Capital of ancient Silla - Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 736; Gyeongju Historic Areas 976; Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture 00461; Knowledge, beliefs and practices related to jang making in the Republic of Korea 01975 Jahamun of Bulguksa What and Why Gyeongju ( Korean : 경주) , formerly Seorabeol ( 서라벌), was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla ( 신라 ) from 57 BCE to 935 CE and hence this city is a definite must-visit if one is interested in Korean Pe

Dawn of textile factory system - Derwent Valley Mills 1030 Belper North Mill What and Why The Derwent Valley Mills in the United Kingdom represents the birthplace of the modern mass-production factory system . Stretching around 20 km along the River Derwent area, this particular WHS preserves a number of 18th and 19th century cotton mills and transport infrastructure, all originating and benefitting from the invention of the water frame by Richard Arkwright in the 1770s.

Mediaeval castle of power and the longest toponym - Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd 374 Caernarfon Castle What and Why Gwynedd is located in the northern part of now Wales , and was a kingdom by itself from the 5th till the 11th century, when it was conquered by England . The Kingdom of Gwynedd , partly a successor state to the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum ) , built a number of fortified castles around the area of Caernarfon and Conwy . These cas

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

Capital of art nouveau and pickpockets - Works of Antoni Gaudí 320; Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona 804; Human Towers 00364; Mediterranean diet 00884 Parc Guell What and Why Barcelona is now one of the most popular tourist cities, offering its visitors good art, football, food, culture, commerce and even science. It has developed itself as a significant global brand as a city and is considered one of the economic powerhouse in Spain ( Spanish

Subterranean temple since 3000 BCE - Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum 130; Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in Malta 01580 Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum What and Why Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum ( Maltese : Ipoġew ) is a large complex of rooms hewn out of the limestone and thought to have been a sanctuary and necropolis , with the remains of more than 7,000 individuals documented by archaeologists. ‘Hypogeum’ means ‘underground’ in Greek, ‘ Ħal ’ means ‘small’ in Malte

World most majestic mausoleum - Agra Fort 251; Taj Mahal 252 Tāj Mahal (from internet) What and Why Agra ( Hindi : आगरा) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna (यमुना) river and is the first city in this series to house more than one UNESCO WHS. Most importantly it houses the Tāj Mahal (ताज महल) and the Agra Fort (आगरा का किला, Agra ka qila ) , with Tāj Mahal being arguably the most famous buildings in world architecture, especially exhibiting the extreme beauty and forte o

Triangular shaped village houses in a beautiful snow mountain - Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama 734; Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year 00859; Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paper 01001; Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan 01618 Shirakawa-gō What and Why Shirakawa-gō ( Japanese : 白川郷) is located in a

Never say 'kekkō' until you've seen Nikkō - Shrines and Temples of Nikko 913; Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year 00869; Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan 01618 Nikko What and Why The first temple in Nikkō ( Japanese : 日光) was founded more than 1,200 years ago. In the early 17th century, the famous dying shōgun (将軍) Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川

A city built on a huge cave - The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera 670 ; Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity 02093 Sassi of Matera during the evening What and Why The sassi (singular sasso ), meaning 'rock' in Italian, of Matera is often described as the most unique and picturesque landscapes in Europe, and this is no understatement. While one might imagine an inhabited cave since the Paleolithic age would look derelict