Aksum is the most significant pilgrimage site in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and one of the largest tourist attractions in the country. Aksum is important for several reasons: It was the seat of the Axumite Empire, which reached its peak in the first millennium. The Axumite Civilization was one of the largest and most important …
From the World Heritage inscription: The four edifices of the site reflect the high points of the Byzantine-Romanesque ecclesiastical culture, with its distinct style of wall painting, which developed in the Balkans between the 13th and 17th centuries. The De?ani Monastery was built in the mid-14th century for the Serbian king Stefan De?anski and is …
Mehmed Paša Sokolovic Bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’m on a mission to visit every UNESCO site in the world (it will take a lifetime), so visiting Mehmed Paša Sokolovic Bridge was a top priority when I began planning my Balkans road trip. My original plan was to …
From the Durmitor National Park World Heritage inscription: Durmitor is a stunning limestone massif located in Northern Montenegro and belonging to the Dinaric Alps or Dinarides. It is also the name of Montenegro’s largest protected area, the Durmitor National Park, which constitutes the heart of a landscape shaped by glaciers, numerous rivers and underground streams …
From the World Heritage inscription: The Lake Ohrid region, a mixed World Heritage property covering 83,350 ha, was inscribed for its natural values in 1979 and for its cultural values a year later. Lake Ohrid is a superlative natural phenomenon, providing refuge for numerous endemic and relict freshwater species of flora and fauna dating from …
From the World Heritage inscription: The Silk Roads were an interconnected web of routes linking the ancient societies of Asia, the Subcontinent, Central Asia, Western Asia, and the Near East, and contributed to the development of many of the world’s great civilizations. They represent one of the world’s preeminent long-distance communication networks stretching as the …
Nan Madol is one of the most fascinating and significant places in the Pacific. I first visited Nan Madol in 2007 as I began my around the world trip. However, it took until 2016 to be placed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The site is extremely deserving of world heritage status and for …
From the World Heritage inscription: This fossil site is located at the south-eastern tip of the island of Newfoundland, in eastern Canada. It consists of a narrow, 17 km-long strip of rugged coastal cliffs. Of deep marine origin, these cliffs date to the Ediacaran Period (580-560 million years ago), representing the oldest known assemblages of …
From the World Heritage inscription: Designed and built in the 1920s, the Van Nellefabriek demonstrates an extremely accomplished industrial architecture. It comprises a complex of buildings consisting of several factories aligned along the perspective of a large internal roadway, and close to several means of transport (canals, roads, railway lines). Supported on an internal structure …