Varanasi (T)

Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero The Philippines - 12-Nov-24

Varanasi deserves a place in the list and it surprises me that no one has reviewed it yet. Being one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, which remains to be a most central place of worship as the holiest place in Hinduism, its history and value to the world cannot be understated. It is also considered sacred in Buddhism and Jainism. Being historic is one thing, and being iconic is another -- the cityscape of Varanasi is easily one of the most recognizable. While it is easy to be critical about the site as to whether it is clean or not, the judgment, in my opinion, plays little to nothing to the cultural value it offers

Alvaro Siza's Architecture Works (T)

CugelVance Germany - 23-Oct-24

I visited Alvaro Siza's Bouca housing complex as well as the faculty of architecture of the university of Porto on oct.the 20th,2024. I had already visited his designed tea house and the pool/piscina das Mares in his native Matosinhos a few years ago.I have also been several times to the portuguese pavillon of the expo 98 in Lisboa-Oriente(now closed to the public due to renovation works).

I even live only about 10 minutes' walk from one of his works, the Bonjour Tristesse building in Berlin, but it should better be called Welcome Tristesse because it is a pretty unsightly and unpleasant building that reminds you of the banlieues of Paris or the big and gray social housing projects in West Germany in the 1970s.

Sítio Roberto Burle Marx

2.50 Carlo Sarion Philippines | New Zealand - 12-Nov-24

We visited Sitio Roberto Burle Marx in Sep 2022, when Rio was experiencing several days of torrential rain. I had to cancel our first two attempts to visit due to the weather, but the rain hadn't stopped even on the day we finally went. Although this review is two years overdue, I thought I'd document my experience visiting the site and share some thoughts about Burle Marx, whom people have both criticised and revered.

Getting started

We took an Uber from our accommodation in Ipanema to the site, and the trip took a bit longer than the usual hour-long journey. As previous reviews have emphasised, it’s essential to book ahead since the guided tours have limited capacity. We checked in at the gate and waited at the administration building

Tyre

3.00 Triath - 08-Nov-24

Visited in May 2023.It should be understood right away that the city is located in the south of Lebanon, a region controlled by Hezbollah, so this factor should be taken into account when planning a visit. I visited this city when the situation was more or less calm.Although these political factors are not particularly felt in the historical center, there is a specially designated area with recognizable symbols, but in the tourist zone tourists walk in shorts and short dresses, alcohol is sold, and no tension was felt.Also, I covered some gestalt, because in the last couple of years I visited several Mediterranean colonies founded by Phoenician Tyre, the most famous of them are Carthage and Cadiz

Convent of Christ in Tomar

3.00 CugelVance Germany - 24-Oct-24

I visited the Convent of Christ in the portuguese city of Tomar on the 13th of oct,2024.

I entered the convent early in the morning exactly at the moment when a big american tourist group left their bus and had the same goal....I was totally surrounded by those elderly american tourists so that I missed the ticket counter and entered the area without paying the admission fee. I feared for the worst ....a totally overcrowded tourist place....but the convent is huge. Therefore after fleeing from that group with its loud guide by just skipping the first two rooms I had the luck to be alone in almost all rooms for the next 30-40 minutes.

Plasencia - Monfragüe - Trujillo : Paysage méditerranéen (T)

Alikander99 Spain - 07-Nov-24

I guess I should do justice to the city my father lives in and write a review for this site, even if i doubt it will ever be inscribed.

I have gone to Plasencia more times than I care to count. Tbf to my father, who took me there every 2 weeks, It has a rather monumental historic centre which has been preserved pretty well. The city has kept a big portion of its medieval walls, there's multiple civil and eclesiastical palaces and of course there's the cathedral. Overall it's a pretty solid medieval small city, with a lively atmosphere and an enormous half finished cathedral. It's pretty though rather unremarkable.

Imperial Palace

4.50 Tony H. Finland - 04-Nov-24

I visited the Forbidden City in June 2024. You need to buy the tickets for the palace beforehand online. I did it through the official site and had no problems with it. Tickets become available 7 days in advance and if you plan to visit on weekend, on public holiday or during the morning slot you need to be on the website right when new batch of tickets become available. I found the afternoon tickets to be available even for next day on some weekdays but I scored for myself morning ticket during a weekday.

City of Motovun (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 02-Nov-24

If you're staying on the Istrian coast then an excursion to Motovun (30-40 minutes away) makes for an enjoyable couple of hours. My suggestion would be look for a few other interesting hilltop villages and make a trip combining them.The problem with Motovun is its size, it's a very small village and once you have walked the defensive walls, stopped in the village square for a drink and mooched around one or two of the many shops selling local wine, you're struggling to keep yourself interested.Possibly the best thing about the village is view from the approach road, where the walled village sites magnificently on top of the hill and surveys all around it

Route of Magellan. First around the World (T)

CugelVance Germany - 24-Oct-24

I visited the Torre do Tomba building on oct.the 9th after having visited the whs palace in Mafra as the buses to and from Mafra start and end in the bus station of Campo Grande which is very near the Lisboa university area. The Torre do Tomba is almost in the middle of that area.

The metro station "Citade Universitaria" is also just a few minutes away from the Torre do Tomba.

I had already been several times to the Belem area of Lisboa so that this time I decided not to visit it again, even though it seems to be part of the tentative serial world  heritage site.

San Pedro de la Roca Castle

3.00 Triath - 22-Oct-24

Visited in February 2023.

Like Havana, Santiago de Cuba is built on a bay that goes deep enough into the land. Like in Havana, the fairly narrow entrance to this bay was easily protected by fortification systems. The Spaniards spared them no money. The island was a transshipment base for armadas of galleons loaded with precious metals from the New World, and pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries began to attack cities with the aim of extracting booty from them.The fortress on the rocky promontory of El Morro, 10 km from Santiago (easy taxi ride), began to be built in 1638 under the leadership of the Milanese engineer Giovanni Battista Antonelli, and it was done intermittently until the end of the century (and then expanded further)

Atapuerca

4.00 Jan-Willem Netherlands - 01-Nov-24

The last reviews date already from some years ago, so I thought: ‘why not add a new impression?’, because I was very lucky to have a different way to enjoy the excavation sites just a month ago. In a descriptive way, I don’t think that there is much to add to the earlier reviews, but it is probably good to emphasize that work continues each summer and important findings still occur almost every year, underlining or probably even strengthening the OUV of the site. See for example a press release from this summer: https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/07/new-remains-of-850000-years-old-homo-antecessor-at-atapuerca/. 

Champaner-Pavagadh

3.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 15-Nov-24

As the name 'Champaner-Pavagadh' suggests, this site comprises two (contiguous) parts: Champaner (the remains of an Islamic pre-Mughal city) and Pavagadh (a hill with an important Hindu pilgrimage site). They are linked through their prime setting, the hill providing the water the city needed. As it was still relatively early in my 2024 India journey, I deep-dived into it via a day trip on public transport from Vadodara (better known locally under its old name Baroda).

The bus ride to Pavagadh takes about an hour and costs 40~60rs. Buses frequently leave from bays 15-18 at the central bus station; signage is only in Gujarati but just follow the colourful pilgrims on board

Grand Canal

2.00 Tony H. Finland - 27-Oct-24

I visited in June 2024 the section of the Grand Canal that is located in central Beijing. The inscribed part there consists mostly of Houhai, Qianhai and Xihai lakes, collectively known as Shichachai lake. These lakes are very lovely place to walk around with many trees providing shade from summer sunshine. The famous Beijing hutongs surround them with plenty of shops and restaurants to look for souvenirs or taste Chinese treats. Paddle boats seemed to be a popular activity with locals along with shopping, of course.

Turaif Quarter

3.00 Svein Elias Norway - 30-Oct-24

We, Philipp and his son plus Randi and me, visited this site october. We had a rental and intended to see all the Saudia Arabia WHS’ plus most of the TWHS’ in an extended week. We met up late night in Riyadh airport, picked up the car and stayed overnight in a nearby hotel. The following morning, we headed for At-Turaif.

