Located in a Former Capital
With inscribed features which date to the period(s) when it was a Capital
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Aachen Cathedral | Holy Roman Empire (800 - 814) | |
| Abbey of St Gall | Convent of St. Galle is located in St. Gallen which was a capitol city of independent principality in 13th century. | |
| Agra Fort | Agra, the former capital of Mughal Empire (1526 - 1658) | |
| Ahwar of Southern Iraq | Ur was the capital of Sumer during the 3rd millennium BC | |
| Aksum | Aksumite Kingdom (400 BC- 10th century) | |
| Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad | Hammadid Empire (1008-1090) | |
| Al-Faw | "From the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE, the ancient city became the capital of the kingdom of the Qahtan-Madhhij. Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, under Abyssinian pressures in the Hejaz, the city became the capital of the kingdom of Kinda, which reinforced its position as a key milestone for caravans crossing Arabia." (AB Ev) | |
| Ambohimanga | Madagascar 1710-1787 | |
| Ancient Kyoto | Japan (794 - 1868) | |
| Ancient Merv | Abbasids | |
| Ancient Nara | Japan from 710 to 784 | |
| Ancient Thebes | Egypt during 11th and 18th Dynasties | |
| Angkor | Khmer Empire | |
| Ani | Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey (wiki) | |
| Antigua Guatemala | Seat of Spanish colonial government for the Kingdom of Guatemala, which included Chiapas (southern Mexico), Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica | |
| Anuradhapura | Anuradapura Kingdom (382BC - 1018) | |
| Archaeological Site of Aigai | Capital of ancient Macedonia | |
| Arles | Capital of Kingdom of Arles (933-1378) | |
| Arslantepe Mound | Arslantepe was the capital of the autonomous Neo-Hittite kingdom of Melid/Malatya (Iron Age, 1100-712). (Nomination Text, p. 54) | |
| As-Salt | As-Salt was the capital of Transjordan before this was moved to Amman. (AB Ev) | |
| Ashur | First capital of ancient Assyrian Empire | |
| Asturian Monuments | Asturian Kingdom | |
| Avignon | Avignon Republic (1135-1226) | |
| Ayutthaya | 1350-1767 - Ayuttaya Kingdom (Siam) | |
| Babylon | Babylon was the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire | |
| Baekje Historic Areas | Baekje Kingdom (Gongju, Buyeo) | |
| Bagan | From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute modern Myanmar. (wiki) | |
| Bahla Fort | Bahla Fort was the capital of Banu Nebhan tribe during 12th-15th centuries | |
| Berat and Gjirokastra | Gjirokastra, former Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus | |
| Bryggen | Bergen, capital of Norway (1070-1299) | |
| Brú na Bóinne | Knowth served as the capital of Brega in the 9th century. It became the capital of united Ireland in the 10th century under Cormac MacMaelmithic. | |
| Budapest | Buda on several occasions | |
| Bukhara | Samanid 850- 999, Khanate of Bukhara c1530- 1922 | |
| Burgos Cathedral | Castile 11th - 15th Century | |
| Bursa and Cumalikizik | Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1413 | |
| Canal du Midi | Canal du midi is in Toulouse, ancient capital of the Visigoths (418-508) | |
| Caral-Supe | Capital of Norte Chico civilization 2600-2000 BC | |
| Carthage | Carthaginian Empire, 814BC-146BC | |
| Champaner-Pavagadh | The remains of the 16th century capital of the state of Gujarat | |
| Chan Chan | Chimu Capital 850-1470 | |
| Chavin | Capital of Chavin 900-400 BC | |
| Chola Temples | Two of the Chola Temples are located in Thanjavor and Gangaikonda Cholapuram, ancient capitals of Chola Empire (850-1279) | |
| Cidade Velha | ||
| Citadel of the Ho Dynasty | The Ho Citadel was the capital of the Tran dynasty from 1398-9 and of the Ho dynasty from 1400 when Ho Quy Ly put his son on the throne by marrying him to a Tran princess, until 1407.(AB ev) | |
| Classical Weimar | Capital of (Grand) Duchy of Saxe-Weimar | |
| Cordoba | Western Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba (756-1031) | |
| Costiera Amalfitana | Amalfi, capital of Republic of Amalfi and Duchy of Amalfi | |
| Cuzco | Inca Empire 13th Century - 1533 | |
| Dacian Fortresses | Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital of the Dacians | |
| Dougga/Thugga | Capital of Numidia until 46 BC | |
| Dubrovnik | Ragusa Republic (1032-1808) | |
| Edinburgh | Scotland 1452 - 1707 | |
| Fasil Ghebbi | Gondar, old imperial capital city of Ethiopia | |
