The World Heritage Committee,1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the World Heritage List (WHC-03/27.COM/7B) and of proposals for inscription of properties on the World Heritage List (WHC-03/27.COM/8C),;2. Decides to inscribe the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan (27 COM 8C.44)Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, Azerbaijan (27 COM 7B.59)Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire (27 COM 7B.3)Ashur (Qala'at ash Sherqat), ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-03/27.COM/7A),;2. Decides to maintain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, Afghanistan (27 COM 7A.21)Butrint, Albania (27 COM 7A.26 )Tipasa, Algeria (27 COM 7A.17)Royal Palaces of Abomey, Benin (27 COM 7A.15)Angkor, Cambodia (27 COM 7A.22)Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park, Central African Republic (27 COM 7A.12 )Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, Côte d'Ivoire/Guinea (27 ...
Sites: Abu Mena Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves Angkor Bahla Fort Butrint Chan Chan Archaeological Zone Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary Everglades National Park Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore Garamba National Park Group of Monuments at Hampi Historic Town of Zabid Ichkeul National Park Kahuzi-Biega National Park Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve Okapi Wildlife Reserve Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve Royal Palaces of Abomey Rwenzori Mountains National Park Salonga National Park Sangay National Park Simien National Park Timbuktu Tipasa Virunga National Park
The World Heritage Committee,1. Following examination of state of conservation reports of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC-03/27.COM/7A),;2. Decides to remove the following properties from the List of World Heritage in Danger:Srebarna Nature Reserve, Bulgaria (27 COM 7A.10)Natural & Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, Serbia and Montenegro (27 COM 7A.27)Yellowstone, United States of America (27 COM ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Reminds States Parties, in the context of reviewing a nomination for geological heritage, of the importance of including a global comparative analysis when preparing natural heritage nominations under natural criterion (i) for geological heritage.
The World Heritage Committee,1. Approves the proposed name changes to existing properties on the World Heritage List as proposed by the authorities of Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia:Properties in Hungary:Former Name (English / French)New Name (English / French)Budapest, the Banks of the Danube and the Buda Castle Quarter / Budapest: le panorama des deux bords du Danube et le quartier du château de Buda Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue /Budapest, avec les rives du Danube, le quartier du château de Buda et l'avenue AndrássyHollokö ...
Sites: Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae) Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Takes note that the following States Parties had requested that their nominations not be examined at the 27th session of the Committee in 2003:
Extension to the Historic District of Québec (Canada)
Natural System of "Wrangel Island" Sanctuary (Russian Federation)
Franja Partisan Hospital (Slovenia)
Historic City of Mardin (Turkey)
Extension to Gough Island Wildlife Reserve (United Kingdom).
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, China on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv):Criterion (i): The property is of outstanding value for displaying the geological history of the last 50 million years associated with the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate, the closure of the ancient Tethys Sea, and the uplifting of the Himalaya Range and the Tibetan Plateau. These were major geological events in the evolution of the land surface of Asia and they are on-going. The ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Defers consideration of the nomination of Ras Mohammed, Egypt, to allow the State Party to consider extending the boundaries of the nomination to include the eastern portion of the Ras Mohammed National Park as well as appropriate sectors of the adjoining protected marine areas in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Aqaba.
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Defers consideration of the nomination of Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan, until a detailed action plan and implementation programme demonstrating the commitment of the State Party to: (a) maintaining the existing natural flows in the Nura River and containing deposits of mercury pollution; (b) upgrading the Sarykopa Wildlife Reserve to Nature Reserve protected status; and (c) linking the Tersek and Sypsyn outliers to an extended main Naurzum Nature Reserve by protecting the intervening corridors of unmodified steppe;
2. Requests IUCN ...
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Inscribes Monte San Giorgio, Switzerland, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criterion (i):
Criterion (i): Monte San Giorgio is the single best known record of marine life in the Triassic period, and records important remains of life on land as well. The property has produced diverse and numerous fossils, many of which show exceptional completeness and detailed preservation. The long history of study of the property and the disciplined management of the resource have created a well documented and catalogued body of specimens of ...
