Heritage with Related Tags
Zagori Cultural Landscape
The small stone villages of Zagori are scattered across the remote countryside of northwestern Greece, along the western slopes of the northern section of Mount Pindus. These traditional villages are usually built around a central square with a plane tree. Surrounding the villages are sacred forests maintained by the local community. The villages display architectural traditions adapted to the mountainous terrain. A network of stone arch bridges, cobblestone paths and stone steps connects the villages, which are the political and social units of the community along the Voïdomatis River.
Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape
The stunning natural landscape of the Salzkammergut has been the site of human activity since prehistoric times, with salt being mined as early as 2000 BC. This resource formed the basis of the region's prosperity until the mid-20th century, and the town of Hallstatt's fine architecture reflects this prosperity.
Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape
The Al-Ahsa Oasis, located in the eastern Arabian Peninsula, is a continuous heritage of gardens, canals, springs, wells and drainage lakes, as well as historic buildings, urban structures and archaeological sites. They represent traces of continuous human settlement in the Gulf region from the Neolithic period to the present day, as evidenced by the remnants of historic fortresses, mosques, wells, canals and other water management systems. With 2.5 million date palms, it is the largest oasis in the world. Al-Ahsa is also a unique geo-cultural landscape and an outstanding example of human interaction with the environment.
Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
Mapungubwe is located on the northern border of South Africa, linking Zimbabwe and Botswana. It is an open grassland at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shache rivers. Mapungubwe developed into the largest kingdom in the subcontinent until it was abandoned in the 14th century. What survives are the remains of a palace almost untouched and an entire settlement attached to it, as well as the remains of two early capital cities, all of which present an unparalleled picture of the development of social and political structures over more than 400 years.
Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape
For eight thousand years, the Fürth/Neusiedl Lake area has been a crossroads of different cultures. This is vividly reflected in its diverse landscape, which is the result of an evolutionary symbiosis between human activities and the natural environment. The unique rural architecture of the lakeside villages and several palaces from the 18th and 19th centuries add great cultural value to the region.
Dresden Elbe Valley
The 18th-19th century cultural landscape of the Dresden Elbe Valley stretches along the river for about 18 kilometers, from the Übigau Palace and the Ostrach Fields in the northwest to Pillnitz Palace and the Elbe Island in the southeast. The area is characterized by low meadows, topped by Pillnitz Palace and the center of Dresden, where there are numerous monuments and parks from the 16th to 20th centuries. The area also has suburban villas and gardens from the 19th and 20th centuries and precious natural landscapes. Some of the terraced slopes along the river are still used for growing grapes, and some old villages have preserved historical buildings and elements from the Industrial Revolution, especially the 147-meter-long Blue Wonder Steel Bridge (1891-93), the monorail suspension cable car (1898-1901) and the cable car (1894-95). Passenger steamships (the oldest one, built in 1879) and shipyards (around 1900) are still in use.
Stari Grad Plain
The Stari Grad Plain on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained almost unchanged since the first colonization by the Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity on this fertile plain was focused on grapes and olives, which has been maintained since Greek times. The site is also a nature reserve. The landscape features ancient stone walls and stone ornaments or small stone houses and bears witness to the ancient geometric system of land division used by the ancient Greeks, the Chora, which has remained almost intact for 24 centuries.
Alto Douro Wine Region
Traditional landowners in the Upper Douro region have been producing wine for more than 2,000 years. Since the 18th century, the region's main product, Port wine, has been renowned for its quality. This long tradition of grape growing has created a beautiful cultural landscape that reflects the technological, social and economic development of the region.
Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba
The Kutamaku landscape in northeastern Togo, which stretches into neighbouring Benin, is home to the Batamariba people, whose mud towers (Takienta) have become a symbol of Togo. In this landscape, nature is closely linked to the rituals and beliefs of society. The 50,000-hectare cultural landscape is remarkable for the architecture of its towers, which reflect the social structure, farmland and forest, and the connection between people and the landscape. Many of the buildings are two-storey high, and those with granaries are almost spherical with a cylindrical base. Some buildings have flat roofs, others have conical thatched roofs. They are clustered in villages, which also include ritual spaces, springs, rocks and sites reserved for initiation ceremonies.
Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad Labem
The property is located in the floodplain of the Elbe (Labe) River, with sandy soils, oxbow lakes and remains of riverine forests. The overall composition of the land structure and functional uses (pastures, meadows, forests, fields, parks), the network of roads, avenues, rows of trees as well as solitary trees, the network of waterways, the farm buildings and the functional relationships and connections between these components - all of which fully meet the needs of breeding and training Baroque Kladruber draft horses, which were used in ceremonial matters of the Habsburg Imperial Court. The composition of the landscape is evidence of a deliberate treatment of landscape art. The property is a rare example of the union of two cultural landscapes - a living organic landscape, where the primary function predominates, and an artificial landscape, carefully designed and created using the principles of French and English landscape architecture, and an outstanding example of a professionally decorated farm - ferme ornée. The Royal Stud Farm was founded in 1579 and its landscape has been used for this purpose since then.
Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences
This 200-hectare cultural landscape in the heart of Madrid has evolved since the tree-lined Paseo del Prado (the prototype of the Spanish Alameda) was built in the 16th century. The avenue features many large fountains, notably the Cibeles and Neptune fountains, and the Plaza de Cibeles, an iconic symbol of the city surrounded by famous buildings. The site embodies the new ideas about urban space and development during the enlightened despotism of the 18th century. The site contains buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences, as well as those dedicated to industry, healthcare and research. Together, they embody the aspirations for a utopian society at the height of the Spanish Empire. The 120-hectare Buen Retiro Gardens (Gardens of Pleasant Rest), the remains of the 17th-century Buen Retiro Palace, are the largest part of the site and showcase different horticultural styles from the 19th century to the present day. The site also features the terraced Royal Botanical Gardens and the Barrio Jerónimos residential area, which has a rich collection of 19th- and 20th-century architecture, including cultural venues.
Cultural landscape and migration routes of the Shinaliq people
This cultural landscape includes the alpine village of Khinalig in northern Azerbaijan, high-altitude summer pastures and terraces in the Greater Caucasus Mountains, winter pastures in the lowland plains of central Azerbaijan, and the 200-kilometer seasonal transhumance route (Köç Yolu) that connects these areas. Khinalig village is home to the semi-nomadic Khinalig people, who retain their ancient long-distance vertical transhumance, and whose culture and lifestyle change with seasonal migrations between summer and winter pastures. The organically developed network of ancient roads, temporary pastures, campsites, cemeteries, and mosques demonstrates a sustainable ecological and social system adapted to extreme environmental conditions.
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape
The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape covers three areas of a rocky megalithic plateau in the semi-desert region of central Azerbaijan and features more than 6,000 rock engravings, testifying to 40,000 years of rock art. The site also features remains of inhabited caves, settlements and tombs, all of which reflect intensive human use by the region's inhabitants during the Wet Period following the last Ice Age, from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. The site covers an area of 537 hectares and is part of the larger Gobustan Conservation Area.
Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir
The site is located a few kilometers southwest of Jerusalem, in the central highlands between Nablus and Hebron. The mountainous landscape of Batir consists of a series of agricultural valleys known as widians, with characteristic stone terraces, some of which are used for irrigated vegetable production, while others are dry land, with vines and olive trees. The development of terraced agriculture in such a mountainous area was facilitated by a network of irrigation channels fed by groundwater sources. The water collected through this network was then shared with families from the nearby village of Batir using a traditional distribution system.
Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape
In the northeast of the country, the sandstone Ennedi Massif has been eroded over time by water and wind, creating a plateau with canyons and valleys, presenting a spectacular landscape characterized by cliffs, natural arches and pitons. The permanent presence of water in the largest canyons plays a vital role in the ecosystem of the massif, sustaining plant, animal and human life. Thousands of drawings and carvings are painted on the rock surfaces of caves, canyons and shelters, presenting one of the largest rock art complexes in the Sahara.