The parking is inconvenient a bit off the entrance. We parked in a parking garage which was convenient to avoid an overheated car, but we still had to walk to the site in the burning sun. I don’t remember exactly the temperature at that moment, but coming from norther Europe hitting 35-40 degrees Celsius is tough.

Angra do Heroismo

3.50 CugelVance Germany - 23-Oct-24

I visited the beautiful city of Angra do Heroismo on the 15/16/and 17th of oct.2024.

During my stay I visited the usual places that every tourist probably visits there like the Se Cathedral of Angra,the church of our lady of Mont Carmel (3€ entrance fee) next to the palace Capitaes-Generais, the iconic church de Misericordia( free entrance) and the statue with Vasco da Gama in front of it or the Angra museum with the Guia church and the Sao Fransico convent.

On the first day I visited the Jardim Duque da Terceira park in the late afternoon and walked up to the memorial of Pedro IV from where the view of Angra is magnificent and breathtaking..

Capital Fortifications of Hanyang (T)

Nan Germany - 30-Oct-24

The first time I visited Korea in 2004, I recall that the beautiful Dongdaemun Gate stood at the centre of a large and unattractive roundabout with heavy traffic. Today, the Gate is no longer surrounded by cars and can be visited more easily. Although it still faces on 2 sides a busy junction, the gate has some space for visitors on the other 2 sides.

Seoul has been making efforts to beautify its urban fabric, including the restoration of the city wall. Another notable example is the opening up of the Seoul River, which has become a bit of an urban lung. However, the city has yet to fully address the main issue: heavy car traffic with aggressive drivers.

Camagüey

2.00 Triath - 22-Oct-24

Visited in January 2023.

The [...]

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

3.00 Tony H. Finland - 27-Oct-24

Visited in June 2024. As most visitors, we also visited only the Terracotta Army during our visit to Xi'an and skipped the actual mausoleum site. We arrived to the Terracotta Army site by a taxi which we took from Xi'an. The drive takes quite long so it isn't much faster option than taking the bus from Xi'an. We had bought the tickets online so there was no need to queue for tickets. As it was Saturday the site was very busy with Chinese tourists. The information signs around the entrance showed that this Terracotta Army site is just a small section of the whole mausoleum and there were signs towards the actual mausoleum, if you want to walk over there. We were only visiting the army as the weather was way too hot to walk over the mausoleum site.

Hawaii Volcanoes

4.00 Jgriffindor6 United States - 26-Oct-24

Hawaii is a vacation destination of choice for many on the US west coast, and for a while, I felt like one of the only people in California that liked to travel that had not been to Hawaii (not even once!). Hawaii, being that it is beautiful, tropical, and unique, is also very expensive and will make your wallet cry for help. Compared to the prices for other domestic trips, Hawaii takes the cake for most expensive.

But honestly, it was so worth the temporary bankruptcy! I had this idea in my head that because so many people visit Hawaii that it wouldn't be as cool to visit as people say it is because it would be too crowded or something. But now I understand why so many people go there in the first place! It is truly a unique and special place

Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf (T)

CugelVance Germany - 22-Oct-24

I visited the waldsiedlung Zehlendorf (also known as "uncle tom's hut settlement)  in Berlin's affluent south west area on july the 12th as well as on july the 19th,2024.

The waldsiedlung Zehlendorf is located on both sides of the argentinische allee street in Berlin's Zehlendorf destrict ,on both sides of the metro tracks that practically divide the "forest settlement".

The waldsiedlung was built between 1926 and 1931. In total,the waldsiedlung includes over 1900 apartments,of which 1100 are multi-storey apartments and 800 are single-family homes.

Colonia del Sacramento

3.50 Lauren Gurnee United States - 23-Oct-24

Like many other people's experience, I would agree that at first glance Colonia does not have many things to do. However, for me personally, it was a much-needed respite after the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires and Santiago. My family and I stayed at a quaint hotel for three nights near the city center, and we spent our days walking through the town and basking in the peacefulness and quiet that Colonia offers. 

The town is walkable, although the streets themselves can be a little precarious since they are very old and cobbled so if you have mobility issues take caution! We entertained ourselves by stopping by shops, visiting the paper museum, having high tea, and getting a guided South American bird tour throughout the town!

Wadden Sea

2.50 Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero The Philippines - 24-Oct-24

After visiting the lovely old town of Franeker for the Eisinga Planetarium, my friend and I went back to Leeuwarden to embark on what was probably the craziest bike ride I have done so far. In the end, we cycled nearly 50-kms in total -- yes, on the regular thin-wheeled Dutch bike one can rent out at the stations-- to get to Zwarte Haan and back. I'm not sure if there could have been buses to get us there and back, but we never encountered any on the way. Also, I found the bike journey across rural Friesland rather enjoyable, something I never experienced in the more modern corners of the country. The journey was probably even more memorable than the destination itself, which in this case was the Wadden Sea

Rocks of Belogradchik (T)

Andrew_Kerr UK - 21-Oct-24

A great place to spend a couple of hours. The rocks are unique and the way that they have been used to build a fort around them and utilise the natural defensive nature of the rocks is impressive.
Getting there is another matter, I was lucky enough to be staying with my friend in Serbia and we drove there but it is a fair way off the beaten track through miles of sparsely populated farmlands.
Once there, the trip was certainly worth it, I've not visited anywhere that is similar before or since.
There are facilities in the local town including a nice hotel and places to eat but nothing else much to see.

Viñales Valley

3.00 Triath - 22-Oct-24

Visited in January 2023.

The Viñales Valley is located 200 km from Havana, in the province of Pinar del Rio. I booked a tour through the owners of an airbnb apartment in Havana.Europeans came to this valley among the Sierra de los Organos mountain range only at the beginning of the 19th century, three hundred years after the beginning of the colonization of the island. It turned out that the local climate is ideal for agriculture, especially for the cultivation of tobacco.Since then, the technology of this process has not changed much. Large-scale production with its mechanization is considered to have a negative impact on the quality of the product, so the villagers here still do everything by handwork

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (T)

CugelVance Germany - 22-Oct-24

I visited the head office and the garden of the Gulbenkian Foundation (open daily except tuesdays) on octobre the 7th,2024. The museum is a stone's throw away from both the metro station "Sao Sebastiao" and "Praca de Espanha". I went straight to the head office where I walked around inside the building for a few minutes. Afterwards I wandered around the garden until I reached the Center for Modern Art, where entry was free, so there was a fairly long queue. I wasn't in the mood to wait long, so I continued my wandering around the area. Finally I reached the headquarters again. Once again I entered it and looked at it from the inside again.An absolutely ugly building from the outside, pure brutalism

The Darb Zubaydah (Saudi) (T)

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 21-Oct-24

Fayd is the most convenient location of this TWHS as its on route between Hail and Riyadh. Also an important one, as it’s halfway to Mecca from Kufa. So we also decided to visit Fayd. The visitor experience has improved a lot since Martina and Ivan were there. While the 2 wells described in the first review are visible from the fence, the palace is actually the main site to visit.

A big visitor center was built in front of the entrance, where the local guide Saud and the security responsible Fayez received us with the fantastic Saudi hospitality we had experienced throughout the country

Aleppo

3.50 Triath - 20-Oct-24

Visited on a group tour in April 2023.It is a pity that this ancient city suffered twice; during the civil war there was a four-year battle for control of the city, which led to the destruction of a significant part of the historical center. And only the city began to rebuild when it became the epicenter of a terrible earthquake in February 2023. I was there a couple of months after this tragedy; it was scary to see whole blocks of ruins. But at the same time, people do not give up. It was nice to see the citizens who were walking in the central square near the Citadel, eating ice cream, listening to music. A sense of normal life in a half-destroyed metropolis

Northern Martinique

3.50 Svein Elias Norway - 22-Oct-24

During our easter holiday this year we visited some islands in the Lesser Antilles. The French Island of Martinique was one of them and naturally we visited this new WHS. We arrived at Fort-de-France, the islands main city, by ferry from Castries St Lucia, a ferry trip of 1 ½ hour. After a bus ride to the airport for picking up the rental car we were on our way to our next WHS.

