MIDTERM HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS

Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park (Brunei)

• the country's biggest wildlife sanctuary, a recreational centre and venue for research and education.

• It is one of the seven Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

• can find the Black Lake Tasek Heritage Park the home of ethnic Dusuns.

Virachey National Park (Cambodia)

• One of only two areas in Cambodia known to support Germain's peacock pheasant

• "humid medium elevation" habitats.

Gunung Leuser National Park (Indonesia)

• steep, almost inaccessible mountainous terrain. A part of the 2.5-million hectare

• Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, which is a World Heritage Site

• the Alas River runs through the Park

• into an eastern and western half; last place where orangutans, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and leopards lived together.

Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia)

• one of the oldest reserves in Indonesia.

• habitat of the Sumatran Elephant.

Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia)

• One of the world's oldest rainforests

• boasts of the most extensive protected area of pristine lowland, evergreen rainforest in Malaysia.

• most important center of endemicity in Malay Peninsula.

Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park (Myanmar)

• Hilly and accented by valleys

• harbors a wealth of large animals and also protects the drainage basin of two perennial rivers.

• Found inside the Park is a shrine and a reclining figure of Kathapa, Buddha's saintly disciple.

Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary (Myanmar)

• established for the protection of waterfowl and their habitats and the neighboring catchment areas.

• The eastern side of the lake is mountainous terrain while the north and west are hilly.

Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary (Myanmar)

• "floating gardens this sanctuary is an important watershed and water source for electricity and domestic use for people living in the small villages

Nat Ma Taung National Park (Myanmar)

• plant Hunter's paradise"

• features Mt. Victoria (called in Chin language as Khaung Neu or "Earth" Mother Goddess" the highest mountain in Chin Hill, Chin State.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (Singapore)

• Established in 1884

• one of the firsts to become a forest reserve.

• The park includes Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore's highest at 163 meters. Many visit the cool summit of Bukit Timah to escape from the sweltering heat

Tarutao National Park (Thailand)

• dialect of Southern Thailand, Tarutao means "old, mysterious and primitive"

• home for centuries of the Chao Lay, or Sea Gypsies.

Bai Tu Long National Park (Vietnam)

• one of the hotspots on biodiversity of Viet Nam, Bai Tu Long

• home of 106 rare and endangered species and the presence of locally named tung ang ecosystems.

• 3 communes: the Bai Tu Long Bay, Van Don District, and Quang Ninh province.

U Minh Thuong National Park (Vietnam)

• supports one of the last two significant areas of peat swamp forest remaining in Viet Nam (the other one being U Minh Ha)

• recognized as one of the three highest priority sites for wetland conservation in the Mekong Delta.

Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (Philippines)

• lies within 65 kilometers of Metro Manila.

• It is 4,244 hectares in area

• lies within the municipalities of Los Baños, Bay, and Calamba in the province of Laguna, and Sto. Tomas in the province of Batangas.

Mt. Apo Natural Park (Philippines)

• dormant volcano with hundreds of sulphur vents on its upper slopes

• country's highest mountain at 3,143.6 meters.

• last stronghold of the remaining population of the rare and endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).

Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (Philippines)

• lake holds water during the rainy season but disappears during the dry season

• Folkloric tale disclosed that the locals considered Tinagong Dagat as a mythical sea on top of the mountain as they observed high and low tide scenes.

Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park (Philippines)

• densely forested slopes, numerous caves, over a dozen mountain peaks, several waterfalls, and a hot spring,

• one of the few remaining rainforests in the Philippines where one can still find the Philippine Eagle.

• ancestral domain of the Talaandig, Higaonon and Bukidnon ethnolinguistic groups

Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park (Philippines)

• seven major peaks with Mt. Malindang as the highest at 2,404 meters, and Mt. Ampiro as the lowest peak at 1,532 meters,

• formed through a series of volcanic activities

Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park (Philippines)

• the only place in the world where one can find the biggest remaining population of the tamaraw (Bubalus Mindorensis).