The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy
Located on the slopes of the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune, south of the city of Dijon, the vineyard plots are clearly demarcated. These plots are distinct due to specific natural conditions (geology and sunlight) and to the different grape varieties, and human cultivation has shaped these cultural landscapes. Over time, they have become known through the wines they produce. This cultural landscape consists of two parts. The first is the vineyards and the associated production units, including the village and the town of Beaune, which together represent the commercial aspect of Beaune. The production system. The second part includes the historic center of Dijon, which embodies the political regulatory dynamics that gave rise to the climatic system. The site is an outstanding example of grape cultivation and wine production as it has developed since the High Middle Ages.
Cultural Landscape of the Faou Archaeological Area
Located at a strategic point on ancient trade routes in the Arabian Peninsula, the ancient city of al-Faw was abandoned around the 5th century AD. Nearly 12,000 archaeological remains have been discovered, ranging from prehistoric times to the late pre-Islamic period, and bear witness to the successive settlements of three ethnic groups and their adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Archaeological remains include early human tools from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, conical structures, stone piles and circular buildings, the sacred mountain of Khashm Qaryah, rock carvings, earth and stone mounds in the valley, fortresses/caravanserai, oases and ancient water systems, and the remains of the ancient city of al-Faw.
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula
Cilento is an outstanding cultural landscape. The striking cluster of temples and settlements along three east-west ridges vividly depicts the historical evolution of the region: it was a major route not only for trade but also for cultural and political interaction in prehistory and the Middle Ages. Cilento was also the border between the Greek colony of Magna Graecia and the indigenous Etruscans and Lucanians. There are remains of two major cities from the Classical period: Paestum and Velia.
Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape
The city of Diyarbakir is located on a cliff in the upper basin of the Tigris River, part of the so-called Fertile Crescent. The city of Diyarbakir and its surroundings have been an important centre since the Hellenistic period, through the Roman, Sassanian, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman eras, and until the present day. The site includes the Inner Citadel (called Içkale, including the Amidah Mound) and the 5.8 km long Diyarbakir Walls, which feature numerous towers, gates, battlements and 63 inscriptions. The site also includes the Hevsel Gardens, a green link between the city and the Tigris River, which provided food and water to the city, the Anzel Water Source and the Ten Eyes Bridge.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Located in the heart of Singapore, this site showcases the development of a British colonial tropical botanic garden into a modern, world-class scientific institution for conservation and education. The cultural landscape includes a rich collection of historical features, plants and buildings, showcasing the development of the botanic garden since its creation in 1859. Since 1875, it has been an important centre for science, research and plant conservation in Southeast Asia, particularly in the cultivation of rubber plantations.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is a stunning cultural landscape with great spiritual significance. Its natural setting - a series of symbolic places of worship related to the Passion of Jesus Christ and the life of the Virgin Mary built in the early 17th century - has remained virtually unchanged. It remains a place of pilgrimage today.
West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou
The Hangzhou West Lake Cultural Landscape consists of West Lake and the hills surrounding it on three sides, and has provided inspiration to famous poets, scholars and artists since the 9th century. It includes numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens and ornamental trees, as well as causeways and artificial islands. These additions were created to enhance the landscape to the west of Hangzhou city and to the south of the Yangtze River.
Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley
The cultural landscape of the Madriu-Perafita-Claro valleys offers a microcosm of how people have harvested the resources of the Pyrenees for thousands of years. The glacial landscape is spectacular, with steep cliffs and glaciers, tall open pastures and steep wooded valleys, and covers an area of 4,247 hectares, or 9% of the Principality’s total area. It reflects past changes in climate, economic wealth and social systems, as well as the persistence of pastoralism and a strong mountain culture, notably the survival of a system of communal land ownership dating back to the 13th century. The site features houses, summer settlements, terraces, stone roads and remains of iron smelting.
