Thursday, March 6, 2025

Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er - China

Located on Jingmai Mountain in southwestern China, this cultural landscape was developed over a thousand years by the Blang and Dai peoples following practices that began in the 10th century. 
The property is a tea production area comprised of traditional villages within old tea groves surrounded by forests and tea plantations. 
The traditional understorey cultivation of old tea trees is a method that responds to the specific conditions of the mountain’s ecosystem and subtropical monsoon climate, combined with a governance system maintained by the local Indigenous communities. 
Traditional ceremonies and festivities relate to the Tea Ancestor belief that spirits live in the tea plantations and in the local fauna and flora, a belief that is at the core of this cultural tradition.








Asyut

Assioet (also Assiut, Asyut and Asyût) is a city located in the Asyut Governorate of Egypt. 
The city is located about 375 kilometers south of Cairo and was called 'Sawty' in Ancient Egypt.
It was the capital of the 13th nome of Upper Egypt.








Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Cultural Landscape of Khinalig People and “Köç Yolu” Transhumance Route - Azerbaijan

This cultural landscape is comprised of the high-mountain Khinalig village in northern Azerbaijan, high-altitude summer pastures and agricultural terraces in the Greater Caucasus Mountains, winter pastures in the lowland plains in central Azerbaijan, and the connecting 200-kilometre-long seasonal transhumance route called Köç Yolu (“Migration Route”). 
The village of Khinalig is home to the semi-nomadic Khinalig people, whose culture and lifestyle are defined by the seasonal migration between summer and winter pastures, and who retain the ancient way of long-distance vertical transhumance. 
The organically evolved network including ancient routes, temporary pastures and camping sites, mausoleums, and mosques illustrates a sustainable eco-social system adapted to extreme environmental conditions.








Guayas

Guayas is a province in the southwest of Ecuador. 
The capital of the province is Guayaquil. 
This city houses the main port of the country.








Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Cold Winter Deserts of Turan

This transnational property comprises fourteen component parts found across arid areas of Central Asia’s temperate zone between the Caspian Sea and the Turanian high mountains. 
The area is subject to extreme climatic conditions with very cold winters and hot summers, and boasts an exceptionally diverse flora and fauna that has adapted to the harsh conditions. 
The property also represents a considerable diversity of desert ecosystems, spanning a distance of more than 1,500 kilometres from East to West. 
Each of the component parts complements the others in terms of biodiversity, desert types, and ongoing ecological processes.








Whippet

The whippet is a dog breed whose origins are not entirely clear. 
On the one hand, people think it is a descendant of the Pharaoh Hound that came to England during the Roman invasion, on the other hand, people think it is a cross between greyhounds, Italian greyhounds and terriers. 
The latter is more likely.








Sunday, March 2, 2025

Bale Mountains National Park - Ethiopia

This property protects a landscape mosaic of extraordinary beauty that is shaped by the combined forces of ancient lava outpourings, glaciation and the dissection by the Great Rift Valley. 
It features volcanic peaks and ridges, dramatic escarpments, sweeping valleys, glacial lakes, lush forests, deep gorges and numerous waterfalls, creating exceptional natural beauty. 
The property harbours diverse and unique biodiversity at ecosystem, species and genetic levels, and five major rivers originate within the Park, estimated to supply water and support the livelihoods of millions of people in and beyond Ethiopia.








Funen

Fyns Amt (Fyn County) is a former county in Denmark formed by the island of Funen and a number of smaller islands around it. 
The capital was Odense, the third largest city in Denmark. 
Funen was independent from Zealand and Jutland in ancient times.








Saturday, March 1, 2025

Astronomical Observatories of Kazan Federal University - Russia

The property is comprised of two component parts: one in the historical centre of Kazan and the other in a forested suburban area west of the city. 
The Kazan City Astronomical Observatory, built in 1837, is located on the University campus and the building is characterized by a semi-circular façade and three towers with domes built to house astronomical instruments. 
The suburban Engelhardt Astronomical Observatory includes structures for sky observations and residential buildings, all located within a park. 
The observatories have been preserved complete with astronomical instruments and today perform mainly educational functions.








St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral located on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London. 
It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of London.