The buffer zone of this site covers a major part of the northern part of the island, but the core zone is divided into two smaller areas

Vilnius

3.50 Andrew_Kerr UK - 21-Oct-24

I feel kind of bad rating Vilnius only 3.5 stars because I really liked it but had to accept that it was very similar to countless other central European cities but without a real wow factor. If you like an eclectic mix of architecture Vilnius has Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque all cheek by jowl as well the cities ancient fortifications yet while it remains "interesting" it never hits the wow! in the way that, say, Riga does, or Krakow.The city highlights are the Cathedral and its quirky, stand alone bell tower (pictured), the Gothic splendour of St Anne's Church and the countless baroque churches that seem to be present on every street

Damascus

5.00 Triath - 19-Oct-24

Visited during a group tour in April 2023.

It is important that the city was practically not affected by military actions, unlike many other ancient Syrian cities.

It is quite difficult to move around Syria, there are many checkpoints, the only chance is to join an official tour, with a strictly planned route. But in Damascus you could safely go out into the city in the evenings without the control of a guide. 

Damascus is considered the oldest capital in the world and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, but, as usual, the issues of sufficient urbanity are very controversial. But it is undoubtedly one of the greatest cities in the Arab and, more broadly, the entire Islamic world. 

Ancares - Somiedo (T)

Jan-Willem Netherlands - 19-Oct-24

I hesitated a bit before writing this contribution, because I do not have a lot to tell. And I’m only doing it, because there’s no other review for this TWHS, yet.

My friends and I stayed in Oviedo and decided to spend a day in the country. We drove by car to Pola de Somiedo, hoping to do some hiking in the area and, who knows, spot a bear!  It was about an hour and half driving. I read somewhere else on the web that ‘The park is one of Spain's most beautiful and rugged nature reserves.’ and with what I’ve seen of Spain so far, that is probably true. Just driving through the valleys with their steep, rocky slopes – and some historic sites and bridges along the way - was a treat.

The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains (T)

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 19-Oct-24

5 of the 7 proposed components are close to the mountain town of Abha (2270m). we covered 2 of them on the way to Rijal Almaa and of course Zee Ain.

Qura Qaradah
A small village close to Abha. The historic core is right at the beginning of the village and consists of a few historic buildings, some dry walls and a watchtower. This is your best bet from Abha I would suggest.

Rabea RufaidaWe struggled with this one. There is a old core with some old buildings (most of them in very bad shape) and also plenty of dry walls. Most of the walls however are not ancient, as they keep building them to create agriculture zones. We did not find the watchtower mentioned on the Unesco site

Prehistoric Stone Structures in Saudi Arabia (T)

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 19-Oct-24

We visited the stone structures TWHS on our road trip around Saudi Arabia in 2024. We covered 2 of the 10 proposed locations and passed by several others.

Harrat Khaybar
Of the 10 proposed locations, 5 are Harrat (lava stone fields). When you look at our map with the dots it feels like no problem to find them, but it’s actually like finding a needle in a haystack. Nevertheless we are quite sure we (and I mean our fantastic navigator Randi) found the Harrat Khaybar location. After some small roads and a short hike up to a plateau we reached an area with a clearly visible wall, countless stone piles, some with an additional stone wall and stone circles. From the road it’s an unmarked hike and there is also no path. Some rocks are loose, so be careful.

Water Management in Saudi Arabia: The Ancient Dams (T)

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 19-Oct-24

The Saudi water management is mainly dams, but also a few wells. We found 2 out of 3 dams we planned to visit. The 2 locations we did not go for were Al-Khanaq (wrong side of Medinah for our itinerary) and Al Hasid (we thought we covered the TWHS enough after the second dam).

Sadd Samallaqi (close to Taif)
The dam is marked on google maps as Al Samallagi Ancient Dam. Just follow google and it will lead you right there. The road is paved, but there are no signs mentioning the dam. It about 200m long and up to 10m high. You can easily walk on top. Next to the dam you can find some old wells. A local shepherd was kind enough to show me one I missed. 

Brimstone Hill Fortress

2.50 Ammon Watkins Canada - 18-Oct-24

The British started fortifying the double peaked Brimstone Hill in 1690. Sitting at around 800ft it offers commanding views of the coastline and neighbouring islands and with such a steep approach was considered impregnable, the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. Hyperbolic perhaps but it did see some action against the French over the years before being abandoned in 1853. It has since been partially restored and is a pleasant though not outstanding visit if one is in St. Kitts. 

Our visit was in Feb 2024. We were on a cruise with a full day stop in St. Kitts. There is no public transport to the fort and rather than take a tour we found a van taxi to take us to the fort and back with about 1 hour of waiting time for $100US. Entry is a pricey $15US now. It is a steep road uphill from the coast and would be a hot and unpleasant walk so we were grateful for the ride. There are various levels of fortifications as you ascend and then a final short hike up one of the peaks to the restored citadel on top. An hour is enough time for a quick look around the citadel and it's few displays, admire the views and then walk over to the barracks and ruined officer's quarters at the base of the other peak

Al-Faw

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 19-Oct-24

On our trip to Saudia Arabia we tried to visit Al-Faw in October 24 and did not succeed. The site is double fenced with the standard yellow ca. 3m fence with barb wire on top, the Saudis use to protect their cultural sites. The outer fence is is the problem. It’s minimum 200m from the site, which make it impossible to get to the core zone or even see more than a few walls. The building closest to the main street, about 200m from the fence, is a Ranger Station. Around 10 Ranger cars were parked there, so we tried our luck and went in. The ranger was very friendly, but would not let us pass even the outer fence under any circumstances. There are some info panels inside the station, but it’s clearly no visitor center.

Vjetrenica Cave

2.50 DannyB Australia - 15-Oct-24

We visited Vjetrenica Cave in early October 2024.  You can only visit the cave system with a guide from the site.  It opened at 10.00am and we undertook the first tour with just the two of us and the guide.  Cost is 10 Euro each and the tour take up to 45 min to an hour, with your ticket price including a visit to the museum to view artifacts that have been found in the cave and preserved in the museum for display.  The biodiversity of the cave system one of the main reasons for its inscription and it is not a visible part or your experience in the cave, however you do see an array of different cave system structures which are pleasant but not awe inspiring in itself

Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites

0.50 Lauren USA - 16-Oct-24

I organized a private day tour from Johannesburg to visit eight of the fourteen sites on the final inscription that are in or around Johannesburg: (a) Liliesleaf, (b) Constitution Hill, (c) Orlando West, (d) Walter Sisulu Square, and (e-h) the four Sharpeville sites.  It would have been difficult to visit on my own, but I emailed several tour companies listed on TripAdvisor with the list of sites, and several responded that they’d be pleased to set up a tour. It ended up being a 9+ hour day and I could have taken longer in Orlando West and Liliesleaf, but overall I was pleased with the organization and I feel like I have a good enough sense of the site to mark it as completed.

Levuka

2.50 Ammon Watkins Canada - 11-Oct-24

I made a last-minute decision to visit Levuka when I found myself in Suva with a few extra days to spare.  Previous reviewers have already described the town well. I found it more functional and active than I was expecting. Sure it is small, but the mid/late-19th century wooden colonial architecture along Beach St. reminded me of a displaced gold rush town like the ones I'd recently been visiting back home. Unlike those, which often have a ghost town "museum" feel to them, Levuka is simply trapped in time and very relaxed and friendly

Yosemite National Park

5.00 Jgriffindor6 United States - 13-Oct-24

This is the only WHS that I have been to multiple times, due to living in California, and it truly is a highlight of not only CA but the USA as a whole. It is a beautiful and unique landscape that rewards multiple visits. I have only been in summer because that is when most trails are open for hiking, but I have heard that it is gorgeous in all seasons. I actually would not recommend a visit in high summer due to crowds and the reservation system that they have put in place. The Valley can become a circus very quickly, especially in the summer season. I would recommend a visit in fall.

