The list includes forts and forests. There are temples and towns too. Some are beautiful to look at, while others are important for human history. UNESCO works to protect all these places with its World Heritage List. A UNESCO committee met September 10–25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They added 42 new World Heritage Sites for 2023!
These protected places are in countries across the globe. Three are Argentina, Belgium, and Cambodia. One site sits in the United States. Nine of the new heritage sites are natural wonders. And 33 of them are cultural sites. These spots played a key role in human history.
One of UNESCO’s new natural sites lies in Earth’s largest sandy desert. That’s Ar Rub’ al-KhaIi, which means “the Empty Quarter” in Arabic. Arabian oryx and Arabian sand gazelles live along the orange dunes. These animals were in the wild for years. But experts worked to bring them back to their natural . This area — called ‘Uruq Bani Ma’arid — is in Saudi Arabia.
Another new natural site includes an active volcano. Mount Pelée rises high over a Caribbean island called Martinique. An endangered frog lives there. UNESCO also protected a forest area in the Congo. The Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua is home for African elephants. UNESCO added a natural site in Italy as well. It’s a system of deep caves.
The new UNESCO sites include a few religious places. One is Koh Ker — a group of temples in Cambodia. It was the capital of the Khmer Empire about 1,100 years ago. Another is the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas. That features three temple complexes in India from the 1100s and 1200s. There are five wooden from Türkiye too. Those date to the 1200s.
One new UNESCO cultural site is older than all of those. It’s the Maison Carrée of Nîmes in France. Workers built it about 2,000 years ago! Back then, the Roman Empire controlled most of Europe. The design of the Roman temple inspired other structures, such as the Virginia State Capitol.
UNESCO also announced that some sites are in danger. That means their history may be lost. The List of World Heritage in Danger now includes cities in Ukraine. Two are L’viv and Kyiv. UNESCO says they have been “under threat” since February 2022. That’s when Russia began the war in Ukraine.
There are now 1,199 UNESCO world heritage sites. Each tells a story about our Earth — and its countless cultures.
Updated September 25, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
