World Heritage is a variety of natural or man-made objects that need to be preserved for future generations due to their special cultural, historical or ecological significance. As of 2012, there are 962 items on this list, 754 of them are cultural monuments, 188 are natural and 29 are mixed.

UNESCO was established in 1945 and its purpose is to protect and preserve places of special value or physical importance for all mankind. In 1954, during the construction of the Aswan Dam, Abu Simbel, a man-made temple carved into the rock, fell under flooding. The responsible organization allocated money for the building to be dismantled and moved to a higher location. This unprecedented action took four years, and highly qualified specialists from 54 countries of the world were involved in its implementation in a short time.

Today, on the pages of Forum-City, we will be discussing a rather entertaining topic - the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Aldabra Atoll

The atoll consists entirely of corals and is a group of four islands separated by narrow straits. It is located north of Madagascar in Indian Ocean... Belongs to the State of Seychelles.

Aldabra is considered the second largest in the world after Christmas Island (Kiritimati) in the Kiribati archipelago. Its dimensions: 34 km in length and 14.5 km in length, height above sea level up to 8 m. inner lagoon 224 sq. km.

Since the 17th century, it has been used by the French to hunt giant sea turtles, as their meat was considered an exquisite delicacy. For a long time, pirates also ruled these places, because the atoll is located far from populated areas.

In 1982 this paradise was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as unique monument nature. This is one of the few islands on our planet that has not been touched by civilization. Currently, it is home to a huge population of giant sea turtles (over 152 thousand) and two completely unique species of bats. Entry to this nature reserve is tightly controlled, and all approaches by the sea are protected.

Giant statue in China

The huge Buddha Maitreya is carved into the rock at the confluence of three rivers - Minjiang, Qingjiang and Daduhe near the city of Leshan in China. According to ancient legend a famous monk named Haithong of the Tang Dynasty, worried about frequent shipwrecks and deaths in a whirlpool just opposite this rock, vowed to carve a stone statue of a seated Buddha. He raised funds and began construction, and his followers completed the work. The largest monument in the world was built over 90 years - from 713 to 803.

For the convenience of visitors, a special Nine Turns path has been built here, consisting of 250 steps. There is a pavilion next to the trail where tourists can relax and admire the giant's face up close.

Almost until the middle of the 13th century, a huge seven-story wooden structure covered the statue from the weather, but over time it collapsed, and the structure remained defenseless against the elements. Debris left by tourists began to accumulate at the foot, the waters of three rivers washed away the lotus-shaped base.

The local department hired 40 workers to restore the unique statue to its former grandeur. The project invested about $ 700,000 and another $ 730,000 to improve security systems.

Every year, more than 2 million travelers from all over the world come to see the seated Buddha and add about $ 84 million to the budget of the Leshan City Tourism Department.

Hatra, or El-Khadr

This is an ancient ruined city in the Parthian kingdom, the ruins of which are still located on the territory of Northern Iraq in the Ninewa province to the northwest of the capital of the country, Baghdad. It was founded in the III century, and its heyday fell on the period of the II-I centuries BC.

The total area was about 320 hectares, in shape it resembled an oval, surrounded by a double line of high stone walls with four gates oriented to the cardinal points. The most powerful defensive wall, two meters high, was built of stone, behind it was a deep ditch up to 500 meters wide. There were 163 defense towers at a distance of 35 meters from each other.

The city belonged to Arab princes, who regularly paid tribute to the warlike Persians, and was located at the crossroads of the main trade routes that time. In the center was a palace and temple complex with an area of ​​about 12,000 square meters. meters. Due to its transit location, El Khadr included religious buildings different directions, it was even called the "House of God".

Thanks to good defensive structures and vigilant round-the-clock protection, the ancient city withstood even the attack of the legionaries of the Roman Empire in 116 and 198 AD, but in 241, Hatra fell under the siege of the Persian ruler Shapur and was soon destroyed and consigned to oblivion.

Schroeder House by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld

This house in 1924 was specially built for the 35-year-old widow Truus Schröder-Schrader and her three children in the small Dutch town of Utrecht. The building is distinguished by innovative solutions in the original and unusual exterior design at that time, as well as the view of spacious balconies and huge windows.

The project and the entire internal layout were developed by the novice architect Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. The widow proposed a number of unusual innovations, which it was also decided to implement. So, in the kitchen on the ground floor, an elevator was built, in which ready meals were served upstairs directly to the set table. All the interiors of the first level are quite traditional for that time. The walls are made of old bricks.