• The Mangyan is the dominant indigenous group in the area they depend directly on Mts. Iglit-Baco for their food and livelihood.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines)

• located about 80 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, and 60 nautical miles southwest of the Municipality of Cagayancillo

• It comprises of about 10,045 hectares of coral reefs and surrounding waters.

Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

• a site of remarkable variety and beauty on the north-east coast of Australia. 

• world's largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusk.

• holds great scientific interest as the habitat of species such as the dugong (sea cow') and the large green turtle (extinction)

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia)

• formerly called Uluru (Ayers Rock - Mount Olga) National Park

• spectacular geological formations that dominate the vast red sandy plain of central Australia. 

• traditional owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta are the Anangu Aboriginal people.

Australian Convict Sites (Australia)

• includes a selection of 11 penal sites

• The sites are spread across Australia

• Around 166,000 men, women and children were sent to Australia over 80 years between 1787 and 1868

• Each of the sites had a specific purpose, in terms both of punitive imprisonment and of rehabilitation through forced labor to help build the colony. 

Purnululu National Park (Australia)

• located in the State of Western Australia. 

• contains the deeply dissected Bungle Bungle Range 

• These outstanding examples of cone karst owe their existence and uniqueness to several interacting geological, biological, erosional and climatic phenomena.

Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat (Bangladesh)

• Situated in the suburbs of Bagerhat, at the meeting-point of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, 

• this ancient city, formerly known as Khalifatabad

• infrastructure reveals considerable technical skill and an exceptional number of mosques and early Islamic monuments, many built of brick, can be seen there.

The Sundarbans (Bangladesh)

• one of the largest such forests in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal.

• It is adjacent to the border of India's Sundarbans World Heritage site. 

• intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. 

• known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python

Angkor (Cambodia)

• one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. 

• They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations.

• UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging program to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings.

Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia)

• Situated on the edge of a plateau that dominates the plain of Cambodia, the Temple of Preah Vihear is dedicated to Shiva. 

• composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800 meter long axis and dates back to the first half of the 11th century AD. 

• its complex history can be traced to the 9th century, when the hermitage was founded. 

• well preserved, mainly due to its remote location. 

mperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang (China)

• Seat of supreme power for over five centuries (1416-1911), the Forbidden City in Beijing, with its landscaped gardens and many buildings (whose nearly 10,000 rooms contain furniture and works of art), constitutes a priceless testimony to Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

• The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang consists of 114 buildings constructed between 1625-26 and 1783. 

• It contains an important library and testifies to the foundation of the last dynasty that ruled China, before it expanded its power to the center of the country and moved the capital to Beijing. 

• auxiliary to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. 

Mount Huangshan (China)

• known as 'the loveliest mountain of China, 

• Today it holds the same fascination for visitors, poets, painters and photographers who come on pilgrimage to the site, which is renowned for its magnificent scenery made up of many granite peaks and rocks emerging out of a sea of clouds.

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (China)

• The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. 

• comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m

Mount Wuyi (China)

• most outstanding area for biodiversity conservation in south-east China and a refuge for a large number of ancient, relict species, many of them endemic to China. 

• The serene beauty of the dramatic gorges of the Nine Bend River, with its numerous temples and monasteries, many now in ruins, provided the setting for the development and spread of neo-Confucianism, which has been influential in the cultures of East Asia since the 11th century.

Chengjiang Fossil Site (China)

• present the most complete record of an early Cambrian marine community with exceptionally preserved biota, displaying the anatomy of hard and soft tissues in a very wide variety of organisms, invertebrate and vertebrate. They record the early establishment of a complex marine ecosystem. 

• The site documents at least sixteen phyla and a variety of enigmatic groups as well as about 196 species

Levuka Historical Port Town (Fiji)

• The town and its low line of buildings set among coconut and mango trees along the beach front was the first colonial capital of Fiji, ceded to the British in 1874.

