Ancient City of Sigiriya

A Postcard from

Hashan Chathuranga Kuruppu 

Of Sri Lanka

Thank you Very MUCH:;

Brief Description

The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 370 m high (the 'Lion's Rock', which dominates the jungle from all sides). A series of galleries and staircases emerging from the mouth of a gigantic lion constructed of bricks and plaster provide access to the site.

Sri Lanka

Central Province, Matale District

N7 57 0 E80 45 0

Date of Inscription: 1982

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)

Ref: 202

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Megalithic Temples of Malta

Brief Description

Seven megalithic temples are found on the islands of Malta and Gozo, each the result of an individual development. The two temples of Ggantija on the island of Gozo are notable for their gigantic Bronze Age structures. On the island of Malta, the temples of Hagar Qin, Mnajdra and Tarxien are unique architectural masterpieces, given the limited resources available to their builders. The Ta'Hagrat and Skorba complexes show how the tradition of temple-building was handed down in Malta.

Malta

Islands of Gozo and Malta

N36 2 56.688 E14 16 10.092

Date of Inscription: 1980

Extension: 1992

Criteria: (iv)

Ref: 132bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

Artifact Postcard excavated from the Site: From Fireangell of China Through Forum SWAP:: Thank you

Brief Description

Scientific work at the site, which lies 42 km south-west of Beijing, is still underway. So far, it has led to the discovery of the remains of Sinanthropus pekinensis, who lived in the Middle Pleistocene, along with various objects, and remains of Homo sapiens sapiens dating as far back as 18,000–11,000 B.C. The site is not only an exceptional reminder of the prehistorical human societies of the Asian continent, but also illustrates the process of evolution

China

Fangshanxian County, Beijing Municipality

N39 43 60 E115 55 0

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (iii)(vi)

Property : 480 ha

Buffer zone: 888 ha

Ref: 449

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)

A Panorama Postcard from Emilie through FB SWAP sent from France:: Thank you

Brief Description

The Pont du Gard was built shortly before the Christian era to allow the aqueduct of Nîmes (which is almost 50 km long) to cross the Gard river. The Roman architects and hydraulic engineers who designed this bridge, which stands almost 50 m high and is on three levels – the longest measuring 275 m – created a technical as well as an artistic masterpiece. 

France

N43 56 50 E4 32 7

Date of Inscription: 1985

Minor modification inscribed year: 2007

Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)

Property : 0.33 ha

Buffer zone: 691 ha

Ref: 344bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin

Brief Description

Remarkable as a landscape shaped over three centuries of coal extraction from the 1700s to the 1900s, the site consists of 109 separate components over 120,000 ha. It features mining pits (the oldest of which dates from 1850) and lift infrastructure, slag heaps (some of which cover 90 ha and exceed 140 m in height), coal transport infrastructure, railway stations, workers’ estates and mining villages including social habitat, schools, religious buildings, health and community facilities, company premises, owners and managers’ houses, town halls and more. The site bears testimony to the quest to create model workers’ cities from the mid 19th century to the 1960s and further illustrates a significant period in the history of industrial Europe. It documents the living conditions of workers and the solidarity to which it gave rise.

France

N50 27 45 E3 32 46

Date of Inscription: 2012

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 3,943 ha

Buffer zone: 18,804 ha

Ref: 1360

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Belfries of Belgium and France

Brief Description

Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed as a group, an extension to the 32 Belgian belfries inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia. Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, they showcase the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. They are highly significant tokens of the winning of civil liberties. While Italian, German and English towns mainly opted to build town halls, in part of north-western Europe, greater emphasis was placed on building belfries. Compared with the keep (symbol of the seigneurs) and the bell-tower (symbol of the Church), the belfry, the third tower in the urban landscape, symbolizes the power of the aldermen. Over the centuries, they came to represent the influence and wealth of the towns.

Belgium

France

N50 10 27.984 E3 13 53.004

Date of Inscription: 1999

Extension: 2005

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Ref: 943bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Colonial City of Santo Domingo

Brief Description

After Christopher Columbus's arrival on the island in 1492, Santo Domingo became the site of the first cathedral, hospital, customs house and university in the Americas. This colonial town, founded in 1498, was laid out on a grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World.

Dominican Republic

Distrito Nacional

N18 28 60 W69 55 0

Date of Inscription: 1990

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 526

Source:  http://whc.unesco.org