From the World Heritage inscription for the Hwaseong Fortress: Hwaseong is a piled-stone and brick fortress of the Joseon Dynasty that surrounds the center of Suwon City, of Gyeonggi-do Province. It was built in the late 18th century by King Jeongjo for defensive purposes, to form a new political basis and to house the remains …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns: Situated in the lower northern region of present-day Thailand, the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns is a serial property consisting of three physically closely related ancient towns. The total property area is 11,852 ha., comprising Sukhothai 7,000 …
From the World Heritage inscription for the Temple of Preah Vihear. The Temple of Preah Vihear, a unique architectural complex of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases on an 800-meter long axis, is an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture, in terms of plan, decoration, and relationship to the spectacular …
From the World Heritage inscription for Angkor: Angkor, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. It extends over approximately 400 square kilometers and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structures (basins, dikes, reservoirs, canals) as well as communication routes. For several centuries Angkor was …
La Grand Place is the focal point of Brussels. It’s within walking distance of most major attractions in the old town, including the Manneken Pis, and it’s a place all visitors will delight in exploring. Here’s everything you should know about the history and significance of La Grand Place in Brussels. Overview La Grand-Place in …
From the World Heritage inscription for Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: In southwest Alberta, the remains of marked trails and an aboriginal camp, and a tumulus where vast quantities of buffalo (American Bison) skeletons can still be found are evidence of a custom practiced by aboriginal peoples of the North American plains for nearly 6,000 years. Using …
I have been visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites since I began traveling full time in 2007. Since then I have visited over 375 sites around the world and have photographed all of them. There are no typical world heritage sites. They come in all shapes and sizes, from a few square meters to sites larger …
From the World Heritage inscription for Nahanni National Park: Located in the southwest corner of Northwest Territories along the course of the South Nahanni and Flat rivers, the park lies in a diverse mountainous area comprising mountain ranges, rolling hills, elevated plateaus, deep canyons and huge waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. …
From the World Heritage inscription: In a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, some 645 km from Addis Ababa, eleven medieval monolithic churches were carved out of rock. Their building is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a ‘New Jerusalem’ after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to …