Sangiran Early Man Site

Excavations here from 1936 to 1941 led to the discovery of the first hominid fossil at this site. Later, 50 fossils of Meganthropus palaeo and Pithecanthropus erectus/Homo erectus were found – half of all the world's known hominid fossils. Inhabited for the past one and a half million years, Sangiran is one of the key sites for the understanding of human evolution.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/593:SangiranEarlyManSite

A second occurence of "Java Man" was discovered here: first discovered in 1891 at Trinil by Dutchman Dubois, more skulls were found by an archeological party organized by German G.H.R. von Königswald at Sangiran (near Solo).

"Java Man" at the time was one of the first known human ancestors. He is now been reclassified as part of the species Homo erectus.

About 60 more fossils have since been found here, making it the most fruitful of the early hominid sites that have been named a WHS. The skull and bone pieces have been discovered by both archeologists and locals in quite a large area. This whole area (56 square km) has been designated a WHS.

https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Sangiran+Early+Man+Site

Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí

The narrow Vall de Boí is situated in the high Pyrénées, in the Alta Ribagorça region and is surrounded by steep mountains. Each village in the valley contains a Romanesque church, and is surrounded by a pattern of enclosed fields. There are extensive seasonally-used grazing lands on the higher slopes.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/988

The Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí are nine Early Romanesque churches, making it the site of the densest concentration of Romanesque architecture in Europe.

The Vall de Boí is a narrow, steep-sided valley on the edges of the Pyrenees. The nine churches are:

- Eglésia de Sant Feliu, Barruera

- Eglésia de Sant Joan de Boí, Boí

- Eglésia de Santa Maria, Taüll

- Eglésia de Sant Climent, Taüll

- Eglésia de Santa Maria de l'Assumpció, Coll

- Eglésia de Santa Maria, Cardet

- Eglésia de la Nativitat, Durro

- Ermitage de Sant Quirc, Durro

- Eglésia de Santa Eulàlia, Erill la Vall

https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Vall+de+Boi

Timbuktu

Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119

Timbuktu became famous in the 15th century because of the booming gold and salt trade in the Sahara region at that time.

Timbuktu was not only a commercial centre, but also of great importance for Islam and science, housing a famous university and several medressas. In some ways, it was the center of the (African-Islamic) world. The inscription actually narrows down to the three large mosques and sixteen cemeteries and mausoleums of Timbuktu.

During the 19th century a number of European adventurers visited Timbuktu, sometimes with fatal consequences. That was the period when the western world became aware of this city in the desert, and it received its romantic annotations.

https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Timbuktu

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area

The first Buddhist temple in China was built here in Sichuan Province in the 1st century A.D. in the beautiful surroundings of the summit Mount Emei. The addition of other temples turned the site into one of Buddhism's holiest sites. Over the centuries, the cultural treasures grew in number. The most remarkable is the Giant Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century and looking down on the confluence of three rivers. At 71 m high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. Mount Emei is also notable for its exceptionally diverse vegetation, ranging from subtropical to subalpine pine forests. Some of the trees there are more than 1,000 years old.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/779

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, comprise the place where Buddhism was first established in China. It is also outstanding for its plant species diversity.

Emei Shan and Leshan are located in China's Sichuan Province. The two nominated areas are separated from each other by about 4Okm. Emei Shan is a sacred Buddhist site. The Giant Buddha of Leshan measures 71 m high overall, which makes it the largest statue of the Buddha in the world.

Emei is the most outstanding Buddhist mountain in China. Emei became a sacred Buddhist site following the sixth-century visit of Bodhisattva Puxian and his six-tusked elephant. Here Buddhism first became established on Chinese territory and from where it spread widely throughout the east.

Covering Emei Shan is a sub-tropical forest with many endemic and endangered plants. They include orchids, primulas, rhododendrons, camellias, ginkgos, cycads and tree ferns. The mountain is frequently covered in dense cloud, with associated high rainfall and humidity.

Construction of the Giant Buddha (Dafo) of Leshan started in 713 AD, when the monk Haitong came up with an idea to curb the rough waters below the sandstone cliffs of Lingyun Shan. He wanted to fill in the shoals with rubble produced by carving out a giant Buddha image. It took 90 years to finish this project.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/779

Hill Forts of Rajasthan

The serial site, situated in the state of Rajastahan, includes six majestic forts in Chittorgarh; Kumbhalgarh; Sawai Madhopur; Jhalawar; Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. The ecclectic architecture of the forts, some up to 20 kilometres in circumference, bears testimony to the power of the Rajput princely states that flourished in the region from the 8th to the 18th centuries. Enclosed within defensive walls are major urban centres, palaces, trading centres and other buildings including temples that often predate the fortifications within which developed an elaborate courtly culture that supported learning, music and the arts. Some of the urban centres enclosed in the fortifications have survived, as have many of the site's temples and other sacred buildings. The forts use the natural defenses offered by the landscape: hills, deserts, rivers, and dense forests. They also feature extensive water harvesting structures, largely still in use today.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/247

The Hill Forts of Rajasthan are 6 military fortifications built in the Rajput cultural tradition.

The included forts are:

- Chittorgarh Fort (on the postcard)

- Kumbhalgarh Fort

- Ranthambore Fort

- Gagron Fort

- Amber Fort

- Jaisalmer Fort

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/247

Himeji-jo

Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture, comprising 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defence and ingenious protection devices dating from the beginning of the Shogun period. It is a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal, both in its elegant appearance unified by the white plastered earthen walls and in the subtlety of the relationships between the building masses and the multiple roof layers.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/661

Himeji-jo is a well preserved wooden castle, combining both functional use and aesthetic appeal. The castle is also known as Shirasagi, the white heron, because of its gracefulness.

Its origins date to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346, and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later in 1581. The current building is still the over 400 years old original.

The castle consists of 83 buildings, and has a highly developed defense system. The (wooden) walls are stuck with fireproof white plaster. They have openings for firing guns and shooting arrows, and also for pouring boiling water or oil on unwelcome visitors.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/661

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

Established in the 8th century on the slopes of Mount Toham, the Seokguram Grotto contains a monumental statue of the Buddha looking at the sea in the bhumisparsha mudra position. With the surrounding portrayals of gods, Bodhisattvas and disciples, all realistically and delicately sculpted in high and low relief, it is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist art in the Far East. The Temple of Bulguksa (built in 774) and the Seokguram Grotto form a religious architectural complex of exceptional significance.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/736

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple are religious monuments and masterpieces of Far Eastern Buddhist art.

Seokguram Grotto is a hermitage that is part of the Bulguksa temple complex. The grotto overlooks the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and rests 750 meters above sea level. It holds some of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world, including the main Buddha. Construction lasted from 742 to 774.

The nearby Bulguksa Temple is the most famous Buddhist temple in Korea and the home to a number of important relics from the Silla period, including most obviously the two stone pagodas Tabot'ap and Sokkat'ap. It also dates from the 8th century, but has been rebuilt on a number of occasions.

The Temple was added to the nomination on the advice of ICOMOS.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/736