But on the second floor, according to the idea of ​​the hostess of the house, the entire space remained completely open, and it can be divided into several rooms at any time using sliding walls. All wardrobes and beds are transformers, assembled during the day and unfold at night. Instead of the usual curtains, like all neighbors, they used multi-colored plywood boards.

Currently, the unique house belongs to the Central Museum of the city of Utrecht and guided tours that take about an hour are held there.

This building is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List because it had a significant impact on further architectural trends, and also became the first open-plan house in the world history of architecture.

Krak des Chevaliers

Krak de Chevalier (or Krak de l'Hospital) is a unique crusader structure located in the state of Syria on the top of a cliff 650 meters high. The nearest town of Homs is located 65 km east of the castle.

This is one of the most well-preserved fortresses of the Order of the Hospitallers in the world. In the 10th century, this castle became its headquarters, where a garrison of 2,000 soldiers and 60 knights could be deployed during the crusade.

In addition to the powerful walls, many buildings in the Gothic style have been reconstructed and restored. This is a large conference room, water storage tanks, a chapel, an inner aqueduct, storage facilities and two stables that could hold up to 1000 horses. In the rock mass under the building, underground storage facilities for food and water reserves were made, which could be enough for a long siege for 5 years.

At the end of the 12th century, during another crusade, King Edward I of England saw the impregnable fortress, and soon his castles appeared in Wales and England, very similar in structure to Krak.

Monastery of the city of Alcobas

The Cistercian monastery "de Santa Maria de Alcobaça", located in the Portuguese city of Alcobaça, was founded by King Afonso Henriques in 1153 and for two centuries served as a burial vault for the rulers of Portugal. The cathedral is the first building in the Gothic style, built on the territory of the ancient state.

Architecture is historically valuable. The two wings of the main facade are made in the Baroque style, and between them there is a church, the facade of which, as it were, connects these two directions. At the top is a balcony supported by four statues - they symbolize the main virtues: justice, fortitude, prudence and sobriety.

In 1755, the whole country was shaken by the great Lisbon Earthquake, which was very destructive, but the temple survived - only the sacristy and part of the service buildings were damaged. However, the original appearance historical site could not be restored. Near the entrance to the church is the Hall of the Kings, where there are statues of all the monarchs of Portugal, and the history of this place is written on the walls with the help of blue and white azuleijos tiles from the 18th century.

After viewing this early Gothic masterpiece, other interiors of the famous cathedrals of Europe seem gloomy and less aesthetic. These buildings showcase the perfect skills and dedication of medieval craftsmen. And the entire ensemble "de Santa Maria de Alcobaça" is one of the finest monuments of Portuguese art.

Monte Alban

According to prominent scientists with a worldwide reputation, this is a fairly large settlement of ancient people in the southeast of Mexico, Oaxaca. Just 9 km from the state capital on the low ridge mountain range passing through the valley, there is a man-made plateau. On it was the very first city in the entire historical region, which played a significant role as the socio-political and economic center of the Zapotec civilization.

In the early 1930s, the ruins of this ancient settlement were discovered by the Mexican archaeologist Alfonso Caso. Many pundits equate this discovery with a sensational discovery of the true location of the legendary Troy.

"Mexican Troy" turned out to be a city of high culture, local craftsmen as early as 200 BC were already able to process rock crystal and make unique jewelry from gold.

During the excavations, 150 four-chamber crypts, palaces and pyramids, very similar to those erected by the Mayan tribe, an ancient observatory, a giant amphitheater with 120 rows for spectators, powerful stone stairs 40 meters wide, a structure resembling a stadium and much more were discovered.

The walls of the buildings are decorated with frescoes, relief images of human figures and stone mosaics. A kind of funerary ceramic urns in the form of gods and various animals have been discovered.

The impressive ruins of the center ancient civilization Monte Alban are located in such a way that they are visible from anywhere in the central part of the Oaxaca Valley

Lalibela

It is a small town in the north of Ethiopia, located in the Ahmara region at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level. It is the center of pilgrimage for the entire population of the country, because almost all residents of the town are Christians of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Lalibela was built as New Jerusalem in response to the Muslim seizure of the Christian shrine in the State of Israel, therefore many historical buildings have names and types of architecture similar to the ancient buildings of Jerusalem.

According to 2005 data, the population of the city was 15 thousand people, of which the majority (about 8,000) are women. This medieval religious center is famous for its monolithic, three-aisled churches carved into volcanic tuff, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The bas-reliefs and wall paintings of these ancient structures mix Christian and pagan symbols and motives.

