Unesco Adds Ancient Roman Highway and Brâncuși Sculptures to World Heritage List
Unesco recently added 26 new sites to its World Heritage list, with more than three quarters of them being cultural sites. This brings the total number of global Unesco World Heritage Sites to 1,223. The new additions include sites in countries such as China, Romania, Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, and South Africa. The World Heritage committee, made up of representatives from 21 member states, made these additions during its 46th session in New Delhi, India.
One of the newly added sites, the ancient Monastery of Saint Hilarion in Gaza, has been urgently added to Unesco’s List of World Heritage in Danger due to threats from the ongoing war. This decision highlights the critical situation facing the historic site.
In addition to cultural sites, five natural world heritage sites and a mixed property in French Polynesia were also added to the list. Outdoor sculptures by Romanian artist Constantin Brâncuși in Targu Jiu, Romania, and the Appian Way in Italy were among the new designations.
Three cultural sites in Africa, including the abandoned city of Gedi in Kenya and the Melka Kunture and Balchit archaeological sites in Ethiopia, were also added to the list. Other additions include the pre-Islamic walled city of Qaryat al-Faw in Saudi Arabia and the ancient metropolis of Hegmataneh in Iran.
Furthermore, modifications were made to a Moravian Church Settlement in Denmark, with extensions to three municipalities founded in the 18th century. Gracehill in Northern Ireland became the country’s second Unesco World Heritage Site.
Overall, the recent additions to the World Heritage list encompass a wide range of cultural and natural sites, highlighting their significance and importance in the global heritage landscape.
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Elara Voss, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s in Fine Art. She specializes in contemporary sculpture and installation art, exploring themes of nature and human interaction. Elara’s works have been featured in several group exhibitions across Europe, and she is currently working on her first solo show.