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape
Located in the southwest of Honshu, Iwami Ginzan is a mountain surrounded by mountains rising to 600 meters above sea level and interspersed with deep river valleys, the mountains contain large mines, smelting and refining sites, and archaeological remains of mining settlements from the 16th to 17th centuries. and 20th centuries. The site also shows the routes used to transport silver ore to the coast, and from there to port towns in Korea and China. These mines contributed greatly to the overall economic development of Japan and Southeast Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries, when large-scale production of silver and gold began in Japan. The mining area is now densely forested. The site contains a fortress, a shrine, parts of the street transport route to the coast, and three port towns, Tomoura, Okidomari, and Yunotsu, from where the ore was shipped.
Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana
The Serra de Tramuntana Cultural Landscape is located in a steep mountain range that runs parallel to the northwest coast of Mallorca. Thousands of years of agriculture in a resource-poor environment have transformed the topography and revealed a tightly connected network of facilities for water management organized around agricultural units from the feudal period. The landscape features agricultural terraces and interconnected hydraulic structures, including water mills, as well as dry stone buildings and farms.
Vegaøyan – The Vega Archipelago
Vega is located south of the Arctic Circle and is surrounded by dozens of islands that form a 107,294-hectare cultural landscape, of which 6,881 hectares are land. The islands bear witness to a uniquely frugal lifestyle based on fishing and harvesting duck down, but in a very harsh environment. There are fishing villages, docks, warehouses, duck down houses (built for duck down nesting), agricultural landscapes, lighthouses and navigation marks. There is evidence of human settlement from the Stone Age onwards. By the 9th century, the islands had become an important centre for the supply of duck down, which appears to have accounted for around a third of the islanders’ income. The Vega Islands reflect how fishermen/farmers have maintained a sustainable lifestyle over the past 1,500 years, as well as the contribution of women to the duck down harvest.
Aranjuez Cultural Landscape
The Aranjuez Cultural Landscape is a complex of relationships: nature and human activity, winding waterways and geometric landscape design, rural and urban, forest landscape and the refined harmony of palace architecture. Over three hundred years, the royal development and care of this landscape has seen the evolution of humanism and political centralization, with features such as French Baroque gardens in the 18th century, to the urban lifestyle that developed during the Enlightenment with the domestication of plants and the science of animal husbandry.
Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape
The 121,967-hectare Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape encompasses vast pastoral areas on both sides of the Orkhon River and includes numerous archaeological remains dating back to the 6th century. The site also includes Karakorum, the 13th and 14th century capital of Genghis Khan's vast empire. Overall, the remains at the site reflect the symbiotic relationship between nomadic, pastoral societies and their administrative and religious centers, and the importance of the Orkhon Valley in the history of Central Asia. Mongol nomadic herders still graze their livestock on the steppes.
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Cultural Landscape is located in southern Yunnan and covers 16,603 hectares. The terraces are spectacular, stretching from the slopes of the towering Ailao Mountains to the banks of the Red River. Over the past 1,300 years, the Hani people have developed a complex system of canals to bring water from the forested mountaintops to the terraces. They have also created an integrated agricultural system that includes buffalo, cattle, ducks, fish and eels, and supports the production of red rice, the region's main crop. Local residents worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, forests and other natural phenomena, including fire. They live in 82 villages between the mountaintop forests and the terraces. The villages feature traditional thatched "mushroom" houses. The terraces' resilient land management system is based on remarkable and long-standing social and religious structures, demonstrating extraordinary visual and ecological harmony between people and the environment.
Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape
The site is located on the Bakircay Plain in the Aegean region of Turkey. The Acropolis of Pergamon was the capital of the Attalid dynasty during the Hellenistic period and a major center of learning in the ancient world. Magnificent temples, theaters, colonnades or porticoes, gymnasiums, altars, and libraries were built on a slope surrounded by a wide wall. The rock-hewn Sanctuary of Kybele, located on another hill to the northwest, is visually connected to the Acropolis. The city later became the capital of the Roman province of Asia and was famous for the healing center of the Temple of Asklepios. The Acropolis is located in and around the modern town of Bergama below the hill, which is dotted with ancient tombs and Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman ruins.