Thirteen temples seem to grow out of the ground. "Bethe Mariam" is considered the oldest, and "Bethe Medhane Alei" - the largest church in the world, carved into the rock. According to the legend, in the last of the churches carved into the rocks, "Beta Golgotha", the remains of King Lalibela are buried.

These unique works of architecture of ancient craftsmen are also monuments to the engineering thought of medieval Ethiopia - near many of them there are wells that are filled with water using a complex system based on the use of artesian wells.

Eight hundred years ago, people could supply water to a height of 2500 meters!

Ellora

It is a simple village in the state of Maharashtra, India, near the city of Aurangabad. She is famous for the fact that nearby in the rocks are carved cave temples different religions, the creation of which dates back to the 6th-9th centuries of the new era. Of the 34 caves of Ellora, 12 in the south are Buddhist, 17 in the center are dedicated to Hindu gods, and 5 to the north are Jain.

Most of the ancient shrines have their own names, the most famous is “Kailas”. This beautiful, well-preserved example of ancient architecture is considered one of the most precious monuments in India. Colossal statues of Shiva, Vishnu and other gods revered in the country are carved in a granite canopy over the entrance to this place, sacred for all Hindus.

This is followed by the huge goddess Lakshmi - she is reclining on lotus flowers, and around there are majestic elephants. On all sides, the temple is surrounded by monumental size lions and vultures, they froze in different poses, and guard the peace of the heavenly kings.

One of the legends says that this piece of paradise was built by one raja - Edu from Elichpur - in gratitude for the healing with water from a spring located on the territory of the temple.

Vishvakarma has a multi-storey entrance and a large hall in which there is a sculpture of Buddha preaching a sermon.

Indra Sabha is a two-level monolithic Jain temple.

"Kailasanatha" is the centerpiece of the entire sacred complex, and during the construction of this miracle in the town of Ellora more than 200,000 tons of rock were removed.

Ancient building complex in Wudang Mountains

The Wudang Mountains in China are famous for their ancient monasteries and temples; a long time ago, a university was founded here for the study of medicine, pharmacology, nutrition systems, meditation and martial arts.

Back in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the first religious center, the Temple of the Five Dragons, was opened in this area. Much construction on the mountain began in the 15th century, when Emperor Yongle summoned 300,000 soldiers and built the complexes. At that time, 9 monasteries, 36 sketes and 72 shrines, many gazebos, bridges and multi-tiered pagodas were erected, forming 33 architectural ensembles. The construction lasted 12 years, and the complex of structures covered the main peak and 72 small peaks - the length was 80 km.

The Golden Hall is one of the most famous, it took 20 thousand tons of copper and about 300 kg of gold to make it. According to scientists, it was forged in the capital of China, Beijing, and then delivered in parts to the Wudang Mountains.

The Temple of the Purple Cloud consists of several halls - Dragon and Tiger Hall, Purple Sky Hall, Eastern, Western and Parental. The shrines of Wu Zhen are kept here from the day of its foundation.

During the troubled times of the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976), many places of worship were destroyed, but later restored, and now the complex is visited by tourists from all over the world.

The architecture of the ancient complex of Wudang Mountains combines the best achievements of Chinese traditions over the past one and a half thousand years.

"Valley of the whales" in Egypt

40 million years ago "Wadi Al-Hitan" was the bottom of the World Ocean, therefore hundreds of skeletons of ancient mammals have been preserved here. This unique valley is located 150 km southwest of the capital of Egypt - Cairo. Many of the remains of whales belong to the extinct suborder Archaeoceti, representing one of the most important stages of evolution: the rebirth of terrestrial monsters of many tons into marine mammals.

Fossil skeletons clearly show the appearance and lifestyle of these giants in their transition period. In addition, they are all located in an easy-to-study and, importantly, vigilantly protected area.

In addition, there are the remains of the Sirenia sea cows and the Moeritherium elephant seals, as well as prehistoric crocodiles, sea snakes and turtles. Some specimens are so well preserved that the contents of their vast stomachs can be examined.

Together, they help scientists unravel the still-existing mystery of the evolution of these largest mammals on the planet.

The pristine exotic of tropical forests

Kerchin-Seblat National Park is the largest nature reserve on the island of Sumatra, its area is about 13.7 thousand square meters. km. Here you can see more than 4000 species of plants, including the world's largest flower - Rafflesia Arnold, its diameter is 60-100 cm, and its weight reaches 8 kg. In addition, this area is home to about 370 species of birds and rare animals (Sumatra tigers, elephants and rhinos, Malay tapir). There are also hot springs, the highest caldera lake and the highest peak on the island. And recently, a muntjak deer was seen here, the species of which was considered extinct in the 30s of the last century.