• It developed from the early 19th century as a center of commercial activity by Americans and Europeans who built warehouses, stores, port facilities, residences, and religious, educational and social institutions around the villages of the South Pacific island’s indigenous population.

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (India)

• This group of sanctuaries, founded by the Pallava kings, was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries.

• It is known especially for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva.​

Fatehpur Sikri (India)​

• ​Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) 

• was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. 

• The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style

• includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.​

Historic City of Ahmadabad (India)​

• The walled city of Ahmadabad, founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati river, presents a rich architectural heritage from the sultanate period

• The urban fabric is made up of densely-packed traditional houses (pols) in gated traditional streets (puras) with characteristic features such as bird feeders, public wells and religious institutions.

• The city continued to flourish as the capital of the State of Gujarat for six centuries, up to the present

Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (India)

• Having become a global trading center, the city of Mumbai implemented an ambitious urban planning project in the second half of the 19th century. 

• It led to the construction of ensembles of public buildings bordering the Oval Maidan open space, first in the Victorian Neo-Gothic style and then, in the early 20th century, in the Art Deco idiom. 

Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto (Indonesia)​

• Built for the extraction, processing and transport of high-quality coal in an inaccessible region of Sumatra,

• this industrial site was developed by the Netherlands East Indies’ government in the globally important period of industrialization from the late 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. 

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Ujung Kulon National Park (Indonesia)​

• located in the extreme south-western tip of Java on the Sunda shelf, includes the Ujung Kulon peninsula and several offshore islands and encompasses the natural reserve of Krakatoa.

• it contains the largest remaining area of lowland rainforests in the Java plain.

• Several species of endangered plants and animals can be found there, the Javan rhinoceros being the most seriously under threat.​

Prambanan Temple Compounds​ (Indonesia)​

• Built in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia.

• Rising above the center of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them.​

Borobudur Temple Compounds​ (Indonesia)​

• This famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located in central Java.

• It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa.

Himeji-jo (Japan)​

• Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture, comprising 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defense 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.​

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (Japan)​

• has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. 

• The first shrine buildings here were probably erected in the 6th century. 

• The shrine plays on the contrasts in color and form between mountains and sea and illustrates the Japanese concept of scenic beauty, which combines nature and human creativity.​

Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan

• The property consists of 17 archaeological sites in the southern part of Hokkaido Island and northern Tohoku in geographical settings ranging from mountains and hills to plains and lowlands, from inland bays to lakes, and rivers. 

• They bear a unique testimony to the development over some 10,000 years of the pre-agricultural yet sedentary Jomon culture and its complex spiritual belief system and rituals.

• It attests to the emergence, development, maturity and adaptability to environmental changes of a sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer society 

Victoria Falls​

• he world’s greatest sheet of falling water and significant worldwide for its exceptional geological and geomorphological features and active land formation processes with outstanding beauty attributed to the falls It was described by the Kololo tribe living in the area in the 1800s as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. ​

• One special vantage point is across the Knife-edge Bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the Eastern Cataract and the Main Falls as well as the Boiling Pot, where the river turns and heads down the Batoka Gorge.

Historic City of Meknes​

• Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became a capital under Sultan Moulay Ismaïl (1672–1727), the founder of the Alawite dynasty. 

• The sultan turned it into a impressive city in Spanish-Moorish style, surrounded by high walls with great doors, where the harmonious blending of the Islamic and European styles of the 17th century Maghreb are still evident today. ​

Medina of Fez

• Founded in the 9th century, Fez reached its height in the 13th–14th centuries under the Marinids, when it replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the kingdom.​

• The Medina of Fez is considered as one of the most extensive and best conserved historic towns of the Arab-Muslim world. 

• The unpaved urban space conserves the majority of its original functions and attribute. 

Fes el-Bali

• The district possesses a maze of 9,400 winding alleyways. 

• They are far too narrow for cars, and too crowded for just about anything but foot traffic. 

