UNESCO Culture World Heritage Centre News & Events News Archive

World Heritage List reaches 1000 sites with

inscription of Okavango Delta in Botswana
Okavango Delta (Botswana) Department of Wildlife and National Parks / Ian Johnson
Jun 22, 2014
at 7:00 PM
Doha, 22 June Botswanas Okavango Delta became the 1000
t h
site inscribed on the World Heritage List today.
Okavango was inscribed as a natural site by the World Heritage Committee, which is meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the
Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.
The Committee also inscribed sites in France, Israel, Italy,Turkey and the United States thisafternoon. The List now totals
1001 properties. The new sites, are:
Okavango Delta (Botswana). This delta in northwest Botswana comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded
plains. It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system
that is almost intact. One of the unique characteristics of the site is that the annual flooding from the river Okavango
occurs during the dry season, with the result that the native plants and animals have synchronised their biological cycles
with these seasonal rains and floods. It is an exceptional example of the interaction between climatic, hydrological and
biological processes. The Okavango delta is home to some of the worlds most endangered species of large mammal, such
as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.
Decorated Cave of Pont dArc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont dArc, Ardeche (France). Located in a limestone plateau of
the Ardeche River in southern France, the property contains the earliest known and best preserved figurative drawings in
the world, dating back as early as the Aurignacian period (30,000 to 32,000 BP), making it an exceptional testimony of
prehistoric art. The cave was closed off by a rock fall approximately 20,000 years BP and remained sealed until its
discovery in 1994, which helped keep it in pristine condition. Over 1,000 images have so far been inventoried on its walls,
combining a variety of anthropomorphic and animal motifs. They are of exceptional aesthetic quality, demonstrate a range
of techniques, including the skillful use of colour, combinations of paint and engraving, anatomical precision, three-
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dimensionality and movement. They include several dangerous animal species difficult to observe at that time, such as
mammoths, bears, wildcats, rhinos, bison and aurochs, as well as 4,000 inventoried remains of prehistoric fauna, and a
variety of human footprints. A replica of the cave is under construction, and is due to open in April 2015.
Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves (Israel). This city
under a city is characterized by a selection of man-made caves, excavated from the thick and homogenous layer of soft
chalk in Lower Judea. It includes chambers and networks with varied forms and functions, situated below the ancient twin
towns of Maresha and Bet Guvrin, that bear witness to a succession of historical periods of excavation and usage
stretching over 2,000 years, from the Iron Age to the Crusades, as well as a great variety of subterranean construction
methods. The original excavations were quarries, but these were converted for various agricultural and local craft industry
purposes, including oil presses, columbaria (dovecotes), stables, underground cisterns and channels, baths, tomb
complexes and places of worship , and hiding places during troubled times.
Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (Italy) covers five distinct wine-growing areas with
outstanding landscapes and the Castle of Cavour, an emblematic name both in the development of vineyards and in
Italian history. It is located in the southern part of Piedmont, between the Po River and the Ligurian Appenines, and
encompasses the whole range of technical and economic processes relating to the winegrowing and wine making that has
characterized the region for centuries. Vine pollen has been found in the area dating from the 5
t h
century BC, when
Piedmont was a place of contact and trade between the Etruscans and the Celts; Etruscan and Celtic words , particularly
wine-related ones, are still found in the local dialect. During the Roman Empire, Pliny the Elder mentions the Piedmont
region as being one of the most favourable for growing vines in ancient Italy; Strabo mentions its barrels.
Bursa and Cumalkzk: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) is a serial nomination of eight component sites in
the City of Bursa and the nearby village of Cumalkzk, in the southern Marmara Region. The site illustrates the creation
of an urban and rural system establishing the Ottoman Empire in the early 14th century. The property illustrates key
functions of the social and economic organization of the new capital which evolved around a new civic centre. These
include commercial districts of khans, kulliyes (religious institutions) integrating mosques, religious schools, public baths
and a kitchen for the poor as well as the tomb of Orhan Ghazi, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty. One component
outside the historic centre of Bursa is the village of Cumalkzk, the only rural village of this system to show the provision
of hinterland support for the capital.
Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape (Turkey) rises high above the Bakiray Plain in Turkeys Aegean
region. The acropolis of Pergamon was the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid Dynasty, a major centre of learning in the
ancient world. Monumental temples, theatres, stoa or porticos, gymnasium, altar and library were set into the sloping
terrain surrounded by an extensive city wall. The rock-cut Kybele Sanctuary lies to the north-west on another hill visually
linked to the acropolis. Later the city became capital of the Roman province of Asia known for its Asclepieion healing
centre. The acropolis crowns a landscape containing burial mounds and remains of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman
empires in and around the modern town of Bergama on the lower slopes.
Monumental earthworks of Poverty Point (United States of America) owes its name to a 19
t h
century plantation close to
the site. It is located in the Lower Mississippi Valley on a slightly elevated and narrow landform. The complex comprises
five mounds, six concentric semi-elliptical ridges separated by shallow depressions and a central plaza. It was created and
used for residential and ceremonial purposes by a society of hunter fisher-gatherers between 3,700 and 3,100 B.C.
Research has not clarified yet whether the complex had a steady residential function or was a campground occupied
temporarily during ceremonies of trading fairs. It is a remarkable achievement in earthen construction in North America
that was not surpassed for at least 2,000 years.
The 38
t h
session of the World Heritage Committee began on 15 June and will continue through to 25 June.
English Franais Floor
s.williams@unesco.org
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World Heritage Properties (7)
Bursa and Cumalkzk: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire
Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves
Decorated cave of Pont dArc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont dArc, Ardche
Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point
Okavango Delta
Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape
The Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato
States Parties (6)
Botswana
France
Israel
Italy
Turkey
United States of America

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Committee Sessions (1)
38th session of the Committee Jun 15, 2014-Jun 25, 2014
Other news (12)
Twenty six new properties added to World Heritage List at Doha meeting Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Six new sites inscribed on World Heritage List Monday, June 23, 2014
Myanmars first site inscribed to World Heritage List Sunday, June 22, 2014
Four new cultural sites inscribed on World Heritage List Sunday, June 22, 2014
Sites in Latin America and Germany inscribed on World Heritage List Saturday, June 21, 2014
Sites in Iraq, Japan, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia inscribed on World Heritage List Saturday, June 21, 2014
Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir, inscribed on World
Heritage List and on List of World Heritage in Danger Friday, June 20, 2014
Poaching puts Tanzanias Selous Game Reserve on List of World Heritage in Danger Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Decision on status of Australias Great Barrier Reef deferred until 2015 Wednesday, June 18, 2014
City of Potos (Plurinational State of Bolivia) added to List of World Heritage in Danger Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tanzanias Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara removed from UNESCO List of World Heritage in
Danger Tuesday, June 17, 2014
World Heritage Committee meeting opens in Doha Sunday, June 15, 2014
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