This year’s UNESCO World Heritage candidates include a collection of tombs from Korea’s ancient Gaya confederacy, a Viking age ring fortification in Denmark, an ancient Thai village, and 2,000-year-old earthworks in Ohio.

Following extensive discussion, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is due to reveal which sites have been designated as World Heritage Sites.

This year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is examining applications for both 2022 and 2023, with delegates from all around the world gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to scrutinize nearly 50 candidates.

‘Excellent Universal Value’

This year’s gathering comes 45 years after UNESCO recognized its first World Heritage Sites, Yellowstone National Park in the United States and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

According to UNESCO, sites must have “outstanding universal value” in order to be listed on the World Heritage List.

To qualify, a site must meet at least one of a set of criteria that are “regularly revised by the committee to reflect the evolution of the World Heritage concept itself.”

The nomination process can take years, and if a site is overlooked during one year, it can be reconsidered in the next UNESCO conference.

When a landmark is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the country or nation in which it is located may get financial aid as well as technical advice from UNESCO to help preserve the monument. Additionally, you can also read about- The World’s Greatest Places of 2023 According to Time Magazine

So far, the World Heritage Committee has added about 1,157 sites from 167 nations to the World Heritage List.

The Contestants

Only countries that have signed the convention establishing the World Heritage Committee and list are eligible to nominate sites.

When the nominations were first presented, this number was around 40 countries. It has subsequently expanded to 195 countries.

Gaya Tumuli, a collection of seven tomb clusters from Korea’s ancient Gaya confederacy, is one of 50 sites submitted for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List this year.

If chosen, the cone-shaped burial mounds that stretch across the hills of Goryeong would be the 16th site in South Korea to be added to the list.

The spectacular terrain of Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park, which covers an area of 830 square miles, is also a strong contender.

The park, which is located 240 miles southeast of Addis Abeba, covers an area of 830 square miles and is home to the Ethiopian wolf, the world’s rarest canid.

Gordion, the capital city of ancient Phrygia in Turkey, has also been nominated in the “cultural properties” category.

Gordion, which dates back to the Early Bronze Age about 3000 B.C.E., is home to around 90 pyramid-shaped mounds, the tallest of which is thought to be the grave of ancient king Midas.

Read More: Top 32 Tourism Villages in the World Awarded by UNWTO

Among the Other Treasures Under Discussion Are:

• Viking-Age Ring Fortresses, Denmark: The ruins of ancient fortifications and homes that are thought to be over 1,000 years old.
• Andrefana Dry Forests, Madagascar: Landscapes of flora and fauna, including lemurs, that are unique to Madagascar.
• The Ancient Town of Si Thep, Thailand: The ruins of an ancient city that once grew into a powerful local state.
• The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, France: One of the best-preserved monuments of the Roman empire’s dominance over southern France is the “Square House” Roman temple.
• Uruq Bani Ma’arid, Saudi Arabia: One of the world’s most stunning sandy deserts, the western side of the Ar-Rub’ al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, is home to the rare Arabian oryx.
• Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, Ohio: These massive ceremonial structures date back up to 2,000 years, and some are thought to have served as lunar or astral observatories.
• Historic center of Gorokhovets, Russia: The Gorokhovets Historical and Architectural Museum is located in the Vladimir Oblast of Russia.
• Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, Germany: The Old Synagogue, which houses a Jewish ritual bath known as mikveh, and the medieval Jewish community’s gravestones are among the many examples of significant Jewish-Medieval legacy in Erfurt, Germany.
• Koh Ker: Ancient Lingapura or Chok Gargyar Archaeological Site, Cambodia: This 10th century temple complex in northern Cambodia has a famous seven-stepped pyramid known as Prang, a former capital of the Khmer Empire.
• Kuldīga, formerly Goldingen, in Courland, Latvia: This picturesque village in Latvia’s Courland area is famed for its lovely old town and red-brick bridge.
• Modernist Kaunas: Architecture of Optimism, 1919-1939, Lithuania
• National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj, Guatemala
• Santiniketan, India
• Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor, Tajikistan
• Talayotic Menorca, Spain
• The Gedeo Cultural Landscape, Ethiopia
• The Persian Caravanserai, Iran
• Tr’ondëk-Klondike, Canada
• Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops, Czech Republic
• Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua, Congo
• Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique, France
• Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba, Benin
• Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago, Vietnam
• Hyrcanian Forests, Iran/Azerbaijan
• Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan, Palestinian Territories
• Astronomical Observatories of Kazan Federal University, Russia
• Cultural Landscape of Khinalig People and “Köç Yolu” Transhumance Route, Azerbaijan
• Djerba: cultural landscape, Tunisia
• ESMA Museum and Site of Memory – Former Clandestine Center of Detention, Torture and Extermination, Argentina
• Funerary and memory sites of the First World War Western Front, Belgium/France
• Jodensavanne Archaeological Site, Suriname
• Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium, Netherlands
• Medieval Mosques of Anatolia with Wooden Posts and Upper Structure, Turkey
• Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero, Rwanda
• Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, India
• The Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta and its Historic Landmarks, Indonesia
• The Cultural Landscape of Masouleh, Iran
• Anticosti, Canada
• Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
• Cold Winter Deserts of Turan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• Evaporitic Karst and Caves of Northern Apennines, Italy
• Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
• Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve, Tajikistan
• Highlands of the Mongolian Altai, Mongolia
• Zagori Cultural Landscape, Greece
• Historic Center of Guimarães and Couros Zone, Portugal