• This labyrinthine landscape has earned Fes el-Bali the distinction of being what’s believed to be the world’s largest car-free urban zone. ​

• world’s largest surviving medieval city. Its streets are crowded with shops and stalls, mosques and madrasas (Islamic schools), and merchants selling dates, spices and fresh cuts of meat.

Bou Inania Madrasa​

one of the two Koranic schools to be seen in Fez, the religious capital of Morocco (the other is the Medersa Attarine which we have already mentioned)

Asmara: A Modernist African City ​

• Located on a highland plateau at the centre of Eritrea, Asmara, a Modernist city of Africa is the capital of the country and is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a colonial planned city, which resulted from the subsequent phases of planning between 1893 and 1941, under the Italian colonial occupation. 

• Its urban layout is based mainly on an orthogonal grid which later integrated elements of a radial system. (UNESCO)​

• The buildings in the historic core of Asmara have remained relatively untouched since the 1940s.

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Asmara

• also known as the Catholic cathedral of Asmara, is an impressive large Revival First Romanesque style cathedral that is located in the capital city of the State of Eritrea, Asmara.

• Built in 1922 by the colonial authorities of Italian Eritrea, since 2015 is part of the Eritrean Catholic Church, and is the seat of the Eritrean Catholic Archeparchy of Asmara.

Asmara Theater

• It was constructed in 1918 following a design by the Italian engineer Odoardo Cavagnari, with later renovations in 1936. The building combines elements of Romanesque Revival and neoclassicism. 

• The painting of the ceiling of the auditorium shows the tendencies of the Art Nouveau. 

• The roof has paintings by Saverio Fresa with dance images. It was one of the most famous buildings in Italian Asmara.​

Kilimanjaro National Park​

• covering an area of some 75,575 ha protects the largest free standing volcanic mass in the world and the highest mountain in Africa, rising 4877m above surrounding plains to 5895m at its peak. 

• With its snow-capped peak, the Kilimanjaro is a superlative natural phenomenon, standing in isolation above the surrounding plains overlooking the savannah.​

• The whole mountain including the montane forest belt is very rich in species, (endangered)

• dormant volcano, and it has three cones!​

• The tallest of Mount Kilimanjaro's cones is Kibo 5,895 m (19,341 ft), because this is the cone that last vented. But nobody knows when that was exactly, as it was so long ago.​

Serengeti National Park​

• comprising 1.5 million hectares of savannah, the annual migration of two million wildebeests plus hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras - followed by their predators in their annual migration in search of pasture and water – is one of the most impressive nature spectacles in the world. 

• biological diversity of the park is very high with at least four globally threatened or endangered animal species: black rhinoceros, elephant, wild dog, and cheetah. 

• Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. 

Stone Town of Zanzibar​

• Located on a promontory jutting out from the western side of Unguja island into the Indian Ocean, 

• an outstanding example of a Swahili trading town.

• developed on the coast of East Africa, further expanded   under Arab, Indian, and European influences, but retained its indigenous elements, to form an urban cultural unit unique to this region.​

• retains its urban fabric and townscape virtually intact and contains many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, which has brought together and homogenized disparate elements of the cultures of Africa, the Arab region, India, and Europe over more than a millennium.

• It has a number of small but fascinating museums with exhibitions ranging from dhow construction to the evils of the slave trade

Robben Island​

• used at various times between the 17th century and the 20th century as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups, and a military base. 

• Its buildings, and in particular those of the late 20th century maximum security prison for political prisoners, testify to the way in which democracy and freedom triumphed over oppression and racism. (UNESCO)​

• The tour begins at the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront with a multimedia exhibition, museum shop and restaurant, after which, guests hop onto the ferry for a scenic trip to the island. 