Silk Roads Sites in Kyrgyzstan (T)

Mihai Dascalu Romania - 10-Oct-24

Using the map on this site and the nomination file and having a rented 4WD for our trip on the southern side of Issyk Kul, we went to see Khan Dobo, Tosor and Barskoon. Well it didn’t work out well. For Khan Dobo there is a 6 km paved road out of the highway but after that the last km it’s unpaved and almost inaccesible. There is nothing marked till the end of the road in open field. At some point on the shore of a little lake we could spot some pitiful ruins, only because we were able to climb on a little mound nearby. No markings of any kind. We couldn’t find anything in Tosor except an old cemetery with no marking of anything

The Oil Industrial Heritage in Saudi Arabia (T)

Philipp Peterer Switzerland - 15-Oct-24

From the 5 locations proposed as Oil Heritage, only the Trans Arab Tapline is accessible. 

Well 7, KFUPM and Dhahran Camp are all within the Saudi Aramco Campus in Damman and the guards would not let us in. Only if you work there or get an invitation by someone who works and lives on the campus you get access. 

The Jeddah Refinery is part of the Luberef Oil Refinery campus. Access for employees only.

The only “visible” component is the Tapline. It runs mostly underground along the Tapline Road from Damman to Jordan, but becomes partially visible from around 20km along the Tapline Road after the junction to the airport. Unfortunately, when planning a visit I did not focus on the pipeline (I really counted on the Well no7) and only saw that on the map back home.

Domus de janas (T)

Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero The Philippines - 13-Oct-24

There seems to be an issue in the use of Domus de Janas in this nomination as some components are strictly not rock-hewn tombs. What Italy seems to be gunning for in this nomination is to represent a larger picture of pre-Nuragic cultures of Sardegna, which includes a natural cave considered as "The Cradle of Sardinian Man", structural constructions like altars and dolmens, and even stone tool workshops. If anything, the Domus de Janas are only the most representative monuments from a vast period before the Nuraghes started appearing on the island. I managed to see the Necropoli a Domus de Janas di Brodu (ca. 3,200BC) in Oniferi

Mostar

3.00 DannyB Australia - 15-Oct-24

Whilst Mostar appears to have been traditionally been a day trip to visit from either Dubrovnik or Split in many posts, we choose to stay overnight in a visit in October 2024.  We stayed in the old town and our bedroom window had a view of the Bridge which was wonderful.  The old town is very commercialised with mass UNESCO inscribed awnings hanging over each of the shops along the old cobblestone roads.  The commercialisation took a bit of shine of the site, but it was pleasant to wander the streets and appreciate the old town itself.  I would recommend an overnight at least as this was you can avoid some of the large crowds early in the morning and late in the afternoon

Sigatoka Sand Dunes (T)

Ammon Watkins Canada - 10-Oct-24

I had a day to spare between flights and like sand dunes so made a quick visit here in Sept 2024. This is an easy day trip from Nadi on public transport even on a Sunday when I went since there are still regular buses traveling along the southern route between Suva and Lautoka. The ride is a little more than an hour from Nadi and there is no official bus stop at the entrance to the dunes but the driver was able to pull over at a reasonably close distance so I could walk back along the road. On the way back to Nadi be prepared to walk a few hot km back to the Sigatoka bus station or get lucky as I did and get a lift there from a friendly local. 

Bosra

4.00 Triath - 08-Oct-24

Visited on a group tour to Syria in May 2023.

Although the city is controlled by the Free Syrian Army, but there are mutual agreements, and foreign tourists are brought here from the territories controlled by Assad. Everyone needs money.I really wanted to visit this city, because it is the last capital of the Nabataean kingdom, and after visiting Petra it was logical to get here as well, although there is little left of the Nabataeans here, only a huge gate, the same type as in Petra.In fact, the Romans built a new city here, which became the capital of the province of Arabia.The most important building of the Roman era can is the well-preserved Roman theater, although it is not so big (about 8 thousand spectators), but the stage and the rows of spectators have perfectly survived to our time

Cold winter deserts of Turan

4.00 Mihai Dascalu Romania - 10-Oct-24

I will review here Altyn Emel National Park, visited in October 2024 as a tour from Almaty. We combined it with a trip to Tamgaly Petroglyphs. The cost was “outrageous” but we paid ($830 for 3 days in a van) and in the end we were happy with the result. It was a “minor” misunderstanding between the company who arranged it and us and the driver, he wanted to take us to Tamgaly Tas which is on the way to Altyn Emel, we caught it early and he took the Almaty ring road to Tamgaly WHS, then returned to Almaty and drove all the way to the village of Basshi (on Google maps Kalinino). It is 260 km from Almaty and generally an easy drive but in our case it was a day with 580km and we got there in the dark, not pleasant

Hawraman/Uramanat

3.00 Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian - 08-Oct-24

I was driving here in the off-season which isn't a good idea in general. This is off a small road leading from Kermanshah to Sanandaj and there wouldn't really be any reason to go here but for the world heritage site. It doesn't usually drop below zero Celsius much here and you shouldn't expect snow but it's still quite chilly. You can see the valleys from this road. The actual spot to visit is called Palangan Tourist Village just aside this road. It is made very touristy on purpose although the Kurdistan formalities don't mean it's tacky or selling out. Because I came in the off-season nobody was really here or expecting tourists. The main point of interest will be viewing the valley plus the houses that rise up the mountain

Temple of Heaven

4.00 Tony H. Finland - 07-Oct-24

I made my first trip to China in June 2024 and Temple of Heaven got the honour of being my first World Heritage Site in China. And what a fantastic site it is! I arrived by bus to the east gate of the temple (there's also a metro station here), and as there were no queues to the ticket counters, I was quickly inside of the temple area. You have option to buy a general ticket that only includes the entrance to the park area or the "all inclusive" ticket that includes the entrance to all the altars and halls of prayer. I obviously got the all inclusive ticket.

Crac des Chevaliers

4.50 Triath - 08-Oct-24

Visited on a group tour to Syria in April 2023.

Perhaps the most famous castle of the Crusaders, built by the Order of Hospitallers to protect the pilgrims' routes to the Holy Land. The line of fortifications was so serious that even Saladin's troops could not take it by force.Only in the Mamluk time Baybars managed to capture the castle by deception, when the power of the order was already in decline.The castle was restored during the French mandate, but during the civil war Jihadists settled here, who had to be driven out of the castle with the help of Russian aircraft. The destroyed tower has already been restored by Hungarian historians, and only in the inner courtyard, at the foot of the dungeon, by tower of the Grand Master of the Hospitallers, is a gaping hole from a Russian bomb

Ancient Kyoto

5.00 Elena Y Ireland - 09-Oct-24

Across a week in Kyoto I hit up nine of the sites making up this World Heritage Site. Of those, only Saiho-ji has escaped comment on this site. It was one of my must-do sites and didn't disappoint. Until recently (I suspect being part of the reason it's been avoided by this community) visitors have had to send a postcard to the temple, but this has fortunately changed in recent years to allow online booking. I procrastinated until a few nights before and was still able to get a slot that worked for me, though the early time did necessitate getting a taxi all the way from Higashiyama. Entry is linked to a timed slot, but once you get in you have a fair bit of freedom. In the main hall you're provided with a sutra and a calligraphy brush with which to trace

Bom Jesus do Monte

2.00 CugelVance Germany - 25-Oct-24

I visited the Bom Jesus do Monte whs on oct the 21st,2024.

