history Archives | Page 4 of 9 | World Heritage Sites

Two people stand, backs to camera, looking at the dome and bell tower of San Jose Mission

San Antonio Missions

Five historical mission churches from the Spanish colonial period in Texas.

A view along a section of the wall from one watchtower toward another along a row of mountain peaks.

The Great Wall

An ancient and audacious architectural marvel over 12,000 miles long.

A bridge over a pond or river, with a square tower at each end, all of it lit up in bright colors at night.

Gyeongju Historic Areas

Ruins of the capital of the ancient Silla dynasty, rich in Buddhist artworks and architecture.

Looking straight down the canal, a small bridge crosses it, with a bicycle passing over it.

Canal du Midi

A 360-km canal plus locks, tunnels and bridges: a 17th-century feat of engineering.

A pagoda with 6 roof levels on the right and a large temple hall on the left, with 3 roof levels.

Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area

Two early temple complexes that include the oldest wooden structures in the world.

The ancient pyramid made of stone.

Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán

A vibrant Spanish colonial city and an ancient pre-Columbian city.

A point of land and a cluster of red-roofed buildings, seen from above.

Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor

A beautiful area around the Bay of Kotor with authentic, well-preserved architecture.

A Romanesque church, round arched entryway open on three sides, a small tower.

Byblos

Ruins of many layers of civilizations and the birthplace of the Phoenician alphabet.

A path straight ahead with bushes on either side, leading to a large domed building with an arched entryway.

Kunya-Urgench

Ruins of the capital of the ancient state of Khorezm and a major stop on the medieval Silk Road.

Looking up at the front of the cathedral: two square towers, very lacy with many vertical gothic openings, rose window at the center above the central entryway, lots of statue niches with figures and also gargoyles.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims

Three medieval structures central to the history of Christianity and coronations in France.

Front of a church - 2 storeys, arches along the edge of the roof as well as above the entrances.

Archaeological Site of Mystras

Atmospheric ruins of a complete Late Byzantine city.

View across a hilly terrain with a castle in the distance. The hills are covered with the stripes of vineyards.

Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato

A region of northern Italy representing excellence in winegrowing and winemaking.

The mausoleum is a small square building with an arched entrance with one window above it. The base of what used to be a dome still stands on top.

Ancient City of Qalhat

The ruins of a major trade-route city of the Kingdom of Hormuz.

A ruin with walls intact and a very large interal arch, inside of which stand two almost complete pillars.

Villa Adriana (Tivoli)

A lavish retreat built for Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century.

View down a long narrow room with stone walls and a glass roof. The floor is covered in a mosaic with images of people and animals.

Villa Romana del Casale

The ruins of a Roman villa with remarkably well-preserved mosaics.

An attractive narrow city street, with buildings only 2-3 stories high; one of them looks like a gateway.

The Historic Centre of Guimarães

A charming medieval city center, considered the birthplace of Portuguese nationhood.

A view of the vineyards seems to go on forever: very flat land, with small areas divided by lots of stone walls, vines growing between them, close to the ground.

Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture

Viniculture in a hostile environment made possible through human ingenuity.

A stone church with a small open bell tower in its center with 4 bells visible.

Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias

Six buildings that are unique to the short-lived Asturian monarchy.

A marea with black paving stones on the ground, a wall of standing stones at the far end.

Taputapuātea

An ancient site of great historical and cultural significance to indigenous Polynesians.

A flat grassy field with, at a distance, a large grass-covered mound, flat on its top.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

The largest and earliest pre-Columbian city in North America.

View up a cobbled street, low adobe houses on either side.

Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento

A well-preserved colonial city that reflects both Spanish and Portuguese influences.

A large and ornate gateway.

Historic Centre of Puebla

An intact Renaissance city full of Spanish-colonial baroque architecture.

A row of 2-3 story houses, the nearer ones painted white and the furthest one red brick with a small round turret.

Flemish Béguinages

Centuries-old architectural ensembles in Flanders that once housed religious communities of women.

View of a large cliff dwelling tucked into a large cave: many ruined walls with gaps for windows.

Mesa Verde National Park

Ruins of ancient cliff dwellings used over a thousand years ago by Ancestral Pueblo people.

Looking down a canal with large red-brick warehouses lining both sides.

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus

An ensemble of warehouses and office buildings resulting from Hamburg’s port trade in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The entranceway in the dille is arched and quite grand, with pillars inside it. The building extends out on both sides, lower than the central archway, with smaller arches along its length.

Historic City of Ahmedabad

A medieval walled city of unique gated communities and many architectural monuments in a mix of styles.

A jumble of buildings on the edge of a steep gorge.

Historic Walled Town of Cuenca

A medieval fortress town in a dramatic location, perched on cliffs.

The imposing fortress on a small hill: mud walls and a tall round tower at its corner.

Bahla Fort

A massive mud-brick fortress, the capital of the Banu Nebhan and the centre of Ibadism in the Middle Ages.

A path between green rice fields leads to a group of houses with peaked thatched roofs.

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Mountain villages with unique traditional farmhouses where silkworms were cultivated.

View down a hill with mountains in the background. On the hill below some of the ruins are visible: the amphitheater and some columns and low walls.

Archaeological Site of Delphi

An important religious site for ancient Greeks, who considered it the center of the world.

View of one of the shrine buildings at Jongmyo: a low structure with a grey tiled roof but otherwise all painted dark red. PIllars along the building support the eaves of the roof.

Jongmyo Shrine

A Confucian shrine housing the spirit tablets of Korean royal ancestors.

Three statues, with more behind them that are barely visible, support a large flat stone, forming a table. The statues have human faces wearing headresses and carrying clubs of some sort.

San Agustín Archaeological Park

Burial mounds and statuary from a complex pre-Columbian culture.

A view between trees down a path to a small church with a steeple.

Landscape of Grand Pré

An agricultural area that commemorates the history of the Acadians and their expulsion from Canada.

Looking through a thick stone doorway to a row of arches and through them to the palace in the distance.

Anjar

Remains of an 8th-century Umayyad town that offers insight into Umayyad town planning and architecture.

View of the front of the building: red brick, symmetrical, and wider than it is tall.

Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)

The largest and most powerful steam-driven pumping station ever built.

A pillared building with a shallow pool in front of it.

The Great Spa Towns of Europe

Towns in seven countries where an early tourism industry thrived around natural hot springs.