Mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery in a conflict epicentre - Medieval Monuments in Kosovo 724 Visoki Dečani What and Why Visoki Dečani Monastery ( Albanian : Manastiri i Deçanit ) is one of the four mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monasteries in the disputed state of Kosovo ( Kosova ) . The famous historic monastery is commissioned by the King of Serbia (Serbian: Србија, Srbij a ) Stefan Dečanski (Serbian: Стефан Дечански, né Стефан Немањић, Stefan Nema

Venetian fortified town deep in the Mediterranean sea cliff - Natural and Culture-Historical Region of Kotor 125; Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra - Western State Da Mar 1533 Fortification of Kotor What and Why Kotor ( Montenegrin : Котор) is a beautifully landscaped historic fortification built largely by the Republic of Venice (Venetian: Venèçia ) around the Mediterranean inner bay, between the rugged mountains and the serene w

The Pearl of Adriatic as if a page from Games of Thrones - Old City of Dubrovnik 95; Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik 00232; Art of dry stone construction, knowledge and techniques 02106 Dubrovnik What and Why Dubrovnik , known as the ' Pearl of the Adriatic ' by George Byron , is a city that comes out of the page of the mediaeval fantasy stories with the city being beautifully planned and constructed with brown marbles and limestones. The history of the ci

An Ottoman bridge symbolising ethnic diversity and reconciliation - Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar 946 Stari Most from across the bank What and Why Mostar is famous for its gorgeous Old Bridge ( Bosnian : Stari Most ) which connects the eastern and western part of the city across the river Neretva . The bridge is significant in many aspects: It carries history when it was built in the mid-16th century and stood for 427 years until it was blown up during the Bosn

Fusion of Spanish, Oriental and local architecture in churches - Baroque Churches in the Philippines 677; The School of Living Traditions (SLT) 01739 Paoay Church What and Why During the Spanish Colonial Period from the 16th to 19th century, the Spanish missionaries arrived at the Philippines ( Tagalog : Pilipinas ) , spread Christianity and built churches in their new land. The Spanish would like to build new and long-lasting churches to create a proper place to worship an

Asian Spanish colonial city with an old-world charm - Historic City of Vigan 502 Calle Crisologo at night What and Why Vigan is one of the few Spanish East Indies (Spanish: Indias orientales españolas ) colonial towns left in the Philippines ( Tagalog : Pilipinas ) whose old structures have mostly remained intact. The tiny town is well known for its sett and cobblestone pavements, derived from the Spanish Philippines colonial e ra which fuses native Philippine and or

Indentured labour gateway - Aapravasi Ghat 1227; Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-Gawai 01178 Aapravasi Ghat What and Why The Aapravasi Ghat is another iconic representation of forced labour and slavery in Africa during the colonial times. During the period from mid-19th to early 20th century, Mauritius was a centre for i ndentured , or contracted, labour workforce from many countries due to its extensive requirement for labours in the sugar-cane plantations, manage

A rock that has become a testimony to resistance to slavery - Le Morne Cultural Landscape 1259; Traditional Mauritian Sega 01003 Le Morne Brabant viewed from the sea What and Why Le Morne is the peninsular area at the Southwestern tip of Mauritius , highlighted by a huge and steep 556-m basaltic monolith called Le Morne Brabant . The peninsula is a representation of the history of slavery and its ultimate resistance. The peninsula was a major refuge or hiding place for Mar

Once the world's largest commercial canal-based city with a picturesque mediaeval urbanscape - Flemish Béguinages 855; Belfries of Belgium and France 943; Historic Centre of Brugge 996; Safeguarding the carillon culture: preservation, transmission, exchange and awareness-raising 01017; Beer culture in Belgium 01062 Boatrip at Rozenhoedkaai What and Why Bruges ( Dutch : Brugge ) was at one point the commercial heart of the world, due its port and rivers. The city connects wi

Mediaeval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town - Old and New Towns of Edinburgh 728; The Forth Bridge 1485 What and Why Edinburgh ...