• the tour is guided by a former political prisoner of the island, for unique and incomparable insights into the island’s history. (Cape Town Travel)​

Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis ​

• Thebes, the city of the god Amon, was the capital of Egypt during the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms. With the temples and palaces at Karnak and Luxor, and the necropolises of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, Thebes is a striking testimony to Egyptian civilization at its height. (UNESCO)​

• home to some of the greatest monuments of the ancient world—built to honor the living, the dead, and the divine. The city, known as Waset to ancient Egyptians and as Luxor today, was the capital of Egypt during parts of the Middle Kingdom (2040 to 1750 B.C.) and the New Kingdom (circa 1550 to 1070 B.C.)

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

• Built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.

• Located opposite the city of Luxor, it is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture.

• Its three massive terraces rise above the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahar

Luxor Temple​

• is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually 

Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur​

• located in the center of the floodplain of the western side of the Nile. 

• Its fame comes from its being the first Capital of Ancient Egypt. 

• The unrivaled geographic location of Memphis, both commanding the entrance to the Delta while being at the confluence of important trade routes, means that there was no possible alternative capital for any ruler with serious ambition to govern both Upper and Lower Egypt. ​

• The site contains many archaeological remains, reflecting what life was like in the ancient Egyptian city, which include temples, of which the most important is the Temple of Ptah in Mit Rahina

The three main pyramids at Giza

(the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu), together with subsidiary pyramids and the remains of other structures

Pyramid of Djoser​

• It was built in the 27th century BC during the Third Dynasty for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser. 

• The pyramid is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration. Its architect was Imhotep, chancellor of the pharaoh and high priest of the god Ra.​

Taï National Park​

• This park is one of the last major remnants of the primary tropical forest of West Africa. 

• Its rich natural flora, and threatened mammal species such as the pygmy hippopotamus and 11 species of monkeys, are of great scientific interest. (UNESCO)​

• There have been more than 250 bird species recognized here, as it lies within one of the world’s Endemic Bird Areas, at least 28 are recognized to be endemic to the Guinean zone

Le Morne Cultural Landscape​

• ​ a rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. 

• Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit ​

​Le Morne Beach

• is a breathtaking world in itself. 

• The sea water is absolutely divine, the sand is fine and unrivalled in whiteness.  

• During winter (April to October) Le Morne is the kite-surfing spot of excellence, dressed in points of all possible colors from the people flying their kites in the lagoon.

 Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe​

• a semi-desert landscape between the Nile and Atbara rivers, was the heartland of the Kingdom of Kush, a major power from the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. 

• The property consists of the royal city of the Kushite kings at Meroe, near the River Nile, the nearby religious site of Naqa and Musawwarat es Sufra. ​

• It was the seat of the rulers who occupied Egypt for close to a century and features, among other vestiges, pyramids, temples and domestic buildings as well as major installations connected to water management. 

Timbuktu

• Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, 

• 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. ​

• New construction near the mosques has prompted the World Heritage Committee to keep the site under close surveillance. In 2012, Timbuktu was once again placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of threats related to armed conflict. (National Geographic)​

• Sankore Mosque and University is the oldest continuously-operating institution of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa. ​

• Sankoré University was capable of housing 25,000 students and had one of the largest libraries in the world with roughly one million manuscripts. 

Old Towns of Djenné​

• Inhabited since 250 B.C., Djenné became a market centre and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the centres for the propagation of Islam. 

• Its traditional houses, of which nearly 2,000 have survived, are built on hillocks (toguere) as protection from the seasonal floods.​

• The property is characterised by the intensive and remarkable use of earth specifically in its architecture. 

Mosque of Djenné​

• Great Mosque of Djenné is a beguiling structure that instantly captures the imagination. 

• Nearly 20m high and built on a 91m-long platform, it's the world's largest mud-brick building and the finest example of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, a regional style characterised by its adobe plastering and wooden scaffolding. 

• The gargantuan mosque is without doubt the centrepiece of life in the [Unesco-protected town of Djenné.​

Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve​

• Located on the granitic island of Praslin, remains largely unchanged since prehistoric times. 

• Dominating the landscape is the world's largest population of endemic coco-de-mer, a flagship species of global significance as the bearer of the largest seed in the plant kingdom. ​

• The forest is also home to five other endemic palms and many endemic fauna species. 