Early in the morning I took the empty bus nr.2 in Braga's beautiful city centre to the Bom Jesus area where I arrived around 8.30 am.The last bus stop for bus number 2 was right next to the historical funicular and the stairs. According to google, the area should open its doors at 10:00. Absolute nonsense! I climbed up the historic stairs, giving myself enough time to closely inspect each of the small chapels with their wonderful figures depitcting scenes from the Bible. I needed around 45 minutes to reach the top level.  

Monastery of Alcobaça

3.00 CugelVance Germany - 24-Oct-24

I visited the Alcobaca monastery on oct.the 11th,2024.

I arrived in Alcobaca around 11.45 am and went straight to the tourist office (inside the museum of the speaking machines,free entry,quite interesting)  where I could leave my bag till 18.00. Not really necessary as the monastery  also has lockers,but I hadnt known this before.

I first entered the church of the Alcobaca monastery (free admission) where the tombs of  King Pedro and Lady de Castro are. The church itself is  characterized by an elegant simplicity that can only be described as beautiful. I was positively surprised as my expectations for churches are not that high nowadays. I guess I have seen too many in my life. I then went to the cistercian monastery's entrance and started my tour through the unesco heritage place. First the Sala Dos Reis( Kings' room) ...through the Dinis Cloister which gives access to the other main rooms

Eisinga Planetarium

3.50 Tony H. Finland - 07-Oct-24

Visited in April 2024. What a fun little site! That was my initial reaction after visiting the Eise Eisinga Planetarium. Sites like these make the World Heritage hunting worthwhile. I'm not a huge space or planetarium enthusiast, so I would have most likely skipped this place if I had stopped for whatever reason in Franeker, the town where the planetarium is located. But because the planetarium is a WHS, that was my sole reason to arrive in lovely Franeker.

When you arrive to the planetarium you're first surprised how small the building is

Evaporitic Karst and Caves

1.50 Els Slots The Netherlands - 08-Oct-24

Since this site’s inscription in 2023, I had a mental block about it caused by its name. I had no idea what “Evaporitic” meant (the Dutch Wikipedia page referring to this WHS conveniently leaves this word out), and then there is also the always-dreaded “Caves”. I didn’t rush to go there, but a trip with my Art History friends to Northern Italy prompted me to add a day in Bologna to get this one over with.

Speleology is at least half of its OUV, but the horror stories of Tsunami were enough for me to not try that here. So I took a different approach to the Gessi Bolognesi: cruising around the landscape on an e-bike, looking for visible gypsum strata and ‘holes’ in the rock walls.

Monastery of Batalha

1.00 CugelVance Germany - 24-Oct-24

I visited the monastery of Batalha on the 12th of oct.,2024.

The day before I had visited the monastery in Alcobaca which had surprised me very positively with its elegant simplicity. A true jewel.Therefore my expectations were quite high when I entered the monastery in Batalha.

I had reached Batalha the previous evening and after checking in at my hotel, I had immediately gone to the monastery to circle it completely twice in the dark and also have a beer in a bar right next to the monastery.

Alto Douro

2.00 CugelVance Germany - 23-Oct-24

I visited the Douro valley on the 18th and 19th of oct.2024.On the 18th I took the train from Porto-Campanha to Pinhao at 7:25, where I arrived a little late at around 10:00. At 10.30 I had a 2 hour trip with the rebelo boat of the magnifico douro company upriver to Tua and back to Pinhao. Nice,but nothing special. Afterwards I strolled across the Pinhao bridge and entered the Quinta das Carvalhas, where I took part in a wine tasting of white wines; not a single one of the white wines appealed to me.I had been to Porto/Vila Nova de Gaia several times and had already taken part in 3 wine tastings at various Porto houses, so this time I preferred white wine. Disappointing! I had another Porto wine, but it didn't really convince me either

Ayutthaya

3.00 Jgriffindor6 United States - 05-Oct-24

I visited this site after I visited Angkor, which in hindsight may not have been the best idea, as no other set of ruins in the area can compare to it. However, it is a nice site and deserves a visit. I particularly enjoyed the buddha statue that got entwined with the tree roots. It is also relatively crowd-free, at least on the day that I was there. These temples are in true ruins (unlike angkor, which is very much reconstructed) and offers a different atmosphere. 

However, like others have stated, what UNESCO chose to include and exclude from the site area is a bit confusing. Some of the most notable temples were not included within the site. Also, the city around the ruins is not that pleasant, and there were people riding elephants in the vicinity, which I find unethical. 

Mafra

1.00 CugelVance Germany - 23-Oct-24

I visited the palacio nacional de Mafra and its royal basilica and the adjacent park jardim do cerco on the 9th of oct.2024.

There are frequent buses between Lisboa's Campo Grande bus station and Mafra.

There are no toilets in the huge palace...there is a free one near the palace entrance

Palmyra

4.50 Triath - 06-Oct-24

Visited on a group tour to Syria in May 2023.Our Syrian guide was most nervous about visiting Palmyra, and he was very anxious to get us out of there while it was still light. ISIS has been pushed back to the mountainous regions of Syria, but it is precisely in this region that jihadists still make their forays from time to time, although tourism is slowly but reviving.Palmyra was once the largest trading center between Rome and Parthia, and this oasis literally bathed in money

Aguas Livres Aqueduct (T)

CugelVance Germany - 22-Oct-24

Built in the 18th century, the Águas Livres aqueduct runs across and through Lisbon and offers some of the best views of the city. It is a well-preserved series of 109 stone arches and was built in 1744 to bring clean drinking water to the city's residents. The historic structure still stands tall and survived the massive 1755 earthquake without damage. The main arches extend for 18 kilometers, with the entire aqueduct being almost around 60 kilometers long. At its highest point the arches rise 65 meters high. It was the largest arch in the world at the time of its construction.

Anjar

2.50 Triath - 02-Oct-24

Visited April 2023.The first thing to understand is that Anjar is located on the Lebanese-Syrian border, a region controlled by Hezbollah, it adds additional instability. When I visited, the situation was calm, but this phenomenon is rare here, you have to watch for periods of peace.I was traveling from Beirut to Syria with a tourist group that was going to explore Syria, and I asked to see this object as well, the city is located exactly in the middle of the road between Beirut and Damascus. It is the legacy of the first dynasty of Umayyad caliphs. In Jordan, I saw palaces built by them in the desert, scientists argue about their function, and  here it is not known exactly why this city was built

Yen Tu Complex (T)

Frederik Dawson Netherlands - 06-Oct-24

On my flight from Rach Gia back to Ho Chi Minh City after Oc Eo sightseeing with ICOMOS experts, I found an interesting inflight magazine article about Yen Tu. After landing, I discussed with our accompanied local guide and immediately decided to extend my Vietnam trip to cover Yen Tu. Instead of flying back from Danang via Bangkok, my guide contacted her company to change the ticket to Hanoi and arranged a special program for me to explore Yen Tu. Since this was an impromptu trip, I rarely had information on this holy land of Truc Lam Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. At first, I requested to visit Vinh Nghiem pagoda on my way to Yen Tu, as Els did, but the tour company advised me to go to Con Son-Kiep Bac which I OK after reconfirmed that the name appeared in the description in UNESCO website.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge (T)

CugelVance Germany - 22-Oct-24

I visited the "Algar do Carvao" on octobre the 16th,2024.

The Azores are home to no fewer than around 1700 volcanoes! Algar de Carvão is one of them. However, this volcano is no longer active. Today it is a 90 meter deep cave that was created thousands of years ago by volcanic activity. It is a volcanic vent that you enter. The upper part is covered in greenery due to the incidence of light and  humidity. You descend up to 90 meters underground, where there is a small but up to 15 meter deep lake. Several platforms offer a view of various rock formations. The most beautiful thing, however, is the view outside. The sun shines through the large hole in the ceiling and ensures that a large edge of the chimney is lush with bushes, mosses, lichens and ferns. Some endemic species are also said to grow in the volcanic vent

Waterton Glacier International Peace Park

5.00 Jgriffindor6 United States - 05-Oct-24

I visited Glacier national park in August of 2023. While I have been to a significant chunk of national parks in the US, Glacier easily takes one of the top spots due to its amazing scenery and outstanding hiking opportunities. However, you have to really plan ahead in order to fully enjoy the park.

