Nine sites join World Heritage List
Koguryo – an ancient kingdom that straddled parts of Korea and northeastern China – has been included among nine new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List of natural and cultural wonders ranging from the Arctic Circle to tropical rainforests.
Though Koguryo vanished from maps 1,300 years ago, it is the subject of a modern feud between those in China who claim it is part of their cultural heritage, and those in North Korea who say the kingdom belongs to Korea.
The heritage committee, meeting in the eastern garden city of Suzhou, included Koguryo sites in both China and North Korea – a decision that mollified both sides.
It was the first time for North Korea to be included on the World Heritage list. An earlier North Korean nomination was turned down due to worries over the impoverished, isolated country’s ability to protect the sites.
The other eight sites approved by the World Heritage committee vary from Russia’s Wrangel Island Reserve, a habitat for polar bears and walrus well above the Arctic Circle, and the tropical coral reefs of the Pitons Management Area of the Caribbean island of St Lucia.
The meeting in Suzhou, home to dozens of famous classical gardens, is due to consider some 48 sites for inclusion on the World Heritage Lists before it ends on July 7. It is also reviewing 35 sites on its “In Danger” list.
Last year, Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley, home to the fabled Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban, and the ancient Iraqi city of Ashur were among 24 sites confirmed as heritage sites.
Bamiyan and Ashur were also put on the ”In Danger” category.
The sites named so far this year appear to be further removed from the fray of political turmoil.
The Ilulissat Icefjord, on the west coast of Greenland, is the outlet where the Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the world’s fastest-moving glaciers, reaches the sea.
Indonesia’s Tropical Rainforest Heritage includes three national parks that are home to many endangered species, while Cape Floral Region in South Africa, is an area with one of the highest diversities of plant life worldwide.
The three other cultural sites named this year are in Africa.
Koutammakou is home to the Batammariba of Togo, a tribe known for its distinctive mud tower houses. The Tomb of Askia is a 15th century pyramid in Mali and the Portuguese City of Mazagan in Morocco is a colonial fort dating back to the 16th century.
The World Heritage Committee is responsible for implementing the 1972 UN Convention on the protection of cultural and natural sites around the world. The new additions increased to 764 the number of sites deemed to have “outstanding universal value” in more than 120 countries.
The gathering, the first for China, has raised debate over Beijing’s ability to protect its 29 own World Heritage sites.
Just 20 years ago, many temples and other historic sites lay in ruins, their frescoes, sculptures and tiles shattered by the rampaging Red Guards of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Since then, many have been restored, but many have also been looted by antiquities smugglers.
The heritage committee is expected to ask China’s delegates about troubles with sites that have been overwhelmed by tourism.
The official Xinhua News Agency noted concerns over a fire that razed a palace in the Taoist sanctuary of Mount Wudang, a World Heritage site in central China. The blaze was said to have been set off by a careless worker at a martial arts school that had illegally rented space in the palace.
