The world is rich with cultural and natural heritage sites that need protecting, a job that Unesco takes very seriously.
On Friday, the World Heritage Committee will host its annual session during which members assess the condition and management of more than 1,100 existing sites, as well as accept nominations from countries for new World Heritage Sites.
These are a diverse array of locations, varying from buildings to mountains and deserts to whole cities. This year, 39 nominations proposed in 2020 and 2021 are being examined, split between cultural, natural and mixed sites.
Here, we review some of the most interesting cultural sites on the list.
Cultural Rock Arts in Hima, Najran
Country: Saudi Arabia
Bi’r Hima, which is known for its wells, is located between Najran and Wadi Addawasir in Saudi Arabia, and acted as a conduit for the caravan trade route in the Arabian Peninsula, according to Unesco.
The site dates back to ancient prehistoric times, and its wadis and jebels are home to hundreds of examples of petroglyphs and diverse rock art. It is being considered as a world heritage site because of the quality and density of the engravings, which include images depicting battle scenes, fauna, flora and prehistoric lifestyles, plus those that demonstrate cultural continuity between prehistoric and medieval eras.
As-Salt
Country: Jordan
The city of Salt, or As-Salt, located north-west of Amman, Jordan, has attracted settlers since at least the Iron Age, and still has a lot to offer visitors today, but it is perhaps most distinctive for its architecture.
Between 1860 and 1925, the city, at the time ruled by the Ottoman Empire, witnessed the development of an architectural movement, the result of work by a "stone master" who had moved from nearby Nablus.
“The outstanding universal value of this Arab Eclectic Movement in the history of art and architecture lies on As-Salt's recognisable character,” says Unesco’s website.
The UN body states the city is “relatively unique within its geopolitical and cultural context”, not just because of its buildings but also “in its ability to transmit the significance of peaceful coexistence – Muslim and Christian communities living together to present – in the flourishing of socio-economic relations and cultural footprints”.
Chankillo Astronomical Complex
Country: Peru
Peru is home to many fascinating locations, with 12 Unesco World Heritage Sites, and the Chankillo Solar Observatory is no exception. It’s an archaeological complex with ritual, administrative and defensive functions, but it’s the astronomical offering that defines its value.
It was built more than 2,300 years ago in the Ancash region, west of the Andes mountain range. It is the earliest example known to date of a site in the Americas dedicated to astronomy, and played a "vital role of knowledge within ancient civilisations", according to Unesco.
The Glorious Kakatiya Temples and Gateways
Country: India
India is home to nearly 40 Unesco World Heritage Sites and many more have been submitted for consideration for inscription. During this year’s committee, two nominations will be discussed, including a serial site of three temples and gateways, including the Ramappa Temple and remnants of the Swayambhunath Temple and Warangal Fort.
These temples and related structures present an architectural pattern, style and technology distinct to the time of the Kakatiya kingdom and now the region, “exhibiting local innovation in temple-building tradition”, Unesco says.
The Great Spas of Europe
Country: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, UK
Another serial property nominated for inclusion on the list is this group of 11 spa towns across seven European countries. Each location was developed around mineral springs and became a place known for treating pain using natural means.
This transnational serial site provides an illustration of an “urban typology and cultural movement”, with each town’s component spa buildings comprising hallmarks such as pump rooms, drinking halls, treatment facilities and colonnades that directly harness natural spring water.
Destinations include Bath in England, Vichy in France and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.
Trans-Iranian Railway
Country: Iran
Iran has 24 cultural and natural sites inscribed with Unesco, with a further 57 on the tentative list. Nominated this year is the Trans-Iranian Railway, a project completed in 1938 under Reza Shah.
Among its most distinctive characteristics is the route, which takes in various climates of Iran, as well as geographical features ranging from mountains, and forests to grasslands, steppes and deserts.
Its construction also ushered in a new genre of architecture, with stations and railway-related residential structures based on local and traditional design styles. Overall, according to Unesco, the railway is “considered a masterpiece of human ingenuity enjoying exceptional values”.
Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea
Country: Russia
Petroglyphs found in Lake Onega and the White Sea are among some of the most important cultural and historical attractions in Northern Europe, according to Unesco. Diverse themes, vivid imagery and multi-figure compositions are well preserved and offer insight into nearby ancient settlements.
This site is another serial property, as the locations are more than 300 kilometres apart, but were linked by ancient waterways for about 500 to 700 years. Analysis of the primitive art has indicated direct contact between populations of both territories, reflecting the beliefs and lifestyle of ancient fishermen, gatherers and sea hunters.
Nice
Country: France
With 45 sites on Unesco’s natural and cultural heritage lists, France is no stranger to the inscription process. It has 38 more on the tentative list, including Nice, touted as the capital of Riviera tourism. This nomination focuses on the city’s cosmopolitanism, its long-standing appeal as a seaside resort dating back to the 18th century, and the role this function has played in its development until 1960.
It was here a new type of urban planning emerged, as Nice transformed from a town into a winter resort and then a summer resort, thanks to its climate and geographical location between mountains and sea.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
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Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
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Wins by KO: 26
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if you go
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key facilities
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
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