Sites: Monte San Giorgio
The World Heritage Committee, 1. Inscribes Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Viet Nam, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criterion (i):Criterion (i): Phong Nha is part of a larger dissected plateau, which also encompasses the Ke Bang and Hin Namno karsts. The limestone is not continuous and demonstrates complex interbedding with shales and sandstones. This, together with the capping of schists and apparent granites has led to a particularly distinctive topography. The caves demonstrate discrete episodic sequences of events, leaving behind various levels of fossil ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes Uvs Nuur Basin, Mongolia/ Russian Federation, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria (ii) and (iv):Criterion (ii): The closed salt lake system of Uvs Nuur is of international scientific importance because of its climatic and hydrological regimes. Because of the unchanging nature of the nomadic pastoral use of the grasslands within the basin over thousands of years, current research programmes should be able to unravel the rate at which Uvs Nuur (and other smaller lakes within the basin) have become saline (and eutrophic). ...
Sites: Uvs Nuur Basin
The World Heritage Committee, 1. Approves the extension of Jaú National Park, Brazil, with the addition of the Amana Sustainable Development Reserve, the Demonstration area of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve and the Anavilhanas Ecological Station;2. Adopts, with the agreement of the State Party, the new name for the property, "Central Amazon Conservation Complex";3. Encourages the State Party to re-nominate the subsidiary area of Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve once it fully meets the conditions of integrity.The inscription adds three protected areas to Jaú National ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Recognizing the outstanding universal cultural and natural value of Purnululu National Park, Australia, and the importance of the relationship and interaction between the Traditional Owners and the natural environment of the property,;2. Inscribes the property on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria (i) and (iii) as recommended by IUCN:Criterion (i): The Bungle Bungles are, by far, the most outstanding example of cone karst in sandstones anywhere in the world and owe their existence and uniqueness to several interacting geological, ...
Sites: Purnululu National Park
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Decides not to inscribe Rio de Janeiro: Sugar Loaf, Tijuca Forest and the Botanical Gardens, Brazil, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria;
2. Defers consideration of the cultural criteria of Rio de Janeiro: Sugar Loaf, Tijuca Forest and the Botanical Gardens, Brazil, encouraging the State Party to:
(a) undertake an appraisal of the cultural values of Rio's setting in order to inform a re-definition of the boundaries of the proposed World Heritage property, so as to protect the overall back-drop of the city more effectively,; ...
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Decides not to inscribe Parque Nacional del Este and its buffer zone, Dominican Republic, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria;
2. Decides to refer back to the State Party the nomination of Parque Nacional del Este and its buffer zone, Dominican Republic, encouraging the State Party to undertake the survey programme recommended by ICOMOS and to provide assurances that the resources, management, facilities, and security issues noted by ICOMOS will be examined and responded ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Decides not to inscribe Pico Island Vineyard Culture, Portugal, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria;2. Refers back to the State Party consideration of the cultural criteria of Pico Island Vineyard Culture, Portugal, to allow the State Party to nominate a more extensive area and as a cultural landscape, as recommended by ICOMOS.
The World Heritage Committee,1. Decides not to inscribe Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria;2. Encourages the State Party to consider including relevant protected areas in a serial nomination that can better ensure biodiversity conservation of the Caatinga biome;3. Commends the State Party, through the commitment and work of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the Museum for American Man Foundation (FUMDHAM), for transforming Serra da Capivara National Park over a decade ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Decides not to inscribe the Saint Catherine Area, Egypt, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural criteria;2. Encourges the State Party to resubmit the nomination as a cultural landscape; and3. Notes that the original inscription of the Saint Catherine Area on the World Heritage List under cultural criteria (i), (iii), (iv) and (vi) is not affected by this decision.
Sites: Saint Catherine Area
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes Quebrada de Humahuaca, Argentina, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii), (iv) and (v):Criterion (ii): The Quebrada de Humahuaca Vvalley has been used over the past 10,000 years as a crucial passage for the transport of people and ideas from the high Andean lands to the plains.Criteria (iv) and (v): The Quebrada de Humahuaca Vvalley reflects the way its strategic position has engendered settlement, agriculture and trade. Its distinctive pre-Hispanic and pre-Incan settlements, as a group with their associated field ...
