The most beautiful and rare UNESCO World Heritage Sites

 

 The most beautiful, rarest and least known World Heritage Sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are areas or monuments that may be man-made structures, natural areas, or a mixture of both. They are exceptional and unique areas or monuments nominated by the World Heritage Committee.

UNESCO:

united nations educational, scientific , cultural organization

UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and it works to protect world heritage sites such as the Great Wall of China, the pyramids, and others.

UNESCO was established in 1945 and its purpose is “to protect and preserve places of special cultural or material significance for the common heritage of humanity.”

In 1954, before the organization began its work, the Egyptian government was preparing to build the Aswan Dam, which would flood a valley and destroy the temples of Abu Simbel and Philae. UNESCO raised funding and paid to dismantle the temples, move them to a safer location and rebuild them exactly as they were, thus preserving them for future generations. was moving the statue of Abu Simbel Temple one of the most complex and best engineering works ever.

In general, as of 2017, there were approximately 1,073 sites in the world that are considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites, distributed among 167 countries in the world. Europe and North America have the lion’s share in terms of having the largest number of World Heritage Sites, followed by the continent of Asia, then Latin America, then Africa and finally the Arab countries.

Italy is considered the country with the most World Heritage sites in the world, with 53, while among Arab countries, Morocco comes in first place, with 9 World Heritage sites, while Kuwait has no World Heritage sites.

The number of UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites was 832, while the number of natural World Heritage sites was 206, while the number of mixed sites worldwide was 35 sites.

Here is a list of some fascinating and lesser-known World Heritage Sites:

Urban:

The city of Hatra, or the Sun, is located northwest of Baghdad in Iraq. The city of Hatra was built during the third century BC by the Arabs under the Iranian Persian Empire. The city became the capital of the first Arab Kingdom and became an important border fortress against Roman invasion. The Kingdom of Hatra is the oldest Arab kingdom.

The Kingdom of Hatra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hatra was ruled by Arab princes who paid annual tribute to the rulers of the Iranian Empire, until the Iranians took the city by force in 241. Hatra is considered one of the best preserved Parthian cities, and many of its structures are still standing, including the inner and outer defensive walls and towers. It is a group of temples with many different cultures, indicating the cultural differences and tolerance that prevailed in this region. Al-Hajar was listed as one of the unique World Heritage Sites in 1985.

The Kingdom of Hatra is famous for the falcon, which it took as its symbol. Hatra is also known for its unique architecture, and one of the most famous landmarks of Hatra is the Great Temple.

Aldabra Atoll:

Aldabra is the second largest atoll in the world, after the Chagos Archipelago. The largest atoll in the world, the Atoll of the Aldabra Islands group is uninhabited, isolated and almost untouched by humans. The atoll is home to the largest population of giant tortoises in the world, making it an extremely important site for environmental conservation.

Aldabra Atoll Giant Tortoises is a World Heritage Site

During the 1700s, the French used the islands to hunt giant tortoises, as they were considered a delicacy at the time, but by the 1900s, they were on the brink of extinction.

The atoll also shares the Aldabra railway, the endangered Malagasy sacred birds, green and hawksbill turtles, and two species of bats found only on Aldabra. The atoll was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982, as it is home to many rare and unusual creatures.

Piet Rietveld Schröder:

It is strange and even rare to find a private house on the World Heritage Lists, but indeed the Rietveld Schröder House is a modern family house built in the Netherlands in 1924, but why was the house chosen as a UNESCO heritage site?

The house was designed by architect Gerrit Rietveld, who was commissioned to create a home for Mrs. Truus Schröder-Schrader and her three children. The house, which is located in Utrecht, Netherlands, gained its name from a combination of the names of the architect who built it and the owner of the house.

Rietveld Schröder House is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

This house is one of the best examples of De-Stijl design, or modern open plan living for you and me. The lower stairs are a fairly traditional design but on the upper floor none of the internal walls are fixed, they are all movable panels providing open, changeable space.

From the outside, the building is strikingly different with clear, clean lines, a dramatic use of colour, cleverly placed balconies and large open windows connecting the building's interior to the exterior.

In 2000, UNESCO designated the house a World Heritage Site. This site is "a symbol of the modern movement in architecture. Through its radical approach to design and use of space, the Rietveld Schröder House occupies a fundamental position in the development of modern-day architecture."

Castle :

Built in a defensive position on top of a large hill in 1031, by the Emir of Aleppo, this fortress in western Syria guards the road from Antioch to Beirut.

Al-Hosn Castle in Homs was a strategically important fortress during the Crusades, captured by Raymond IV of Toulouse in 1099, after which it changed hands several times until 1142, when it became the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller. During the Crusades, it had a garrison of 2,000 soldiers as well as up to 60 knights. The Hospitaller Knights rebuilt much of the castle, including strengthening walls up to 100 feet thick in places, and they also rebuilt much of the inner wings in Gothic style including an assembly hall, chapel, cistern, aqueduct, storage facilities and two stables accommodating 1000 hp.

