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UNESCO's World Heritage List 2017 announced 21 new places that received the prestigious accolade of being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This year Ahmedabad also get featured and the UNESCO tag. The decision was taken at UNESCO's World Heritage Committee Meeting. The 2017 edition was held in Krakow from 2 to 12 July. The committee added 18 new cultural sites and 3 new natural sites. Here are the 21 places that received the prestigious accolade:
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Historic City of Ahmadabad, India: This Indian city continued to flourish as the capital of the State of Gujarat for six centuries, up to the present. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Aphrodisias, Turkey: The temple of Aphrodite dates from the 3rd century BCE and the city was built one century later. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Asmara: a Modernist City of Africa, Eritrea: Asmara is an exceptional example of early modernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th century and its application in an African context. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Assumption Cathedral and Monastery of the town-island of Sviyazhsk, Russian Federation: It is situated at the confluence of the Volga, the Sviyaga and the Shchuka rivers, at the crossroads of the Silk and Volga routes, Sviyazhsk was founded by Ivan the Terrible in 1551. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura, Germany: Modern humans first arrived in Europe 43,000 years ago during the last ice age. One of the areas where they took up residence was the Swabian Jura in southern Germany. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town, Palestine: It has became a site of pilgrimage for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Historic City of Yazd, Iran: The earthen architecture of Yazd has escaped the modernization that destroyed many traditional earthen towns, retaining its traditional districts, the qanat system, traditional houses, bazars, hammams, mosques, synagogues, Zoroastrian temples and the historic garden of Dolat-abad. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Kujataa Greenland: Norse and Inuit Farming at the Edge of the Ice Cap, Denmark: It bears witness to the cultural histories of the Norse hunters-gatherers who started arriving from Iceland in the 10th century and of the Norse farmers, Inuit hunters and Inuit farming communities that developed from the end of the 18thcentury. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Kulangsu: a Historic International Settlement, China: It is a tiny island located on the estuary of the Chiu-lung River, facing the city of Xiamen. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Mbanza Kongo, Vestiges of the Capital of the former Kingdom of Kongo, Angola: The historical area grew around the royal residence, the customary court and the holy tree, as well as the royal funeral places. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region, Japan: The archaeological sites that have been preserved on the Island are virtually intact, and provide a chronological record of how the rituals performed there changed from the 4th to the 9th centuries CE. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Taputapuatea, France: It is an exceptional testimony to 1,000 years of ma'ohi civilization. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System, Poland: This place represents a significant contribution to the global production of lead and zinc. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaeological Site of Ancient Ishanapura, Cambodia: The art and architecture developed here became models for other parts of the region and lay the ground for the unique Khmer style of the Angkor period. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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The English Lake District, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Grand houses, gardens and parks have been purposely created to enhance the beauty of this landscape. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site, Brazil: It is the most important physical trace of the arrival of African slaves on the American continent. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro: The fortifications throughout the Stato da Terraprotected the Republic of Venice from other European powers to the northwest and those of the Stato da Mar protected the sea routes and ports in the Adriatic Sea to the Levant. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Khomani Cultural Landscape, South Africa: It bears testimony to the way of life that prevailed in the region and shaped the site over thousands of years. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Landscapes of Dauria, Mongolia, Russian Federation: This place is an great example of the Daurian Steppe eco-region, which extends from eastern Mongolia into Russian Siberia and north-eastern China. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Los Alerces National Park, Argentina: It is located in the Andes of northern Patagonia and has a western boundary, which coincides with the Chilean border. (Image: UNESCO Website)
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Qinghai Hoh Xil, China: This place’s geographical and climatic conditions have nurtured a unique biodiversity. (Image: UNESCO Website)