Property: Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape
Id. N°: 481
State Party: Lao People's Democratic Republic
Criteria: C (iii) (iv) (vi)
The Committee inscribed Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage List under criteria (iii), (iv) and (vi):
Criterion (iii): The Temple Complex of Vat Phou bears exceptional testimony to the cultures of south-east Asia, and in particular to the Khmer Empire which dominated the region in the 10th-14th centuries.
Criterion (iv): The Vat Phou complex is an outstanding example of the integration of a symbolic landscape of great spiritual significance to its natural surroundings.
Criterion (vi): Contrived to express the Hindu version of the relationship between nature and humanity, Vat Phou exhibits a remarkable complex of monuments and other structures over an extensive area between river and mountain, some of outstanding architecture, many containing great works of art, and all expressing intense religious conviction and commitment.