Sites: Quebrada de Humahuaca
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes The Jewish Quarter and St Procopius' Basilica in Třebíč, Czech Republic, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii) and (iii):Criterion (ii): The Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius Basilica of Třebíč bear witness to the coexistence and interchange of values between two different cultures, Jewish and Christian, over many centuries.Criterion (iii): the Jewish Quarter of Třebíč is an exceptional testimony to the cultural traditions related to the Jewish diaspora in central Europe.The inscription is for three separate ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Defers the nomination of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs, Democratic People's Republic of Korea; 2. Notes the supplementary information submitted by the State Party;3. Requests that further steps be taken so that the relevant remaining technical issues can be resolved with a view to considering the nomination at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2004.
Sites: Complex of Koguryo Tombs
The World Heritage Committee,1. Defers the nomination of The Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen, Germany, to allow for the historical and architectural evaluation of the property in the framework of a comparative study of town halls.
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, India, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (iii) and (v):Criterion (iii): Bhimbetka reflects a long interaction between people and the landscape, as demonstrated in the quantity and quality of its rock art;.Criterion (v): Bhimbetka is closely associated with a hunting and gathering economy as demonstrated in the rock art and in the relicts of this tradition in the local adivasi villages on the periphery of this property;.2. Requests that the State Party undertake a survey of the rock art ...
Sites: Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes Takht-e Soleyman, Islamic Republic of Iran, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi):Criterion (i): Takht-e Soleyman is an outstanding ensemble of royal architecture, joining the principal architectural elements created by the Sasanians in a harmonious composition inspired by their natural context.Criterion (ii): The composition and the architectural elements created by the Sasanians at Takht-e Soleyman have had strong influence not only in the development of religious architecture in the Islamic ...
Sites: Takht-e Soleyman
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Noting the request for a modification of the original name of the property,
2. Inscribes the White City of Tel-Aviv - the Modern Movement, Israel, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): The White City of Tel Aviv is a synthesis of outstanding significance of the various trends of the Modern Movement in architecture and town planning in the early part of the 20th century. Such influences were adapted to the cultural and climatic conditions of the place, as well as being integrated with local ...
With regard to protective legislation in Israel, the World Heritage Committee,1. Encourages the State Party to broaden the scope of its system of legal protection at the national level to include modern heritage.
The World Heritage Committee,1. Noting that this property is the first to be inscribed on the World Heritage List from Kazakhstan,,2. Inscribes The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Kazakhstan, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (i), (iii) and (iv):Criterion (i): The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is an outstanding achievement in the Timurid architecture, and it has significantly contributed to the development of Islamic religious architecture. Criterion (iii): The mausoleum and its property represent an exceptional testimony to the culture of the Central Asian ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Queréetaro, Mexico, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii) and (iii):Criterion (ii): The Sierra Gorda Missions exhibit an important interchange of values in the process of evangelisation of central and northern Mexico, and the western United States.Criterion (iii): The five Sierra Gorda missions bear witness to the cultural encounter of the European missions with the nomadic populations of central Mexico, remaining a significant testimony to this second phase of evangelisation ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Defers the nomination of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape, Mongolia, to allow the State Party to clarify the boundaries of the property. A proposal for a wider cultural landscape should include assurances that the protection of natural as well as cultural values will be addressed;2. Encourages the State Party to consider an alternative location for the proposed visitor centre at Kharkhorum.
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Decides not to inscribe The Valley of the Pradnik River in the Ojcowski National Park, Poland, on the World Heritage List;
2. Commends the State Party on the quality of its management of the Valley of the Pradnik River within the Ojkowski National Park;
3. Encourages the State Party to consider using other mechanisms to recognize the international importance of the property, as noted by IUCN.
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Bbuildings of Derbent, Russian Federation, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (iii) and (iv):Criterion (iii): The site of the ancient city of Derbent has been crucial for the control of the north-south passage on the west side of the Caspian Sea since the 1st millennium BCE. The defence structures that were built by the Sasanians in the 5th century CE were in continuous use by the succeeding Persian, Arabic, Mongol, and Timurid governments for some fifteen centuries. Criterion (iv): ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, South Africa, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v):Criterion (ii): The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape contains evidence of an important interchange of human values that led to far-reaching cultural and social changes in southern Africa between AD 900 and 1300.Criterion (iii): The remains in the Mapungubwe cultural landscape are a remarkably complete testimony to the growth and subsequent decline of the Mapungubwe Sstate which at its height was the largest kingdom ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Noting that this property is the first to be inscribed on the World Heritage List from Sudan, 2. Inscribes Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region, Sudan, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi):Criteria (i), (ii), (iii), (iv): The nominated pyramids and tombs, being also part of the special desert border landscape, on the banks of the Nile, are unique in their typology and technique. The remains are the testimony to an ancient important culture which existed and flourished in this region ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv):Criterion (ii): Since the 18th century, the Botanic Gardens of Kew have been closely associated with scientific and economic exchanges established throughout the world in the field of botany, and this is reflected in the richness of its collections. The landscape and architectural features of the gardens reflect considerable artistic influences both with regard to the European continent and to more distant ...
