The Taj Mahal is an absolute beauty. The stunning mausoleum crafted in ivory-white marble is situated in Agra. Taj Mahal's global reputation as a heritage site is already recognised by UNESCO, and recently, it acquired the second position in world's UNESCO heritage site list. The survey, conducted by online travel portal TripAdvisor, also features Cambodia Angkor Wat temple complex at the top. Let's have a look at the top Unesco heritage sites and find out which of them stands where in the list. -
At the tenth spot is the Historic Centre of Krakow, the former capital of Poland, is situated at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. The 13th-century merchants’ town is home to Europe’s largest market square and offers numerous historical houses, palaces and churches with magnificent interiors, 14th-century fortifications, ancient synagogues, Jagiellonian University and the Gothic cathedral where the kings of Poland were buried.
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This World Heritage Site includes structures such as the Sarayburnu, the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Hagia Irene, Zeyrek Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque, Little Hagia Sophia and the Walls of Constantinople.
The Old City is home to the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) which is the last remaining wall of what was the Jewish Temple, and is today the holiest site in the world for Jews. This ancient part of the city that grabs the eighth spot is filled with shrines including the Western Wall, Temple Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. -
Taking the seventh place is Auschwitz-Birkenau. Established by the Nazis in 1940, it has become a symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust. The museum consists of two parts: Auschwitz I, the first and oldest camp (the number of prisoners fluctuated around 15,000, sometimes rising above 20,000) and Auschwitz II, Birkenau (which held more than 90,000 prisoners in 1944). (Reuters)
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The breathtaking Sassi of Matera has cobbled alleyways and steep winding streets. It has caves turned into homes, 13th-century frescoes and magnificent gilded Cathedral. (Reuters)
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This massive forested park, with rare species of birds, pumas, tapirs, monkeys and other wildlife is best known for housing the world’s largest and most extraordinary waterfalls—the Iguazu Falls—that extend for miles. The park was created in 1934 to provide forest connections between conservation units in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
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This awe-inspiring ancient city was virtually forgotten until the early part of the 20th century. Dating to the mid-1400s, Machu Picchu is a marvel of mortar-free limestone architecture perched on a high plateau deep in the Amazonian jungle. Machu Pichu gets the fourth spot on the UNESCO list.
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In 1368 AD, Mutianyu Great Wall was built by Xu Da who was the main general for Zhuyuanzhang in the Great Wall ruins of northern Qi Dynasty. Linked to Gubeikou in the east and Juyongguan in the west, the section of the Great Wall is the military hub of the capital since ancient times.
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The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It is described as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".
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Topping the charts, Angkor Wat is an architectural masterpiece built in the first half of the 12th century. Its perfection in composition, balance, proportions, relief's and sculpture make it one of the finest monuments in the world. It is generally accepted that Angkor Wat was a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II and oriented to the west to conform to the symbolism between the setting sun and death. (LinkedIn)
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