The NPS has implemented a reservation system for vehicles in order to control the amount of visitors [...]

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (T)

Jay T USA - 05-Oct-24

Okefenokee, the land of trembling earth. Or perhaps etymologically, "bubbling water". Either origin describes this swamp well -- a land of peat and springs which serves as the headwaters for two rivers at the north end of the Florida peninsula. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is aiming for inscription on the World Heritage Site list in 2026, so in July 2023 I took a trip down to southern Georgia to see what makes the swamp unique, especially in relation to the Everglades in neighboring Florida.

Falun Great Copper Mountain

3.00 Triath - 01-Oct-24

Falu Gruva is the most famous mine in the history of Sweden, where copper mining began in the early Middle Ages, then reached its largest scale in the 17th century, when about 1,300 miners worked here. Mined copper allowed Sweden to conduct military aggression and pay for its expenses with coins. By the end of the 18th century, the copper reserves were exhausted, in 1992 the mine was closed forever.

There are about 30 km of underground tunnels, but the excursion down is quite short and modest (although I have not been to the copper mines yet, so I ticked the box).

Yin Xu

2.50 Joel on the Road Australia - 05-Oct-24

I’m generally wary of sites in the “something important happened here, but is no longer actually here” category, but Yin Xu was a pleasant surprise. As Els noted in her review, there are two components to this site: the old city, and the royal tombs. But the highlight of this site isn’t actually on the list: the gleaming new museum which had only just opened when we visited in August 2024.

The site is largely focused on the Shang Dynasty, which lasted from approximately 1700-1000 BCE. Most of what we know about the Shang comes from their writing system, inscribed in tiny characters on tortoise shells and other animal bones. It’s considered the birthplace of Chinese writing, and many modern Chinese characters have directly evolved from their Shang equivalents.

Churches and Convents of Goa

2.00 Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian - 04-Oct-24

You can walk around the area in maybe 4 hours. I would find it hard to imagine you spend more time EVEN if you have a guide. Most of what you see here are churches, much uglier than European based ones, and the main interest is that they were brought here and thus brought Christianity to the area.

It's also confusing if only churches are inscribed or the entire area. The local signs will guide you to the UNESCO Viceroys Arch, Adil Shah Palace Gateway which is in front of the perhaps Cajetan (locally called Church of Divine), the Archaeological Museum, but since it's not far off what you visit anyway you can take the quick walk down.

High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago

2.50 DutchHorn United States - 30-Sep-24

In the summer of 2010 before we said goodbye to Norway, we had one final roadtrip to visit a large part of this country.  We drove as far North as Lofoten, then cut across to Sweden and came back south through there.  On the way back, Becki and Jasper flew from Lulea to Stockholm while I drove the car through boring forests for ten hours.  About halfway there is this WHS which is of geological importance as it is the fastest rising place in the world due to the glacier melting.  They had a nice visitor center and a map with the UNESCO sign, so I was happy while I took a picture.  For the rest this place is not very exciting, a lot of trees, water and I am sure a lot of mosquitoes.  

Plitvice Lakes

4.50 DannyB Australia - 05-Oct-24

I was not going to do a review on this well-known World Heritage Site, however I noticed that the last review was undertaken in 2018, so thought an update would be good.  We visited in October 2024 in the shoulder season.  All our research indicated that the best option for us due to time and maximising the views of waterfalls, was walk C and to leave from Entrance 1.  But more importantly to get there before 9.00am to avoid the crowds.  The Park opens at 7.00.  We had a hire car and left Zagreb around 6.00am with a short coffee stop at Rastoke village along the way, a small village with waterfalls cascading through the village and parks.  A pleasant stop.

Engelsberg Ironworks

3.00 Triath - 28-Sep-24

One of the foundations of Sweden's prosperity in the "Age of Greatness" was iron.
Miraculously, one of the artifacts of this industry has been preserved, the ironworks in the village of Engelsberg. Fortunately, it's quite easy to get here by train.

Earlier, in the 18th century, there were several factories here, as the location is convenient: iron ore, rivers and forest are nearby. But only this factory has survived, and that is due to the efforts of the owners, who decided to preserve it as a heritage. To this day, the factory and all the surrounding land belong to the Johnson family, one of the richest in Sweden. Therefore, there are some restrictions on the territory, since it is private property.Most tourists limit themselves to inspecting the building from the outside, but I booked a place on an guided tour, and it turned out that I was the only person, so I was given a private tour. The guide from local museum not only showed me the furnaces and water wheels, but also told in detail how the factory functioned

The Betlém Rock Sculptures near Kuks (T)

Tsunami Japan / USA / Europe - 23-Sep-24

My long time Czech friend Radim recently moved from Brno to a town near Nachod near the Plolish border, and upon visiting him from Wroclaw, Poland, I mentioned to him that I'm interested in visiting the TWHS of the Betlém Rock Sculptures.

So, on one Sunday afternoon in late August, we (Radim, his wife, a daughter, a baby son and me) drove from the Kudowa train station in Poland, where he picked me up, to the TWHS near Kuks.

Betlém means Bethlehem, and in the early 18th century the prominent Earl in this area Franz Anton Sporcka decided to create "a unique complex of religious scenes featuring old hermits and episodes from the life of Christ" with the help of a sculptor Matthias Bernhard Braun who was born in Austria but worked in Bohemia. 

Ancient Kyoto

5.00 Jgriffindor6 United States - 28-Sep-24

My trip to Kyoto in October of 2023 was really one of the highlights of my two week adventure in Japan. I timed my trip to coincide with the Jidai Matsuri and Kobo Dashi flea market, which were both great experiences that I can't recommend more. I also had a great time collecting goshuin stamps from all the temples and shrines as a fun souvenir. Here's my review of every temple that i managed to visit under this WHS. 

Ginkaku-ji: This one was really enjoyable, especially as the culmination of the fun Philosopher's Path. It was raining when we visited, which meant it was thankfully not crowded, and it lent to moody pictures of the main pagoda. Ekiando, although not on the whs, was along the same path and deserves a shout out. 

Torgau Castle Chapel (T)

CugelVance Germany - 16-Jun-24

On the way back to Berlin from Munich on June 12, 2024, I decided to visit Torgau, which is about 50 km northeast of Leipzig. I reached the city of 20,000 inhabitants by train at around 6:30 p.m. I quickly went to my accommodation, checked in and immediately left the pension to go to the market square. Luck was on my side and I got the last free table in the  cafe Katharina, where I enjoyed a cold beer and an excellent meal while the evening sun caressed me with its mild rays. After around an hour I left the market square, walked through the attractive old town past the imposing St. Mary's Church to Hartenfels Castle. I crossed the bridge over the bear pit and arrived at the castle around 8:30 p.m. To my great surprise and delight, the castle chapel was open

As-Salt

1.50 Triath - 28-Sep-24

The city itself, like everything in Jordan, is ancient, the name comes from the Latin saltus - forest.But the real prosperity of the city took place at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the administrative regional center of the Ottoman Empire was located here, and even the independence of Transjordan was declared here in 1922 (but the center of power moved to neighboring Amman later).In order to receive an UNESCO status, As-Salt is presented as a place of peaceful and harmonious coexistence of different religions, because in addition to the Great Mosque, there is also a Latin church, two Orthodox churches, and even an Anglican hospital

