UNESCO adds World Heritage sites in China- India

uNESCO has agreed to inscribe new sites in China and India on its World Heritage List

China’s Xinjiang Tianshan and the Hill Forts of Rajasthan in India were both added to the global list, and will now be offered funding and support to assist with their upkeep and protection.

The Xinjiang Tianshan heritage area is a vast site covering more than 606,000 hectares across in the Tianshan Mountains, which mark the border between Western China and Central Asia. Four key components — Tomur, Kalajun-Kuerdening, Bayinbukuke and Bogda — have been protected due to their “unique physical geographic features and scenically beautiful areas”, according to UNESCO. The site also extends into the Taklimakan Desert – one of the world’s highest deserts.

Another vast site, the Hill Forts of Rajasthan includes six forts in Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur and Jaisalmer. Built between the 8th to the 18th centuries, the forts are huge, with some of the structures measure up to 20km in circumference, and containing temples and other sacred buildings.

The two sites were added to the list during the 37th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC), which is taking place in Phnom Penh until 27 June.

Other sites inscribed on to the list include the Mount Kenya, the Namib Sand Sea in Namibia and the wooden churches of Poland and Ukraine.