| Fatehpur Sikri | Mughal Empire (1571-1585) | |
| Ferrara | Duchies of Modena and Ferrara | |
| Florence | Tuscany 1569-1860, Italy 1865-71 | |
| Fort and Shalamar Gardens | Lahore, capital of Mughal Empire (1584-1598) | |
| Forts and Castles Gold Coast | In 1844,(Cape Castle)became the seat of the colonial Government of the British Gold Coast." "The Gold Coast Colony, established on July 24, 1874, comprised the coastal areas and extended inland as far as the ill-defined borders of Asante"..."Shortly after ... the British moved the colonial capital from Cape Coast to the former Danish castle at Christiansborg in Accra". (Wiki) | |
| Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings | Guggenheim Museum: New York was capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790 | |
| Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz | Dessau, capital of Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau (1396-1853) | |
| Genoa | Republic of Genoa | |
| Gordion | "capital of the Phrygian polity" (AB ev) | |
| Granada | Kingdom 1250-1492 | |
| Grand-Bassam | French colonial capital of Cote d'Ivoire | |
| Great Smoky Mountains | Oconaluftee, the former Cherokee Capital, located within the park. | |
| Great Spa Towns of Europe | Vichy "was the capital of Vichy France from 1940 to 1942." .. "Vichy would be, for more than four years, the de facto capital of the French State. Paris was still the official capital, although the Vichy France government never operated from there. " | |
| Guimarães | Portugal 1095 - 1131 | |
| Gusuku of Ryukyu | Shuri, the capital of ancient Ryukyu Kingdom | |
| Gyeongju | Silla Kingdom | |
| Hampi | Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagara | |
| Hattusha | Hittite Empire, 1650 BC-1250 BC | |
| Humayun's Tomb | Delhi, Capital of Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526) | |
| Hué | Vietnam (1775-1945) | |
| Imperial Tombs | The tomb of the first Ming emperor is located in Nanjing, the first capital of Ming Dynasty and capital city of Repubic of China | |
| Independence Hall | In Philadelphia, the first capital city of USA (1790s) | |
| Island of Mozambique | Of Portuguese East Africa until c 1898 | |
| Island of Saint-Louis | It has variously been capital of Senegal, Afrique Occidentale Fran?aise (AOF) and Mauritania when that entity was regarded as being separate from AOF. | |
| Istanbul | Byzantine Empire 330-1453, Ottoman Empire 1453-1920 | |
| Itchan Kala | "It is the former capital of Khwarezmia and the Khanate of Khiva" (wiki) | |
| Jelling | During 30 years in the 10th century Jelling was the capital of unified Denmark under Harald Blatand. | |
| Kaesong | capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty | |
| Kairouan | Kairouan - capital of Aghlabid Kingdom | |
| Kandy | The last independent Kingdom of Sri Lanka (1592- 1815) | |
| Kazan Kremlin | Khanate of Kazan (1438-1552) | |
| Keoladeo National Park | Located in Baratpur, capital of Maharajah of Baratpur (1670-1947) | |
| Khami Ruins | Rozwi Empire (1684-1834) | |
| Koguryo Kingdom | Koguryo Kingdom (277 BC to AD 668) | |
| Koh Ker | "Koh Ker was a capital of the Khmer Empire between 921 and 944 CE" (AB ev) | |
| Kraków | Poland on several occasions | |
| Kunya-Urgench | Capital of Khwarezmia 1077-1221 | |
| Kyiv Cathedral and Lavra | Kievan Rus 882-1169 | |
| La Lonja de la Seda | Kingdom of Valencia (1237-1707) | |
| Levuka | capital of Fiji (1871-1877) (wiki) | |
| León Cathedral | Leon, capital of Nicaragua several times in history (alternating with Granada) | |
| Liangzhu Archaeological Site | Liangzhu City was the capital and power centre of the whole Liangzhu society (AB ev) | |
| Loire Valley | Orleans (Part of Loire Valley), capital city of Merovingian kingdom of Orleans and later Duchy of Orleans | |
| Longmen Grottoes | Luoyang was the Northern Wei capital from 493-534 and during the Tang dynasty (904?907) | |
| Longobards in Italy | Benevento was the capital of the Duchy of Benevento, and after 774, of the Principality of Benevento. | |
| Luang Prabang | Kingdom of Luang Prabang and later Laos (1707-1975) | |
| Luther Memorials | Wittenberg was a capital of Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg (1260-1356) | |
| Lübeck | Capital of the Hanseatic League 1361-1535 | |
| Makli, Thatta | Capital of Sindh 1592-1739 | |
| Malbork Castle | Located in Malbork, formerly Marienburg, the capital of the State of the Teutonic Order (1308–1454) | |
