Contacts | Site map | Credits

World Heritage 2002: Nine New Sites - September 2002 The World Heritage Committee, at its annual meeting in Budapest June 24-29, inscribed nine new sites on the World Heritage List, which now includes 730 places of "outstanding universal value" in 125 countries. As the World Heritage Convention embarks on its fourth decade, a growing number of new sites are cityscapes - repositories of our urban heritage - and cultural landscapes, reflecting the continuous interaction between humanity and its natural environment. An example of the latter is the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany, containing a wealth of castles, historic towns and vineyards set in a dramatic and varied natural landscape, an area that has an intimate association with history, legend and the creative arts. Another is the Tokaji Wine Region in Hungary, with its intricate pattern of vineyards, and associated cellars, farms and villages. Newly recognized urban heritage includes Suriname's Historic Inner City of Paramaribo, which illustrates the fusionof Dutch architectural design with traditional local techniques and materials. The living city satisfies modern economic and social needs without compromising its historical identity and authenticity. Similarly, the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily, conscientiously rebuilt following a massive earthquake in 1693, together represent the architectural style of the day. Our urban heritage also includes treasures that are frozen in time, such as the remarkably well preserved Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico, which gives a vivid picture of life in an ancient Maya capital. Also new to the list is Afghanistan's first World Heritage Site, the 12th-century Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, representing the culmination of an architectural and artistic tradition in central Asia. The site was simultaneously inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in a country that is emerging from decades of conflict and instability. In keeping with the view of cultural heritage as an instrument for peace and reconciliation, another new addition to the World Heritage List, the Saint Catherine Area in Egypt, bears unique testimony to the peaceful coexistence of three great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The 6th-century Orthodox monastery of Saint Catherine stands at the foot of Mount Horeb, known to Muslims as Jebel Musa, where Moses received the Tablets of the Law. Back