The second largest is Gunung Loser, with an area of ​​7,927 sq. km. Located in the region of Aceh and in the area of ​​the town of Bukit Lawang. This small town is considered the best starting point for exploring this exotic place. Guided tours are only permitted with a trained guide and special permission.

In this reserve, the most interesting is the large population of great apes - orangutans. Translated from the Malay language, this means "forest man".

The third largest is Bukit-Barisan-Selatan with an area of ​​3568 sq. km, covering the provinces of Lampung, Benkulu and South Sumatra. Here you can meet very rare animals - the Sumatran elephant and the striped rabbit.

Tourists appreciate Sumatra for its tropical forests with its pristine nature, for outlandish plants and amazing representatives of exotic fauna. In addition, there are many beautiful and still active volcanoes.

"Sistine Chapel of Primitive Painting"

"Lascaux" is located in France, 40 km from the city of Perigueux and is considered one of the most important Paleolithic monuments in terms of the quantity, quality and preservation of rock art of ancient people. The cave was accidentally discovered in 1940 by four teenagers who noticed a narrow hole in the rock formed by a falling tree. After a survey, scientists have determined that the age of the rock carvings is more than 17,300 years.

The cave is rather small in size, the totality of all its galleries is about 250 meters, and average height 30 meters. Visitors were allowed in from 1948 to 1955, but then it was closed, since the ventilation systems could not cope with the carbon dioxide that accumulated inside from the breath of numerous tourists, and the rock paintings could be damaged.

Air conditioning systems were changed several times in the last century, but they were all ineffective, and the historical heritage was periodically closed for maintenance. And only in the 21st century were powerful units installed, which successfully coped with the task.

To preserve the wall painting, they decided to copy all the images and made a concrete copy, which shows almost all the rock paintings in the same sequence as the original. The cave was named "Lasko II", it is located just 200 meters from the real one and was first discovered for travelers in 1983.

Takht-e Jamshid

Takht-e Jamshid in Greek "Persepoles" - the ruins of the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. This place is considered one of the most beautiful monuments in the history of the state of Iran. It is located on the plain of Marvdasht at the foot of Mount Ramhat and was founded by the great Persian king Darius I in 515 BC.

The area of ​​this stone structure is 135 thousand square meters. meters, it includes the "Gates of All Nations", "Apadana Palace", "Throne Room", the tomb of the "King of Kings", an unfinished palace and treasury. The construction lasted for about 45 years and was completed during the reign of Xerxes the Great, the eldest son of Darius.

Mostly remnants of Persepoles palace complex and places of worship. The most famous of them is "Apadana" with a ceremonial hall and 72 columns. Five kilometers away is the royal tomb of Naksh Rustam and the rocky reliefs of Naksh Rustam and Naksh Rajab.

Here, in those distant times, there was already a water supply and sewerage system, and during the construction the labor of slaves was not used. The walls of this unique complex were over five meters thick and up to 150 centimeters high. One could climb to the city by the main staircase, which consisted of two flights of 111 steps of white limestone each. Then it was necessary to pass the "Gate of All Nations".

But the powerful walls did not help, and in 330 the great conqueror Alexander the Great stormed the fortified complex and during a feast in honor of the victory burned the capital of the Persian kingdom to the ground, possibly in revenge for the Acropolis destroyed by the Persians in Athens.

Cradle of humanity

The historical monument is located 50 km northwest of Johannensburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa in the south of the African continent. Its area is 474 sq. km, the complex includes limestone caves, including a group called Sterkfontein, where in 1947 Robert Bloom and John Robinson discovered the fossil remains of an ancient man - "Australopithecus africanus" 2.3 million years old.

"Taung Rock Fossil Site" - it was here in 1924 that the famous Taung skull, belonging to the oldest man... The Macapan Valley is famous for the abundance of archaeological traces found in the local caves, confirming the existence of people about 3.3 million years ago.

The fossil remains found here have helped scientists identify ancient hominid specimens dating from between 4.5 and 2.5 million years ago. These findings fully confirm the theory that our distant ancestors began to use fire already in a period of about a million years ago.

Perhaps some of the readers will think that there are a lot of numbers in our topic, but this is a story, moreover, not of some individual person, but of our entire civilization.