Currently, the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites is comprised of 1031 special cultural or physical significant places from 163 countries. Several sites were included in the list in early July.
Ephesus is an ancient Greek city situated in the western part of contemporary Turkey. The city was added as a World Heritage Site this year at the 39th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
Above: Celsus library, Ephesus Turkey.
Above: Celsus library, Ephesus Turkey.
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© AP Photo / Remy de la Mauviniere
The Palace of Versailles once was a royal palace and now it’s a suburb of Paris and one of the most popular tourism sites in the world. The palace became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.
Above: Tourists crowd the newly renovated Hall of Mirrors at the Chateau de Versailles, near Paris, December 21, 2005.
Above: Tourists crowd the newly renovated Hall of Mirrors at the Chateau de Versailles, near Paris, December 21, 2005.
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© AP Photo / Xinhua
The Forbidden City is situated in the center of Beijing and it is the largest palace complex in the world (72 ha). The city is surrounded by dikes and walls that separate it from the outer Beijing. It used to be the main imperial palace from the 15th to the 20th centuries; during those times only the imperial family and its servants could attend the Forbidden City. The city was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
Above: The Imperial Palace, a Beijing landmark, is blanketed in its first snow in 2003.
Above: The Imperial Palace, a Beijing landmark, is blanketed in its first snow in 2003.
The Sukhothai Historical Park is a town in the north of Thailand, once the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom, comprising numerous temples. The town was built in 1238 A.D. as a Khmer settlement; its name means “Dawn of Happiness.” The town became a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991 together with two neighboring historical places – the town of Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet.
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© AP Photo / Felipe Dana
Christ the Redeemer is a 30-meter tall statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is often regarded as the symbol of the city and Brazil altogether. It is not only one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but since 2007, it is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Above: The Sugar Loaf and Guanabara Bay are seen behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 8, 2014.
Above: The Sugar Loaf and Guanabara Bay are seen behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 8, 2014.
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© Sputnik / Vladimir Vyatkin
Saint Basil’s Cathedral is an Orthodox church situated in the very heart of Moscow in Red Square. Many people might call it not only the symbol of Moscow, but the whole Russia as well. The cathedral was designated by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 1990.
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© AP Photo / Tim Ireland
Stonehenge is rightly considered one of the world’s most distinguished places of interest, located in Wiltshire, England. This prehistoric monument is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. Stonehenge was enlisted as a World Heritage Site in 1986.
Above: The sun rises as thousands gathered at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, Sunday, June 21, 2015.
Above: The sun rises as thousands gathered at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, Sunday, June 21, 2015.
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© AP Photo / Greg Baker
The Potala Palace, situated in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of China, once used to be a residence of the 14th Dalai Lama, before the latter fled to India in 1959. Nowadays, the palace is a popular tourist destination as well as a pilgrimage site. The Potala Palace was added as a World Heritage Site in 1994 due the place’s major cultural, religious and historical importance.
Above: Tourists walk through the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, China, Saturday, June 20, 2009.
Above: Tourists walk through the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, China, Saturday, June 20, 2009.
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© Sputnik / Alena Palazhchenko
Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape, which are situated in Turkey, entered the ranks as a UNESCO World Heritage Site this year. The fortress remains the largest one that has survived until the present day. However, its age has not been defined by scientists yet. As for the gardens, their existence extends back for more than 8,000 years, during which the gardens have always been maintained.
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© AP Photo / Daniel Ochoa de Olza
The Parthenon is an ancient landmark on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece. Once it was a temple dedicated to goddess Athena. Today, the temple is under reconstruction as it was half-ruined. As early as 1970, the UNESCO proposed different plans of saving this heritage site, including the construction of a glass dome around it. And since 1975 a special committee has been exercising control over the preservation of the whole complex of the Athenian Acropolis.
Above: A woman jumps for a picture in front of the Parthenon on the top of the Acropolis, an ancient temple, Athens, Wednesday, June 24, 2015.
Above: A woman jumps for a picture in front of the Parthenon on the top of the Acropolis, an ancient temple, Athens, Wednesday, June 24, 2015.