• It has been described as a ‘living museum’ because it supports a community of plants that existed before the evolution of more advanced plant families. 

• It is the only place where all six of the Seychelles endemic palm species occur together, and there are many other endemic and threatened species of flora and fauna. 

• These include 14 species of reptiles (caecilians, geckos, skinks and snakes) that are endemic to the Seychelles, and a unique tree frog.​

Tassili n'Ajjer

• a vast plateau in south-east Algeria at the borders of Libya, Niger and Mali, covering an area of 72,000 sq. km.  

• The exceptional density of paintings and engravings, and the presence of many prehistoric vestiges, are remarkable testimonies to Prehistory. 

• it is the rock art (engravings and paintings) that have made Tassili world famous as from 1933, the date of its discovery.  15,000 engravings have been identified to date.​​

• The property is also of great geological and aesthetic interest:  the panorama of geological formations with "rock forests" of eroded sandstone resembles a strange lunar landscape. ​

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve​ 

• offers a wide variety of geomorphological structures. 

• veritable cathedral of limestone and offers one of the most spectacular natural landscapes of the Grand Island and even of the world. 

• The western part of the plateau presents a very dissected or ‘lapiezée’ relief, most of which is covered by a dense, dry and deciduous forest. In its eastern part, the forest is interspersed by savannas.​

• The park is loaded up with Rare and endemic well-evolved creatures! 42 types of vertebrates has been recorded, of which 35 are endemic to Madagascar.

Island of Saint-Louis ​

• Founded as a French colonial settlement in the 17th century, Saint-Louis was urbanised in the mid-19th century. 

• It was the capital of Senegal from 1872 to 1957 and played an important cultural and economic role in the whole of West Africa. 

• The location of the town on an island at the mouth of the Senegal River, its regular town plan, the system of quays, and the characteristic colonial architecture give Saint-Louis its distinctive appearance and identity. 

• It played an important cultural and economic role in French West Africa during that period. 

Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region

•  the residence of the Ethiopian emperor Fasilides and his successors. ​

• Surrounded by a 900-m-long wall, the city contains palaces, churches, monasteries and unique public and private buildings marked by Hindu and Arab influences, subsequently transformed by the Baroque style brought to Gondar by the Jesuit missionaries.​

Enqualal Gemb (Egg Castle)​

• Perhaps the oldest building on site - also known as the Egg Castle on account of its egg-shaped dome roof - was built by Emperor Fasilidas and is one of the most famous structures in the compound. 

• Towering above Enqualal Gemb lies the Fasiladas prayer room, which has 360 degree views around Gondar.

• The castle said to be the work of an Indian architect.

Matobo Hills​

• The area exhibits a profusion of distinctive rock landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe. 

• The large boulders provide abundant natural shelters and have been associated with human occupation from the early Stone Age right through to early historical times, and intermittently since. 

• feature an outstanding collection of rock paintings.​

• have one of the highest concentrations of rock art in Southern Africa dating back at least 13,000 years. 

• The paintings illustrate evolving artistic styles and also socio-religious beliefs. 

Nswatugi Cave Rock Paintings​

• “the place of jumping” as it is believed that Mwari / Mwali (God) jumped from his home at Njelele Mountain over the top of Nswatugi Hill and landing on Khalanyoni Hill. 

• opens at the end of a steep gully, the entrance is only six metres across, but the cave extends fourteen metres into the hill and contains beautiful friezes of giraffes, elephants and kudu in a wide range of colours. ​

Cecil Rhodes’ Grave​

• was an imperialist, businessman and politician who played a dominant role in southern Africa in the late 19th Century, driving the annexation of vast swathes of land. 

• His grave lies in Matobo National Park, a United Nations heritage site, and where indigenous spirits are said to dwell. 

• About 15,000 people visit the grave annually, some ascending to watch the sunset or sunrise. ​