The ancient port town of Quanzhou was a bustling maritime trade centre during the Song and Yuan rule from 10th - 14th centuries AD. It is one of the sites added to the list of heritage sites by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on July 25, 2021. Apart from archaeological remains, the site houses the 11th century Qingjing Mosque, one of China’s earliest Islamic edifices. Photo: Lily Yang / Twitter
Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple in Telangana, India: The next new heritage building in UNESCO’s list is this Shiva temple built over 40 years during the Kakatiyan period (1123–1323 CE). Regional dance poses and customs along with dharmic texts are inscribed on the walls and pillars. Porous bricks known as ‘floating bricks’ were used to construct the roofs of the structure to make them lightweight. Photo: Narendra Modi / Twitter
Trans-Iranian Railway in the Islamic Republic of Iran: The 1,394-kilometre railway line that connects the Caspian Sea in the northeast with the Persian Gulf in the southwest was also named in UNESCO’s new list of heritage sites. The unique rail corridor crosses “two mountain ranges as well as rivers, highlands, forests and plains and four different climatic areas” and was built between 1927 and 1938. Photo: Kourosh Ziabari / Twitter
Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Spain: The iconic 200-hectare boulevard at Madrid’s urban core has been transforming into a centre of cultural activities since the 16th century. “Buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences join others in the site that are devoted to industry, healthcare and research,” UNESCO wrote in a note recognising it as a world heritage site. The area represents the emergence of a new urban space “from the enlightened absolutist period of the 18th century”. Photo: Kaofenlio / Wikimedia Commons
