At the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee which was held from June 30 to July 10, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added 29 sites into the list of the World Heritage Sites 2019.
i.Bahrain’s Dilmun Burial Mounds: UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) voted to add Bahrain’s Dilmun Burial Mounds to its World Heritage List, praising the tombs for their “globally unique characteristics”. The burial grounds include 21 archaeological sites in the western part of the island built between 2050 and 1750 BC (Before Christ). They are the evidence of the early Dilmun civilisation.
ii.Italy’s Prosecco Hills: Italy’s Prosecco hills northeast of Venice, which have been cultivated for centuries were added into the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is characterised by ‘hogback’ hills, ciglioni – small plots of vines on narrow grassy terraces, forests, small villages and farmland. The grapes that produce the famous prosecco sparkling wine are grown at Conegliano and Valdobbiadene hills.
iii.China’s Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City: The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, which date back 5,300 years, were added into the UNESCO World Heritage List. They reveal an early regional state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation in Late Neolithic China. It is composed of four areas – the Area of Yaoshan Site, the Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valley, an Area of Low-dam on the Plain and the Area of City Site.
iv.Indonesia’s Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto: The Ombilin coal mine in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, the “oldest coal mining town in Southeast Asia”, were added into the UNESCO World Heritage List. It comprises the mining site and company town, coal storage facilities at the port of Emmahaven and the railway network linking the mines to the coastal facilities. It was developed by the Netherlands’ colonial government from the late 19thto the beginning of the 20th century.
v.Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan: It is located on a plateau above the Osaka Plain, Japan and includes 49 kofun (old mounds in Japanese). These kofun have been selected from a total of 160,000 in Japan and form the richest material representation of the Kofun period, from the 3rd to the 6th century CE (Common Era). They demonstrate the differences in social classes of that period and reflect a highly sophisticated funerary system.
vi.Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhouang- Plain of Jars: Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhouang- Plain of Jars from Lao People’s Democratic Republic were added into the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Plain of Jars, located on a plateau in central Laos, gets its name from more than 2,100 tubular-shaped megalithic stone jars used for funerary practices in the Iron Age. This serial site of 15 components contains large carved stone jars, stone discs, secondary burials, tombstones, quarries and funerary objects dating from 500 BCE to 500 CE. They are the evidence of the Iron Age civilization.
Other Sites included in World Heritage Sites 2019
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