| Mantua and Sabbioneta | Duchy of Mantua (1273-1707) | |
| Mapungubwe | remains of three capital sites | |
| Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi | Located in Turkestan which is assumed to have been Beitan, Capital of Kangju 250 BC-300 | |
| Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor | Xi'an (Chang'an) several times | |
| Mbanza Kongo | Kingdom of Kongo | |
| Medina of Fez | Capital of Kingdom of Fez (1472-1554) | |
| Medina of Marrakesh | Morocco (several times) | |
| Meidan Emam, Esfahan | Shah Abbas the Great 16th century - 1722 | |
| Meknes | Morocco (1672-1727) | |
| Melaka and George Town | Melaka - Capital of Sultanate of Malacca (1402-1511) | |
| Mexico City and Xochimilco | Includes the site of Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire 1325-1521 | |
| Minaret of Jam | possibly the Turquoise Mountain, the lost medieval Afghan (Ghurid) capital until 1220 | |
| Modena | Duchy 1452-1860 | |
| Modernist Kaunas | "Kaunas served as capital of the new nation-state from 1919 to 1939" (AB ev) | |
| Moidams | "the Tai-Ahom kingdom, which had its capital at Charaideo from the 13th to the 19th centuries" (AB ev) | |
| Mount Wuyi | During the Western Han Dynasty, the ancient city of Chengcun was the capital of the Minyue kingdom | |
| Mtskheta | Georgia 3rd Century BC - 5th Century AD | |
| Mudejar Architecture of Aragon | Parts of Aragon's Mudejar are in Zaragoza, former capital of Kingdom of Aragon | |
| Museumsinsel (Museum Island) | East Berlin (GDR) (1949 - 1990) | |
| My Son | Ancient Champa Kingdom | |
| Mystras | Capital of Principality of Achaea (1249-1261) and Despotate of Morea (1380-1460) | |
| Nancy | Duchy of Lorraine | |
| Naples | Kingdom of Naples (1282 - 1816) | |
| Nisa | Parthian Empire | |
| Novgorod | Republic of Novgorod (12th-15th centuries) | |
| Oaxaca and Monte Alban | Ancient Zapotec | |
| Ohrid Region | Bulgarian Empire 990-1015; also Ohrid, then named Lychnidos, was the capital city of the Illyrian Dassaretii. | |
| Old City of Acre | Kingdom of Jerusalem 1187-1291 | |
| Old City of Jerusalem | Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1187) | |
| Orange | Principality of Orange (1163-1713) | |
| Orkhon Valley | Karakorum 13/14th century Genghis Khan; Khar Balgas was the capital of the Uighur Empire, which governed the area for around 100 years in the 8th and 9th centuries. | |
| Palmyra | Palmyrene Empire of Zenobia (260-273) | |
| Paphos | In Greco-Roman times Paphos was the capital of Cyprus | |
| Pasargadae | Achaemenid Empire - Darius | |
| Pattadakal | Chalukya Kingdom (c. 543-757) | |
| Pearling | Muharraq served as capital of Bahrain until 1923 | |
| Pergamon | It became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281-133 BC. (wiki) | |
| Persepolis | Achaemenid Empire - Cyrus | |
| Petra | Nabathean Capital 700 BC-106 | |
| Piazza del Duomo (Pisa) | Republic of Pisa | |
| Polonnaruva | Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (1055 -1284) | |
| Potala Palace | Tibetan Empire | |
| Pyramids (Memphis) | Memphis was capital of Lower Egypt during Old Kingdom until 2200 BC | |
| Qal'at al-Bahrain | Capital of Dilmun | |
| Qalhat | mythical first capital of Oman, second capital of the Kingdom of Hormuz | |
| Quedlinburg | Quedlinburg is dubbed as Germany's First Capital, having been the place where Heinrich der Vogler (Henry the Fowler) was offered the German crown in 919 by Franconian nobles. Henry's son, Otto I (Otto the Great) became king of the Holy Roman Empire. | |
| Qutb Minar | Delhi, Capital of Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526) | |
| Québec | Capital of New France, the area colonized by France in North America | |
| Ravenna | Western Roman Empire (402-476) | |
| Red Fort | Capital of Mughal Empire (1649-1857) | |
| Regensburg | Principality of Regensburg (1803-1810) | |
| Residences of the Royal House of Savoy | Turin, the first capital of unified Italy | |
| Rio de Janeiro | The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1815 during the Portuguese colonial era, 1815 to 1821 as the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves, and 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation (wiki) | |
| Roskilde Cathedral | Roskilde, Denmark (c.1020 1443) | |
| Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France | Including sites in Poitier, capital of powerful Duchy of Aquitain, Toulouse and Arles which also were capital cities | |
| Royal Exhibition Building | Australia 1901-27 | |
