hills, kame and kettle topography, and outwash plains; and Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea.

Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria in Germany, the Archaeological Ensemble of the 17th-century Port Royal in Jamaica and Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave in Russia and Minoan Palatial Centres in Greece were added to the UNESCO list on July 12.

'Maratha Military Landscapes of India', representing extraordinary fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers, earned recognition on July 11. This is India's 44th property to receive the recognition.

The nomination for UNESCO tag was for the 2024-25 cycle.

Its 12 components are -- Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay Durg, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.

Eight other sites, including Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection, and Murujuga Cultural Landscape (Australia) and Xixia Imperial Tombs (China), were also added on July 11.

The Cambodian property consists of three locations that reflect the human rights abuses of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia from 1971 to 1979.

A total of 32 sites, including 30 new properties, nominated by various countries, were examined from July 11-13.

During the session, the WHC removed three African heritage sites from the List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Danger, acknowledging successful efforts to mitigate threats and restore their cultural and ecological integrity. The decision was taken on July 9, the world body had earlier said.

These sites are the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar, Abu Mena in Egypt, and the Old Town of Ghadamès in Libya.

The 46th session of the WHC was held in New Delhi -- the first time India hosted the crucial meeting in July 2024. PTI KND RHL