Al-Hosn Castle in Homs is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

In the cliff below the castle, the Hospitaller Knights dug more storage areas to hold supplies that could have lasted up to 5 years, if they were besieged. This site is also one of the few places in the world where Crusader frescoes can be seen. Al-Hosn Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Lists in 2006, and Al-Hosn Castle is one of the largest Crusader castles in the world.

Lalibela:

Lalibela is a rural town in northern Ethiopia. Lalibela is also one of the holiest cities in Ethiopia and a pilgrimage center. The city's 13 churches were completely carved straight from the rock into the ground. On the instructions of Saint Gebremeskel Lalibela during his reign as Emperor of Ethiopia, these churches were constructed, and the layout and names of the buildings in Lalibela represent Jerusalem.

The rock-cut Lalibela Church in Ethiopia is a World Heritage Site

This has helped date the churches to around the 13th century AD, after Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187. The largest monolithic church in the world, Bet Madhane Alem, is also home to the Lalibela Cross and Bet Mary is believed to be the oldest of the churches, and Bet Golgotha ​​is where it is believed It is where King Lalibela was buried.

These churches are very unusual in that they are carved into the ground rather than carved into a cave or onto the face of a large rock, as is the case with most other rock-cut buildings. Each church is carved with painstaking detail and stands as a testament to these people's devotion to their religion and their skill in carving. The churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Lists in 1978 AD.

Valley of the Whales:

was found The Valley of the Whales in the Fayoum desert of Egypt. The site contains fossils that show the evolution of whales from land mammals to the ocean-going creatures we know today. Skeletons of Sirenia dugongs, Moeritherium elephants, crocodiles, sea turtles, and sea snakes were also found at the site.

The sheer number and quality of these fossils found in Wadi Al-Hitan make this site unique. Indeed, the site is considered the largest whale fossil site in the world. The quality of preservation is so good that stomach contents were found preserved, while the collection of other species found at the site makes it It is possible to reconstruct the environmental conditions surrounding the site.

Tropical rainforests in Sumatra:

The Sumatra Tropical Rainforest consists of three national parks on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, and has been selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its scenic beauty and natural habitats.

All three parks contain different habitats, allowing for a great diversity of both flora and fauna.

The parks are home to the Rafflesia Arnoldi, the world's largest flower, as well as Amorphophallus Titanum, the world's tallest flower, as well as 174 species of mammals and 380 species of birds.

Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest flower in the world, is located in the forests of Indonesia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Of these specimens, 16 are endemic and 73 are currently threatened with extinction. Species such as orang-utans, Sumatran rhinos, leopards, Sumatran elephants and leatherback turtles are found, making it one of the most diverse and important conservation sites in the world. The main threat to these sites is residential expansion.

Persepolis :

Known as Persepolis, Takht Jamshid is located in southern Iran and was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. Construction began around 515 BC by Cyrus the Great, but the most impressive work was completed by Darius the Great and Xerxes the Great (yes, that bad guy you saw in the movie Spartans 300) in around 470 BC.

Nations Gate Iran, Takht Jamshid

The Apadana Palace is one of the most awe-inspiring buildings at this site, as it served as the main hall of the kings. The building was supported by 20-metre-high columns, topped with a buttress carved in the shape of lions or bulls.

The site also contains the Gate of Nations, a 100-column hall, the Imperial Treasury, council halls, military quarters, reception halls, cisterns, sewers, tombs, royal tombs, royal stables, coach houses and a number of palaces and royal residences. They are all covered with carvings and mosaics. The city was destroyed in 330 BC, by Alexander the Great, perhaps in retaliation for the destruction of the Acropolis in Athens, but the ruins still contain many fine sculptures and bear witness to the wealth and power of the Persian Empire .

Hominid fossil sites in Sterkfontein:

This site, more commonly known as The Cradle of Humankind, is a complex of more than 36 limestone caves in South Africa. The site with the largest number of fossils of human-like creatures is located near Johannesburg, scientists have found. Inside these caves are a huge number of fossils of human ancestors dating back more than 3.5 million years.

One of these caves contains more than a third of all human fossils ever found. The caves also show signs of human habitation of the site including the first human stone tools, as well as the oldest controlled fire dating back over a million years.

One of the excavations at the Sterkfontein site

Scientists believe that the immediate burial, combined with the unusual conditions inside the caves, allowed the bodies inside the caves to become fossilized, which in itself is an extremely rare event. The most famous finds include Ms. Ples, the most beautiful African Australopithecus skull ever discovered, although the sex is definitely not female, dental X-rays seem to show that this was an adult.

Another famous find is the Little Foot, an amazingly complete hominin skeleton believed to be between 2.5 and 3.3 million years old. This site shows us not only where our species came from but how we have evolved over thousands of years. It is definitely one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.