Chola Temples

4.00 Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian - 03-Oct-24

Like most people I only visited the Thanjavur temple called Brihadisvara Temple. The other ones aren't far but check this out: I took the train!! Yeah well, even I can be on a budget. Basically you go to the Trichy (that's Tiruchirappalli if you are a newbie), ask for the next train to Thanjavur which is often, pay the cheapo ticket price and ride 45min across the country.  The taxis wanted 2,500 for all this - ridiculous, unsure what the apps wanted though. The way back is the same. I asked for the time in advance and they even got me a reserved seat ticket. You can do all that on the apps if you want to so you know the times in advance. You can take a rickshaw or, like me, walk the 15min to the temple. The path is easy and only requires one tough-ish road crossing

Great Smoky Mountains

3.00 DutchHorn United States - 26-Sep-24

In June we went on a vacation to the Smokey Mountains. I had promised myself a real vacation this year which involves going somewhere that I had not been yet and did not involve visiting family. This vacation fit that request perfectly and we had a great time in this wonderful part of the country where I had not been to before. We walked in the woods including a short part of the Appalachian trail, threw rocks in the river, even tubed down it, hopped on a train and in general relaxed in the great cabin that we had found in Bryson City, North Carolina. The second day there was hiking day as we hiked to the top of the Smokey Mountains National Park. From there you had a great view of miles and miles of green forest all directions. 

Great Smoky Mountains

4.00 Jgriffindor6 United States - 29-Sep-24

I went here on a family trip a few years ago and although we had an amazing time and I give the WHS a solid 4 stars, that does come with some major reservations. One of them being a place that starts with G and ends in burg.

Yes, the infamous Gatlinburg and its partner in crime Pigeon Forge. Being from the West Coast, we had no idea what was in store for us. No clue that Gatlinburg IS the capital of American kitsch. We were just there to go hiking. So obviously we decided to stay in Gatlinburg, not knowing we were entering one of Dante's circles of hell. If you enjoy kitsch or are a foreigner who wants to experience something abnoxiously american just for kicks, then go on ahead. But if you value your sanity do not stay in Gatlinburg.

The Ancient City of Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe (T)

Christravelblog Netherlands - 30-Sep-24

Sardis is nominated for 2025 inscription. I think it should be as there isn't much Lydia related material on the list and the city played a key role and of course, coinage was "invented" there and without it I would be without a job today.

Sardis, an ancient city of great historical significance, was renowned for its wealth and cultural achievements. As the capital of the Lydian Kingdom, it thrived as a center of trade and innovation. Notably, it was where coinage was first minted, revolutionizing commerce. Sardis played a pivotal role in the Persian Wars, falling to Cyrus the Great in 546 BCE. Later, it became part of the Hellenistic world under Alexander the Great’s conquests and eventually came under Roman rule.

Aggtelek and Slovak Karst

2.00 CugelVance Germany - 22-Sep-24

Visit: 11th of sept.2024

Every day at 06.35am there is a direct bus (bus1054) from Budapest's Puskas Ferenc Stadion (metro:Puskas Ferenc Stadion)  bus station to Aggtelek and at around 14.50 back to Budapest. 

The arrival time in Aggtelek is 10.45...very inconvenient as the winter schedule is already in effect so that visits to the cave take place at 10.00/13.00/15.00. Instead of waiting for two hours, I decided to walk the 2 km long path to the slovakian sister cave Domica. It took me about 30 minutes to walk on an asphalted road with almost no traffic at all to reach Domica crossing the border with its abandoned border buildings.The tour in Domica started at 12.30.There are lockers, a coffee machine, an abandoned-looking holiday complex with statues, mini trains and other Disneyland-like characters. However, the organization and foreign language skills in Domica were very good.The tour started on time. There were only two other visitors that day, two elderly slovaks

Würzburg Residence

3.50 Triath - 28-Sep-24

I read the previous reviews, and it looks like the rules of visiting have changed radically. Firstly, you can visit the residence not only with a group tour, I arrived late and missed the last English-language tour, but it turned out that you can visit individually, at your own pace. Another important change is that the ban on photography has been removed, now you can take pictures everywhere. The admission is 9 euro (ICOM members for free), the admission to the Court Church and the Court Garden is free.

Mount Wuyi

3.50 Trekkie900 - 30-Sep-24

The WHS boundary of Mount Wuyi includes the west most part of Jiangxi province and the northwest part of Fujian province. As a mixed site, Mount Wuyi is famous for both its natural beauty and historic value. 

The natural part of Mount Wuyi, of course deserves its inscription as a natural heritage. The whole area is in Danxia landform (regions with cliffs and red stones formed with the force of water), similar to all the locations inscribed in another world natural heritage site "China Danxia". Inside the Mount Wuyi Scenic Area, there are three most famous peaks that are inscribed: Tianyou ("wandering in the heaven") Peak, Yu'nü ("jade lady", used to describe beautiful young female) Peak and Dawang ("the king") Peak. You could easily access all the three peaks by the shuttle bus (70 RMB per person per day), and hike both Tianyou Peak and Dawang Peak.  Yu'nü Peak, however, is almost impossible to hike but is the most iconic site inside the national park

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau

2.50 DutchHorn United States - 11-Oct-24

In the summer of 2010, I was in Barcelona for the 2010 EAGE conference.  One day I had an evening to go for a walk in town and find this WHS.  I also walked along the Ramblas and found the old hostel I stayed at during previous Barcelona trips.  This site is a pretty building from the outside, but not that impressive in my view.  

Apparently, the inside is quite impressive and the other building that is part of this WHS is quite nice as well.  I was actually a bit disappointed that downtown Barcelona does not have more sites.  This city seems to have so much old and new history that I would think there would be more interesting sites.

Thingvellir

2.50 DutchHorn United States - 11-Oct-24

In the spring of 2010, we took a trip to Iceland from Stavanger for a long weekend.  We rented a car and did quite a bit of sightseeing in this beautiful and interesting country.  One of the trips was to this National Park which is a WHS.  The reason for this site is that it is of historical importance.  However, I did not really see much interesting in that regard.

However, what was interesting to us was that park is in the middle of the rift zone and apparently this is on top of the plate boundaries with the American plate to the West and the European plate to the right

Amami-Oshima Island

3.50 Els Slots The Netherlands - 24-Sep-24

Let’s first set some things straight about this WHS. I propose a name change: “Subtropical Rainforests of the Ryukyu Archipelago” would cover it much better than the enumeration of the names of 4 islands as cumbersome as Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek. And: Iriomote Island actually is the main component. It’s the largest, the least developed and the most ‘different’ as it lies in a different biogeographic realm from the rest: the Indomalayan instead of the Palearctic.

Kujataa

3.00 Thomas Buechler Switzerland - 28-Sep-24

Erik the Red who came all the way from Iceland to the Southwest Greenlandic fjords to find greener pastures, and must have found in here in Bratthlid (Qassiarsuk), so he called the lands Greenland in a good marketing move for other Viking farmers to follow him. In the year 985, it became the first Norse farm here.  His son, Leif the Lucky, discovered the North American shores from here in the years to come. Also the "law speaker" resided here in Bratthlid. The archaeological area can be freely visited, and it takes a couple of hours to see the remains of farm houses, storehouses, and a small turf and wood church what is believed to be the remains of Thjodhild's (wife of Erik the Red) original church mentioned in the Icelandic Saga

Tashkent makhallas (T)

Mihai Dascalu Romania - 10-Oct-24

I spent two days in October 2024 in Tashkent trying to figure out what is special about the Tashkent makhallas. I read the nomination document and Nan’s summary and I went to Hazrat Imam Complex, Chorsu, and Shayhantaur as well as many other neighborhoods but everywhere there is construction, fences, barriers etc, hard to say that I saw anything that has OUV.

Tokaji Wine Region

1.50 CugelVance Germany - 22-Sep-24

Visit : 12th of sept.2024

Early in the morning I took the train from Miskolc,Hungary's third biggest city,to Tokaj where I arrived around 12.00.I went straight to my rented apartment where I was received with a glass of Tokaj wine.I then strolled through the little town of Tokaj and visited both the unesco museum and the Tokaj museum.....both are only mildly interesting.I then went to the Rakoczi cellars to take part in a wine tasting. 

