Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat - India

Rani-ki-Vav, on the banks of the Saraswati River, was initially built as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD. 

Stepwells are a distinctive form of subterranean water resource and storage systems on the Indian subcontinent, and have been constructed since the 3rd millennium BC. 

They evolved over time from what was basically a pit in sandy soil towards elaborate multi-storey works of art and architecture. 

Rani-ki-Vav was built at the height of craftsmens’ ability in stepwell construction and the Maru-Gurjara architectural style, reflecting mastery of this complex technique and great beauty of detail and proportions. Designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water, it is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; more than 500 principle sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works. 

The fourth level is the deepest and leads into a rectangular tank 9.5 m by 9.4 m, at a depth of 23 m. 

The well is located at the westernmost end of the property and consists of a shaft 10 m in diameter and 30 m deep.

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Air Midwest Flight 5481

Air Midwest Flight 5481 was operated by a Beechcraft 1900D aircraft that crashed and caught fire during a flight from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport on January 8, 2003. 

None of the occupants survived the disaster.

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Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System

This site is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defence network of roads covering 30,000 km. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts. 

It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century, when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. 

The Qhapac Ñan, Andean Road System includes 273 component sites spread over more than 6,000 km that were selected to highlight the social, political, architectural and engineering achievements of the network, along with its associated infrastructure for trade, accommodation and storage, as well as sites of religious significance.

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Baixo Alentejo

The Comunidade Intermunicipal do Baixo Alentejo is an administrative division in Portugal.

It was founded in 2009. 

It is also a NUTS3 sub-region of the Alentejo region. 

The seat of the intermunicipal community is Beja. 

Baixo Alentejo includes 13 of the 14 municipalities of the Beja district.

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Pyu Ancient Cities - Myanmar

Pyu Ancient Cities includes the remains of three brick, walled and moated cities of Halin, Beikthano and Sri Ksetra located in vast irrigated landscapes in the dry zone of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River basin. 

They reflect the Pyu Kingdoms that flourished for over 1,000 years between 200 BC and AD 900. 

The three cities are partly excavated archaeological sites. 

Remains include excavated palace citadels, burial grounds and manufacture sites, as well as monumental brick Buddhist stupas, partly standing walls and water management features – some still in use – that underpinned the organized intensive agriculture.

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Podlaskie

The Podlaskie Voivodeship is a voivodeship in NE Poland. 

It was created on January 1, 1999 from the former voivodeships of Białystok, Łomża and part of Suwałki. 

The Polish part of the Białowieża Forest is located in this province. 

The Biebrza National Park is also located here.

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Stone Spheres of the Diquís - Costa Rica

The property includes four archaeological sites located in the Diquís Delta in southern Costa Rica, which are considered unique examples of the complex social, economic and political systems of the period AD 500–1500. 

They contain artificial mounds, paved areas, burial sites and, most significantly, a collection of stone spheres, between 0.7 m and 2.57 m in diameter, whose meaning, use and production remain largely a mystery. 

The spheres are distinctive for their perfection, number, size and density, and placement in original locations. 

Their preservation from the looting that befell the vast majority of archaeological sites in Costa Rica has been attributed to the thick layers of sediment that kept them buried for centuries.

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Pasco

Pasco is a region of Peru, located in the central mountain range. 

Pasco is completely surrounded by other regions and borders Huánuco to the N, Ucayali to the E, Junín to the S and the Lima region to the W.

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Zeeland draft horse

The Dutch draft horse is a breed of cold-blooded horse that has its origins in Dutch horse breeding since the late 19th century. 

The breed is particularly respected in Zeeland and is also known there, but also in the rest of the country, as the Zeeland draft horse.

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Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape - Turkey

This site rises high above the Bakirçay Plain in Turkey’s Aegean region. 

The acropolis of Pergamon was the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, a major centre of learning in the ancient world. 

Monumental temples, theatres, stoa or porticoes, gymnasium, altar and library were set into the sloping terrain surrounded by an extensive city wall. 

The rock-cut Kybele Sanctuary lies to the north-west on another hill visually linked to the acropolis. 

Later the city became capital of the Roman province of Asia known for its Asclepieion healing centre. 

The acropolis crowns a landscape containing burial mounds and remains of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires in and around the modern town of Bergama on the lower slopes.

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