Highest aqueduct in the world, symbolic of the Industrial Revolution - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal 1303 Pontcysyllte Aqueduct What and Why Canal The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a waterbridge that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, designed by Thomas Telford , is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build . It is the longest aqueduct in United Kingdom

Symbol of industrial revolution - Ironbridge Gorge 371 Ironbridge What and Why By today's standard, the Ironbridge is now derelict and the bridge is nothing impressive . However ever since its heyday, it has carried the accolade of being the first iron bridge in the world. The bridge runs over the deep River Severn , where the deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay , which enabled the rapid

Non-royal country house that holds the title of palace once resided by Winston Churchill - Blenheim Palace 425 Blenheim Palace What and Why Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house in Woodstock , United Kingdom . It is the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough , and the only non- royal , non- episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace . The palace, one of England's largest mansions, was built in the early 18th century. The palace is na

Spanish missionaries conversion programme - Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil) 275; Chamamé 01600 San Ignacio Mini What and Why During the Age of Discovery in the 17th century, the Spanish conquistadores arrived at the Paraná region of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil ) . Together with the conquistadores, there were Jesuit ( Latin : Societas Iesu ) mi

Quiet town with a history of colonisation - Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento 747; Tango 00258 Colonia del Sacramento What and Why Colonia del Sacramento , meaning 'Sacrament Colony' in Spanish, was founded in the late 17th century by the Portuguese, sandwiched in between the Portuguese Colonial Brazil ( Portuguese : Brasil Colonial ) and the Spanish Vice Royalty of the River Plate ( Spanish : Virreinato del Río de la Plata ) , which later includes Argen

Another Portuguese fort with a grandiose cistern - Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida) 1058 Portuguese cistern What and Why El Jadida ( Tamazight : ⴰⵍ-ⵊⴰⴷⵉⴷⴰ ) , old name Mazagan, was registered as a UNESCO WHS in 2004, on the basis of its status as an 'outstanding example of the interchange of influences between European and Moroccan cultures' and as an 'early example of the realisation of the Renaissance ideals integrated with Portuguese construction technology'. The c

Whitewashed multicultural city - Medina of Tétouan (formerly known as Titawin) 837 Tétouan cityscape What and Why The story of the city itself gives a hint of the multi-cultural history of Tétouan ( Tamazight : ⵜⵉⵟⵟⴰⵡⵉⵏ, Tiṭṭawin ) . Founded in the 3rd century BCE, Tetouan became an important centre during the Roman era and it served as the main point of contact between Morocco (ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Lmeɣrib ) and Andalusia until the 15th century. After the reconquest (Spanish: Reconq

Labyrinth of medina - Medina of Fez 170; Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) 01951 Fez tannery What and Why Fez ( Tamazight : ⴼⴰⵙ, Fas ) is the mediaeval capital and imperial city of Morocco (ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Lmeɣrib ) founded by Idris bin Abdullah (Arabic: إدريس الأول‎) in the late 8th century, as a great city of high Islamic civilisation. Due to this important origin of the city, the city has grown non-stop since its inceptio

Imperial city of Spanish-Moorish style gates - Historic City of Meknes 793; Archaeological Site of Volubilis 836 Bab Mansour What and Why Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty (Arabic: المرابطون, Al-Murābiṭūn ‎) as a military sentinel, Meknes ( Tamazight : ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas ) became the capital of Morocco (ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Lmeɣrib ) under Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif (مولاي إسماعيل بن الشريف ابن النصر‎) in the 17th century. Moulay Ismail turned Meknes into an impressive ci

Second oldest standing structures on Earth - Megalithic Temples of Malta 132 Ġgantija What and Why The Megalithic Temples of Malta ( Maltese : It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta ) are several prehistoric temples built during the period 3600 BCE to 700 BCE in various spots in Malta. They were the oldest free-standing structures on Earth until the discovery of Göbekli Tepe of Turkey. Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in