List of Asian World Heritage Sites

Heritage is something which has an attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors. UNESCO is a specialised agency of UN which works on the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world, considered to be an outstanding value to humanity.

Shakeel Anwar Updated: Apr 17, 2023 17:53 IST

World Heritage Day 2023

Heritage is something which has an attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors. World Heritage Day is celebrated annually on April 18 to promote awareness of the need to protect our cultural variety. In some nations, the day is also referred to as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the need to protect built heritage, diversity, and vulnerability around the globe. Moreover, the event is necessary to raise awareness of it, defend it, and conserve it.

List of Asian World Heritage Sites

UNESCO is a specialised agency of the UN which works on the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world, considered to be an outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an International Treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. The lists of the Asian World Heritage Sites are given below:

Country	World Heritage Site
Afghanistan	Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley
Bahrain	Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy
Bangladesh	Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur The Sundarbans
Burma (Myanmar)	Pyu Ancient Cities
Cambodia	Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena Los Katíos National Park Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox National Archeological Park of Tierradentro San Agustín Archaeological Park Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System *
China	Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Mogao Caves Mount Taishan Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian The Great Wall Mount Huangshan Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa 7 Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu Lushan National Park Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Ancient City of Ping Yao Classical Gardens of Suzhou Old Town of Lijiang Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing Dazu Rock Carvings Mount Wuyi Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Longmen Grottoes Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System Yungang Grottoes Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom Historic Centre of Macao Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains Yin Xu Kaiping Diaolou and Villages South China Karst Fujian Tulou Mount Sanqingshan National Park Mount Wutai China Danxia Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou Chengjiang Fossil Site Site of Xanadu Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Xinjiang Tianshan Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor * The Grand Canal Tusi Sites
India	Agra Fort Ajanta Caves Ellora Caves Taj Mahal Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram Sun Temple, Konârak Kaziranga National Park Keoladeo National Park Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Churches and Convents of Goa Fatehpur Sikri Group of Monuments at Hampi Khajuraho Group of Monuments Elephanta Caves Great Living Chola Temples Group of Monuments at Pattadakal Sundarbans National Park Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi Humayun's Tomb, Delhi Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi Mountain Railways of India Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) Red Fort Complex The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur Western Ghats Hill Forts of Rajasthan Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Indonesia	Borobudur Temple Compounds Komodo National Park Prambanan Temple Compounds Ujung Kulon National Park Sangiran Early Man Site Lorentz National Park Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy
Iran	Meidan Emam, Esfahan Persepolis Tchogha Zanbil Takht-e Soleyman Bam and its Cultural Landscape Pasargadae Soltaniyeh Bisotun Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex The Persian Garden Gonbad-e Qābus Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan Golestan Palace Shahr-i Sokhta Cultural Landscape of Maymand Susa
Iraq	Hatra Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) Samarra Archaeological City Erbil Citadel
Israel	Masada Old City of Acre White City of Tel-Aviv -- the Modern Movement Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of Jewish Renewal
Japan	Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area Himeji-jo Shirakami-Sanchi Yakushima Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) Itsukushima Shinto Shrine Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara Shrines and Temples of Nikko Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range Shiretoko Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land Ogasawara Islands Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Jordan	Petra Quseir Amra Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a) Wadi Rum Protected Area Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) Kazakhstan Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor *
Kyrgyzstan	Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor *
Laos	Town of Luang Prabang Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape
Lebanon	Anjar Baalbek Byblos Tyre Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab)
Malaysia	Gunung Mulu National Park Kinabalu Park Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley
Mongolia	Uvs Nuur Basin * Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape
Nepal	Kathmandu Valley Sagarmatha National Park Chitwan National Park Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha
Oman	Bahla Fort Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn Arabian Oryx Sanctuary Delisted 2007 Land of Frankincense Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman
Pakistan	Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol Taxila Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta Rohtas Fort
Palestinian (territories)	Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir
Philippines	Baroque Churches of the Philippines Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras Historic Town of Vigan Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary
Qatar	Al Zubarah Archaeological Site
Russia	Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments Kizhi Pogost Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye Virgin Komi Forests Lake Baikal Volcanoes of Kamchatka 20 Golden Mountains of Altai Western Caucasus Curonian Spit * Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin Central Sikhote-Alin Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent Uvs Nuur Basin * Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl Struve Geodetic Arc * Putorana Plateau Lena Pillars Nature Park Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex
Saudi Arabia	Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia
Singapore	Singapore Botanical Gardens
Sri Lanka	Ancient City of Polonnaruwa Ancient City of Sigiriya Sacred City of Anuradhapura Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications Sacred City of Kandy Sinharaja Forest Reserve 28 Golden Temple of Dambulla Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
Syria	Ancient City of Damascus Ancient City of Bosra Site of Palmyra Ancient City of Aleppo Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din Ancient Villages of Northern Syria
Thailand	Historic City of Ayutthaya Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries Ban Chiang Archaeological Site Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex
Tajikistan	Proto-urban Site of Sarazm Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs)
Turkey	Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği Historic Areas of Istanbul Hattusha: the Hittite Capital Nemrut Dağ Hierapolis-Pamukkale Xanthos-Letoon City of Safranbolu Archaeological Site of Troy Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape Ephesus
Turkmenistan	State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv” Kunya-Urgench Parthian Fortresses of Nisa
United Arab Emirates	Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas)
Uzbekistan	Itchan Kala Historic Centre of Bukhara Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures
Vietnam	Complex of Hué Monuments Ha Long Bay Hoi An Ancient Town My Son Sanctuary Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi Citadel of the Ho Dynasty Trang An Landscape Complex
Yemen	Old Walled City of Shibam Old City of Sana'a Historic Town of Zabid Socotra Archipelago

Historic structures and monuments around the world are valuable to society in different aspects. As a result, World Heritage Day marks the need of a global effort by communities to take the necessary action. This holiday upholds cultural history and prompts reflection on its vulnerability.