Pu'er Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape
Located in Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan, China, this cultural landscape was cultivated over a thousand years by the local Bulang and Dai people following practices that began in the 10th century. This is a tea town with many traditional villages surrounded by forests and tea gardens, nestled among the ancient tea trees. The traditional understory cultivation of ancient tea trees is in response to the characteristics of the mountain ecosystem and subtropical monsoon climate, and is combined with a management system maintained by the local community. People believe in the "Ancestor of Tea", they believe that tea trees and nature are spiritual, and the traditional rituals and festivals here are closely related to this belief.
Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)
The Ligurian coast, between the Cinque Terre and Portovenere, is a cultural landscape of great beauty and cultural value. The layout and arrangement of the towns and the shaping of the surrounding landscape, which overcome the drawbacks of the steep and uneven terrain, condense the continuous history of human settlement in this area over the past thousand years.
Ancient Villages of Northern Syria
The approximately 40 villages scattered across eight parks in northwestern Syria provide powerful evidence of rural life in the late ancient and Byzantine periods. Built between the 1st and 7th centuries and abandoned between the 8th and 10th centuries, the villages feature well-preserved landscapes and architectural remains of dwellings, pagan temples, churches, cisterns, baths, etc. The cultural landscape of the villages also serves as an important example of the transition from the ancient pagan world of the Roman Empire to Byzantine Christianity. The remains of hydraulic technology, protective walls, and Roman agricultural plot planning further demonstrate the mastery of agricultural production by the local population.
Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania
These Transylvanian villages and their fortified churches vividly portray the cultural landscape of southern Transylvania. Founded by Transylvanian Saxons, these seven villages are characterized by a specific land use system, settlement patterns, and family farm organization that have been preserved since the late Middle Ages. The villages are dominated by fortified churches that display architectural styles from the 13th to the 16th centuries.
Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley represent the artistic and religious development of ancient Bakhtriya from the 1st to the 13th century AD, integrating various cultural influences into the Gandhara Buddhist art school. The area is home to numerous Buddhist monasteries and temples, as well as defensive structures from the Islamic period. The site also witnessed the destruction of two standing Buddha statues by the Taliban in March 2001, shocking the world.
Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture
Located on Pico, the second largest volcanic island in the Azores, this 987-hectare site consists of a series of long, spaced-apart walls that run inland from and parallel to the rocky coast. The walls were built to protect thousands of small, continuous rectangular plots (currais) from wind and seawater. Evidence of this viticulture dates back to the 15th century, and is found in a remarkable assemblage of fields, houses and early 19th-century estates, wine cellars, churches and ports. The site’s exceptionally beautiful man-made landscape is the best remnant of the extensive grape cultivation that once existed.
Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes
Located in southeastern Senegal, the site includes three geographical regions: the Bassari-Salemata region, the Bedik-Bandafassi region and the Foura-Dinde Felo region, each with its specific morphological characteristics. The Bassari, Foura and Bedik peoples settled here from the 11th to the 19th century and developed specific cultures and habitats that lived in symbiosis with the surrounding natural environment. The Bassari landscape is characterized by terraces and rice fields, with villages, hamlets and archaeological sites scattered among them. The Bedik villages consist of dense clusters of huts with thatched roofs. The cultural expressions of its inhabitants are characterized by primitive features of agro-pastoral, social, ritual and spiritual practices, representing an original response to environmental constraints and human pressures. The site is a well-preserved multicultural landscape with an original and still vibrant local culture.
