UNESCO World heritage sites – Part 2

Let us take a closer look at another category of UNESCO world heritage sites.

In the previous post we looked at a few of the natural habitats being preserved around the world. In this post, we will look at the man-made sites that would need to be preserved for various reasons.

  1. Venetian Works of Defence between 16th and 17th centuries: Look at the architecture of this place. The place gets its name from UNESCO, for the 6 defensive walls built by the Republic of Venice on its mainland domains and domains of sea.
Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: <em ...
City fortress of Palmanova

Approximately 200-400 years before aeroplanes were invented, this beautiful layout was planned, architected, designed and built to act as a way to protect their mainland. Think about the extent of scientific innovation and progress around architecture that must have been made. Amazing!!!

Porta Verona1.jpg
Fortified city of Peschiera del Garda

Look at the fort created around the city and the homes laid out beautifully inside it.

Pogled na Kotor

Kampana tower

2. Vatican city: Vatican City is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. Over 100 acres of land surrounded by Rome, Italy, this is one of the smallest countries in the world with a flag, currency and national anthem for itself. Pope started living here from 14th century onwards. There are secret passages all over the city. It is well known for its trove of antiques, iconic architecture, museums, and the famous Michaelangelo’s ceiling!

Vatican readies contingency plan against coronavirus in busy papal ...
Vatican City

Top 8 Tips for Exploring Vatican City - Pope Web - Vatican 2020
City at dusk
15 things you should know before visiting Vatican City | Rome ...
Vatican city filled with people

Where to See Michelangelo's Art in Rome
Michaelangelo’s ceiling in Vatican city

3. Borobudur temple, Indonesia: Famous Buddhist temple. Beautiful architecture.  The temple consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome. The journey to the top begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument, ascending to the top through three levels symbolic of Buddhist cosmology – Kamdhatu (world of desire), Rupadhatu (world of forms) and Arupadhatu (world of formlessness). Some Indian temples (like Chidambaram temple) talk about form and formlessness (roopa and aroopa) as well. It was interesting to see this cosmology being architected in a Buddhist temple! In Sanskrit, Borobudur means – the mountain of combined virtues of the ten stages of Bodhisattvahood.

Borobudur travel | Java, Indonesia - Lonely Planet

Borobudur Temple Admission Ticket 2020 - Semarang

Buddha stupas

Top choice buddhist temple in Borobudur | Taste Of Main Bellevue

Mandala art is quite famous these days. It was interesting to see the temple’s ground plan was made in the form of a mandala.

Mandala based ground plan

4. Monuments at Hampi, India: Hampi is an ancient village in the South Indian state of Karnataka. Dating back to the Vijayanagara Empire and temples built during the 7th century (Virupaksha temple, Vittala temple, Badavalinga temple, Krishna temple, Ugranarasimhar temple and many more) near the revived Hampi Bazaar. A carved stone chariot stands in front of the huge Vittala Temple site. Carvings and temples made of stone speaking volumes about the history and culture of the place makes me believe in leaving a legacy by building something that lasts for a very long time in history!

Group of Monuments in Hampi | UNESCO World Heritage Site At Karnataka
Vittala temple complex

Group of Monuments at Hampi (With images) | Hampi, Places to go ...

Look at the size of the statues and intricacy of architecting in different types of stones that have withstood weather conditions across centuries.

Statue of Lord Narsimha in angry pose at Hampi
Ugra Narasimha temple

The below pictures shows elephant stables. Imagine elephants walking through those archways and hence, the size of the stables! The grounds may have been used for elephant parades!

The remains of elephant stables in Hampi
Elephant stables
Rear view of the shrines in Hazara Rama Temple
Hazara Rama temple from the Vijayanagara Empire

5. Arles Roman and Romanesque monuments: Roman architecture is known for its HUGE buildings and arts, amphitheaters, community activity places of interest and interesting monuments.

Arles - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports
Arles Amphitheater
Roman Amphitheater, Arles, France | France travel, Italy honeymoon ...
See the heights of the walls and size of the buildings

Is it a double decker or a triple decker bridge below?

Pont du Gard Nimes Provence France - Stock image - #8133962 ...

Interestingly, the city in the below picture resembles Vatican city, however it is part of Rome, Italy.

12 Roman Amphitheatres that you should visit - Swedish Nomad

The beauty and architecture of these sites makes me feel that if one wants to leave a legacy, building an architectural monument might be the easiest way to do it!

I enjoyed and was amazed while reading and writing about every single place on this post, and hope to visit them some day! More in my next post!

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