Sites: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The World Heritage Committee,1. Defers the nomination of The Old City of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to allow the State Party to:(a) complete the reconstruction of the Old Bridge and the main features of the property and to redefine the significance of the Old City, taking into account the impact of the destruction and reconstruction of the property;(b) identify the relevant World Heritage criteria, review the nominated core area and buffer zone;(c) review and implement the management system and relevant plans in view of the significance of the nominated property and its ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Noting that this property is the first to be inscribed on the World Heritage List from Gambia, 2. Inscribes James Island and Related Sites, Gambia, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (iii) and (vi):Criterion (iii): James Island and Related Sites on the River Gambia provide an exceptional testimony to the different facets of the African-European encounter, from the 15th to 20th centuries. The River Gambia formed the first trade route into the interior of Africa and became an early corridor for the slave trade.Criterion (vi): James ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, Italy, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (ii) and (iv):Criterion (ii): The implantation of architecture and sacred art into a natural landscape for didactic and spiritual purposes achieved its most exceptional expression in the Sacri Monti (‘Sacred Mountains') of northern Italy and had a profound influence on subsequent developments elsewhere in Europe.Criterion (iv): The Sacri Monti (‘Sacred Mountains') of northern Italy represent the successful integration of architecture and ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland, Poland, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (iii) and (iv):Criterion (iii): The wooden churches of Little Poland bear important testimony to medieval church building traditions, as these related to the liturgical and cult functions of the Roman Catholic Church in a relatively closed region in central Europe.Criterion (iv): The churches are the most representative examples of surviving Gothic churches built in horizontal log technique, particularly impressive in their artistic ...
With regard to the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, Italy and the Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland, Poland, the World Heritage Committee,1. Congratulates the States Parties of Italy and Poland on the successful establishment of planning mechanisms for the two serial nominations;2. Encourages the States Parties to work with the World Heritage Centre in assisting other States Parties to develop planning mechanisms for similar serial properties;3. Requests that the two States Parties report back to the Committee at its 28th session in 2004 on the implementation of the ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Inscribes the Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe, on the World Heritage List on the basis of cultural criteria (iii), (v) and (vi):Criterion (iii): The Matobo Hills has one of the highest concentrations of rock art in southern Africa. The rich evidence from archaeology and from the rock paintings at Matobo provide a very full picture of the lives of foraging societies in the Stone Age and the way agricultural societies came to replace them.Criterion (v): The interaction between communities and the landscape, manifested in the rock art and also in the long standing ...
Sites: Matobo Hills
The World Heritage Committee,1. Approves the extension of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China, on the World Heritage List on the basis of existing cultural criteria (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi). The property now includes the following tombs or tomb groups:ID No. Tomb(s)Province InscribedArea (ha)Buffer Zone (ha)001Xianling TombHubei 200087.6226.4002Eastern Qing TombsHebei20002247,800003Western Qing TombsHebei20001,8424,758Subtotal, 2000 2,153.612,784.4004Ming TombsChangping Dist., Beijing20038238,100.0Xiaoling Tombs 005Xiaoling TombJiangsu2003116 180006Tomb ...
The World Heritage Committee,1. Approves the extension of the Historic District of Panamá, with the Salón Bolivar, Panama, on the World Heritage List to include the Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo under the existing cultural criteria (ii), (iv) and (vi);NameDate InscribedArea (ha)Buffer (ha)Historic District of Panamá, with the Salón Bolivar 199729.4not givenArchaeological Site of Panamá Viejo proposed28.085.0TOTAL 57.4 2. Approves the proposed name change to the "Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and the Historic District of Panamá," with the agreement of the State ...