Beijing Olympic Park
Beijing Olympic Park is located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, at the northern end of the central axis of Beijing. It extends to the south bank of Qinghe River in the north, Beitucheng Road in the south, Anli Road and Beichen East Road in the east, and Lincui Road and Beichen West Road in the west. The Olympic Park covers a total area of 11.59 square kilometers and is divided into three areas. The northern part is the forest park, covering an area of 6.8 square kilometers; the central part is the main venues and supporting facilities, covering an area of 3.15 square kilometers; the southern part is the built venue area and reserved land, covering an area of 1.64 square kilometers. The Olympic Park is an extension of the traditional central axis of the city, implying the continuation of China's thousand-year history and culture. It embodies the three major concepts of "technology, green, and humanities". It is a new urban area that integrates multiple functions such as office, business, hotel, culture, sports, conference, and residence. The area has a complete energy base and a well-connected transportation network. The Olympic Park presents a unique cultural landscape to audiences around the world, including a dragon-shaped water system running through the north and south, a dazzling array of sculptures, various carefully designed floral patterns, landscape lamp posts, etc. The sunken garden, located 9 meters underground, combines traditional Chinese elements such as courtyards and city gates with modern architecture to create a space-time artistic conception of the blending of ancient and modern times. The Olympic Park has the best of the best: Asia's largest urban artificial water system, Asia's largest urban green landscape, the world's most open pedestrian square, Asia's longest underground traffic corridor, and the park also has the largest celebration square. The Olympic Park focuses on the long-term development of the city and the needs of citizens' material and cultural life, making it a public activity center for citizens that relies on the Asian Games venues and various supporting facilities, integrates sports competitions, conferences and exhibitions, cultural entertainment and leisure shopping, and has open space, green space, beautiful environment, and can provide multi-functional services. The Olympic Park is the heart of Beijing's 2008 Olympic Games, accommodating 44% of the Olympic venues and most of the facilities serving the Olympic Games. These venues and facilities include: 10 competition venues, 15 events; the Olympic Village covering an area of 80 hectares, which can accommodate 16,000 athletes, coaches and their entourage. In this 12 square kilometer area, during the 2008 Olympic Games, there were 10 Olympic competition venues, including the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube, the National Stadium, the National Convention Center Fencing Hall, the Olympic Sports Center Stadium, the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, the Yingdong Swimming Pool, the Olympic Park Archery Range, the Olympic Park Tennis Court, and the Olympic Park Hockey Field. In addition, there are 7 non-competition venues, including the Olympic Main Press Center (MPC), the International Broadcasting Center (IBC), the Olympic Reception Center, and the Olympic Village (Paralympic Village). Tree arrays, waterfalls, and fountains form a beautiful Chinese painting. The open external space, hollow tile walls, reflecting pools, and standing tile paving inject new expressions into the traditional space. The drum wall, bell tower, panpipe, harp curtain, and green bamboo benches form a beautiful plot of oriental ritual music. The 7 courtyards with unique Chinese characteristics in the Olympic Park Sunken Garden perfectly interpret the "Open Forbidden City". The sunken garden is located 9 meters underground in the center of the Olympic Park. On both sides are the entrances and exits of large shopping malls and subways. The 700-meter-long space is connected by 7 courtyards. From south to north, they are the Imperial Palace Gate, the Ancient Wood Flower Hall, the Liyue Gate, the Crossing Yingzhou, the Harmonious Courtyard, and the Watermark Sky. The 7 courtyards are highlighted by Chinese elements, fully demonstrating the cultural heritage of Chinese history and modernity.
Al-Ahsa Oasis, an Evolving Cultural Landscape
The Al-Ahsa Oasis, located in the eastern Arabian Peninsula, is a continuous heritage of gardens, canals, springs, wells and drainage lakes, as well as historic buildings, urban structures and archaeological sites. They represent traces of continuous human settlement in the Gulf region from the Neolithic period to the present day, as evidenced by the remnants of historic fortresses, mosques, wells, canals and other water management systems. With 2.5 million date palms, it is the largest oasis in the world. Al-Ahsa is also a unique geo-cultural landscape and an outstanding example of human interaction with the environment.
Tongariro National Park
In 1993, Tongariro became the first site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under the revised criteria for cultural landscapes. The mountains at the heart of the park are of cultural and religious significance to the Maori people, symbolising the spiritual connection between the community and its environment. The park contains active and extinct volcanoes, diverse ecosystems and some spectacular landscapes.