| Royal Palaces of Abomey | Abomey - Capital of the Dahomey Kingdom 1625-1892 | |
| Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas | Chennakeshava Temple is located in Belur which was the capital of the Capital of the Hoysala Kingdom in 1048–1062. | |
| Salvador de Bahia | Brazil 1549-1763 | |
| Salzburg | Salzburg has been the capital of an independent state from the early 14th century until 1805 | |
| Samarkand | Timurlane et al 1530 - 1630 | |
| Samarra | Abbasid Caliphate (836-892) | |
| Sambor Prei Kuk | Ishanapura, the capital city of the Chenla Empire | |
| San Pedro de la Roca Castle | Cuba 1522-1589 | |
| Santa Maria delle Grazie | Milan, the former capital of Ambrosian Republic (1447 - 1450) and Cisalpine Republic (1797-1802) | |
| Santiago de Compostela | Capital of Kingdom of Galicia (410-1833) | |
| Sassanid Archaeological Landscape | first capital of the dynasty | |
| Schwerin Residence Ensemble | Schwerin was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1815-1918). | |
| Seville | Almohad Empire (1170-1212) | |
| Sheki | Of the Shaki Khanate (between 1743 and 1819) | |
| Siena | Republic of Siena, 1115-1555 | |
| Sigiriya | Capital of Sri Lanka during the reign of parricidal King Kassapa I (477-495) | |
| Site of Xanadu | From 1274, Xanadu became Kublai's summer capital (Capital of the Yuan Dynasty) | |
| Soltaniyeh | Soltaniyeh used to be the capital of Ilkhanid rulers of Persia in the 14th century. | |
| St. George, Bermuda | (1612 - 1815) | |
| St. Petersburg | Russian Empire 1712-1918 | |
| Stari Ras and Sopocani | Stari Ras, capital of medieval Serbian state of Raska, 825-997 | |
| Statue of Liberty | New York was capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790 | |
| Stone Town of Zanzibar | Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856-1964) | |
| Sukhothai | 1238- 1438 Sukhothai Kingdom (Siam) | |
| Susa | Elamite capital | |
| Syracuse | Due to a political plan desired by Constans II, Syracuse became the capital of the Byzantine Empire in place of Constantinople, from 663 to 668. (wiki) | |
| Tabriz Bazaar | From the Mongol invasion up to 1501 was the capital of various Turkoman states centered on Azerbaijan and, from 1501-48 of the Safavid Iranian Empire of Shah Ismail I | |
| Taj Mahal | Agra, the former capital of Mughal Empire (1526 - 1658) | |
| Taxila | Winter capital of Kushan Empire (60 - 375) | |
| Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius | Located in Qufu which served as the capital of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period | |
| Teotihuacan | Teotihuacano Empire, 200 BC-750 | |
| Thang Long | Former residence of Vietnamese monarchs until 1810, when Hu? became the capital | |
| Thessalonika | Kingdom of Thessalonica (1204-1224) | |
| Thracian tomb of Kazanlak | Seuthopolis, Capital of ancient Thrace, 5th-3rd Centuries BC | |
| Tiwanaku | Tiwanaku Empire, 300-1000 | |
| Toledo | Spain 15th century -1561 | |
| Tomb of Askia | Located in Gao, capital of Songhai Empire (1340-1591) | |
| Trang An | includes Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Viet Nam in the 10th and 11th centuries (AB ev) | |
| Turaif Quarter | first capital of the Saudi Dynasty | |
| University of Coimbra | capital of Portugal (from 1131 to 1255) | |
| Urbino | Urbino was the capital of the Duchy of Urbino, which was an independent state from 1443 until 1625. | |
| Vat Phou | Former capital of Champasak Kingdom | |
| Venice and its Lagoon | Republic 9th century -1797 | |
| Vienna | Several, starting with Holy Roman Empire (1558 - 1806) | |
| West Lake | Hangzhou was the former capital of the Wuyue Kingdom from 907 to 978 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period and then that of the Southern Song Dynasty when they regrouped after their defeat at the hands of the Jin in 1123. It was known as Lin'an and remained the capital from the early 12th century until the Mongol invasion of 1276. (wiki) | |
| White City of Tel-Aviv | Israel May-dec 1948 | |
| White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal | Russia (1169 - 1327) | |
| Xanthos-Letoon | Capital of Lycia | |
| Yaroslavl | Russia (1611 - 1612) | |
| Yin Xu | Shang Dynasty (1766 BC - 1050 BC) | |
| Yungang Grottoes | Datong was the capital during Northern Wei Dynasty (386-493) | |
| Zabid | Zabid was the capital of Yemen from the 13th to the 15th century |
Suggestions?
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