I was the only participant. The wine guide spoke excellent english.I tasted 6 different wines and had some snacks.I could then stroll through the cellars freely without a time limit. I bought a bottle of wine and asked for a plastic cup. They opened my bottle halfway so that I could later open the cork without the help of a cork opener. Just around the corner is another winery,the Himesudvar winery,where I had another glass of wine before I  set off to climb up the nearby hiking trail that led along the cemetery. Once I got to the next path, I decided to take the hiking trail to the TV tower. All in all, it took me about 50-60 minutes to reach the TV tower. The day was warm and sunny. I sat down in front of the TV tower, opened the bottle of wine and enjoyed the view

Surtsey

Tsunami Japan / USA / Europe - 24-Sep-24

I made my 2nd trip to Iceland this past summer. In the year 2000 when I first made it to Iceland, there was no WHS in Iceland, but the tour of the Golden Circle I took from Reykjavik covered the future WHS of the Thingvellir National Park (inscribed in 2004). But this time I decided to go back for snorkeling at the Silfra Rift at the Thingvellir National Park and also to tick off the Vatnajökull National Park (inscribed in 2019) in addition to Surtsey (inscribed in 2008).

Upon my attempt to "visit" Surtsey, the first thing I had to do was to make sure that I can see it in the proper lighting condition, so after originally scheduling this trip in November last year, I decided to move it to June this year, the month with the longest daylight.

Tarraco

2.50 Alikander99 Spain - 25-Sep-24

Tarraco is messy proposal with a lot of parts to it, just like the equally hispano roman city of Merida. Over the course of two days I visited the amphitheatre, the circus, the aqueduct and the mausoleum (?) of centcelles. I also visited other properties like the forum and theatre, but their conservation state is pretty terrible.

The most famous element of the site is whithout a doubt the amphitheatre. it's pretty and very photogenic, but it pales in comparison with other city enclosed amphitheatres like arles, verona or pula. This is not all too surprising, afterall Tarraco is inscribed because of its ensemble, but I think the fact that the crown jewel is not overly impressive speaks volumes about the general quality of the site. 

Okinoshima Island

2.00 Els Slots The Netherlands - 22-Sep-24

Like most others, I visited the Munakata Taisha a.k.a. Hetsu shrine. I hadn’t planned on writing a review, but I think I have an important tip for future visitors: make sure you see “everything”. The layout of the site is confusing and signage is in Japanese only, so it is easy to overlook something or not do it justice because you don’t know the meaning of what you see. 

Right at the entrance you can pick up a flyer (in Japanese of course) with a map that shows the main parts:

Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra (T)

Zoë Sheng Chinese-Canadian - 25-Sep-24

I could leave this to someone who saw more forts or maybe just let India pick the ones they want to inscribe first, then get it inscribed, and finally visit. Well, I figured since I'm already at Goa I may as well do a short detour to Sindudurg Fort and tick this off - only that Sindudurg Fort is CLOSED!! One is supposed to supposed to get a boat tour from Malvan 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM daily but, no, this wasn't possible. The official website still talks about it being open too. I thus think someone will visit the forts near Mumbai and tell you more about the actual forts. Officially you take a tour when it starts, it then gives you ~1h fort time to explore before taking you back.

Fortifications in Komárno - Komárom (Slovak) (T)

CugelVance Germany - 21-Sep-24

Visit 14th+15th of sept.2024

I took the bus from the whs Hollokö to Budapest and from there the train to Komaram,the hungarian part of the twin city, which is separated by the Danube river.It was rainy both when I arrived late in the afternoon and the following day... there were hardly any moments without drizzle. After I left my bag at my accommodation in the slovak part I visited the nearby Povnost Komarno, which is closed to the public. Only a few tours take place there and the one for the same day was canceled at short notice due to bad weather. I was still able to take some photos from the inside by simply following an incoming truck...but I only had a few moments before I was thrown out of the fortress grounds again

Bagh-e Babur (T)

Wojciech Fedoruk Poland - 21-Sep-24

Babur's Gardens were founded by Babur, an eminent ruler and warrior, founder of the Mughal dynasty. Babur loved Kabul and the oasis of peace he had created so much that he ordered to be buried there in a roofless tomb, so that after his death the Kabul’s rain and the Kabul’s wind would cool him. At first, the wish was not fulfilled - Babur was buried in Agra, but after a few years his body was moved to Kabul and placed in a white tomb. In addition to the tomb, there is the Shah Jahan Mosque (the builder of the Taj Mahal) and the so-called The Queen's Palace from the 19th century. Babur Gardens suffered terribly during the civil war of 1992-1996, but was later very comprehensively rebuilt.

Bukhara

3.50 Alikander99 Spain - 22-Sep-24

Bukhara is the middle child of uzbekistan's whs cities. Less monumental and lively than Samarkand, but more so than khiva. Less cohesive than khiva, but more so than Samarkand.

It is by far also the most diverse of them too. While khiva and Samarkand almost exclusively shine through a particular period (19th century and 15th century respectively) Bukhara has a bit of everything. It has brilliant pre-timurid architecture (samanid Mausoleum), timurid masterpieces (Ulugh begh madrasa) and later additions up to the 20th century (arq). 

Mozu-Furuichi Kofun

2.50 Els Slots The Netherlands - 21-Sep-24

First, I’d like to thank Philipp for making the effort to cover the Furuichi cluster so I could cross that from my to-do-list. Even when limiting myself to the Mozu cluster, I found it a labour-intensive visit as I walked 8.2 km across 3 hours in the heat (still 33 degrees Celsius in late September). I did: Sakaihigashi Station – Sakai City Hall Observation Lobby – kofun in the north – hike towards Daisan Park along the westside of Nintoku-tenno-ryo – Sakai City Museum – small kofuns in the park - Itasuke kofun – ceremonial Gate to Nintoku-tenno-ryo – Mozu Station. A useful downloadable map with hiking routes along the points of interest can be found here.

City of Balkh (antique Bactria) (T)

Wojciech Fedoruk Poland - 20-Sep-24

Balkh (ancient Bactria) is perhaps the most important archaeological site in Afghanistan. It is located about 30 km from Mazar-e-Sharif. The city has been inhabited since at least the 6th century BC. it was conquered by Alexander the Great, and then became the center of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and finally Islam. Perhaps the most important monument of Balkh is the Citadel (photo 1), where Alexander's Greeks were already stationed. The original 60-kilometer walls have been reduced to approximately 10 kilometers, but only a few sections can be seen in good condition.

European Paper Mills (Homburg and Niederzwönitz Paper Mills) (T)

CugelVance Germany - 21-Sep-24

Visit: the 19th of septembre 2024.

After a long trip through Hungary and Austria (flood of the century that caused the local  train system to collapse) to visit  my missing world heritage sites there, I stayed overnight -on my way back to Berlin- in the small town of Zwoenitz. The following morning I arrived at the paper mill  shortly before 10.30am and was lucky enough to be able to join a guided group tour with around 20 pensioners. Mister Stoelzel, who has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to the paper mill, personally led a group of pensioners through the still-functioning facility. 

Fatehpur Sikri

4.00 Alikander99 Spain - 22-Sep-24

Fatehpur Sikri is a rather interesting site as it reflects mughal ambition as if carved in stone and left for us to wonder.

The city was in many ways akbar's attemt to reinvent the mughal dynasty and in such way it also reflects its eventual failure to do so. Mughal India would never again follow the syncretic ideals of akbar and his city was left instead collecting dust.

I would've given the site 1 star less had it not been for the mosque, which is delightful in its ambition. The tomb of Salim Chishti (photo) brings the jali to its ultimate form, creating a semi exterior gallery of outmost delicacy