The 21 new wonders added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2017

Since the establishment of this web in the wild steppes of the Internet, we had only set one tradition: commenting in an article the new UNESCO World Heritage properties added annually to the champions league of worldwide wonders.

So we leave for a post the filming locations world. Let's come back to our ancestral origins, to celebrate the 7th edition of this collection that you can find complete following these links: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

We start with this gorgeous picture of the sea procession in the Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region of Japan. Definitely it looks like a source of inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki.
Image by Imaki Hidekazu/World Heritage Promotion Committee

The incredibly well preserved ruins of Aphrodisias, an ancient Greek city located in mainland Turkey (not far from Pamukkale). Image by Estorde

An Art Deco jewel in Africa: Asmara in Eritrea has some very cool edifices like the Fiat Tagliero Building from 1938, resembling an aircraft. Image by David Stanley

I had no idea that anything like the town-island of Sviyazhsk existed when I was in Kazan (Russia).
Image by V. Bezmenov / Centre of Cultural Heritage of Tatarstan

Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura (Germany): the home of the first humans in Europe, including six caves with some of the oldest artistic artifacts in the world (dating from 43,000 to 33,000 bc).
Image by C.-J. Kind / Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (LAD) im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart

Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town in Palestine: A site of pilgrimage for the big three monotheistic religions, as here is located the Mosque that contains the tomb of the Patriarch Abraham. Image by S. Narisky Photograph Collection

Historic walled city of Ahmedabad (India): mosques, tombs, temples and a few loose monkeys.
Image by Sandeepachetan.com

Kujataa Greenland (Denmark): the first farmers of the region at the Edge of the Ice Cap.
Image by Garðar Guðmunds-son / Fornleifastofnun Íslands

The tiny island of Kulangsu in China, a historic international settlement where you can find traditional Chinese architecture blended with European Modernist and Art Deco styles from the early 20th century. Image by Qian Yi / Cultural Heritage Conservation Center of THAD

We are not sure if there's much left of Mbanza Kongo (Angola). This was the former capital of the Kingdom of Kongo (from 14th to 19th centuries). Image by INPC

Taputapuātea in Eastern Polynesia (France): a thousand years old ceremonial complex in the middle of paradise.
Image by Matarai / SCP

Tarnowskie Góry mine and its underground water management system in Poland, near the mining capital of Upper Silesia, Katowice. Image by Mikołaj Gospodarek / Tarnowskie Góry Land Lovers Association

Archaeological temple zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, because there's life beyond Angkor in Cambodia.
Image by John Marx

Finally the Lake District, one of the favorite hiking destinations in UK, has got the UNESCO distinction.
Image by Andrew Locking

The Valongo Wharf archaeological site (Rio de Janeiro), the remains of the port where almost a million slaves from Africa first stepped on land in Brazil. Image by Brian Godfrey

Six components of the fortifications Stato da Terra, protecting the Republic of Venice from other European powers to the northwest (the walled cities of Peschiera del Garda, Bergamo and Palmanova in Italy) and Stato da Mar, defending the sea routes and ports in the Adriatic Sea (Zadar, St. Nicholas fortress in Šibenik (Croatia) and Kotor in Montenegro (pictured). Image by Atlas of Wonders

Khomani Cultural Landscape South Africa: echoes from the stone age.
Image by Francois Odendaal Productions

Landscapes of Dauria: the great wild steppes of Mongolia and Russia.
Image by O.Goroshko

Los Alerces National Park: pristine unknown Patagonia from the side of Argentina.
Image by Pablo

Qinghai Hoh Xil, China: unique biodiversity in a massive plateau at more than 4,500 meters above sea level and almost permanent sub-zero temperatures. Image by Mark

The Gelati Monastery in Georgia was removed from the list some years ago due to the not very respectful reconstruction project that the government was performing in the temple. UNESCO finally approved the intervention, unlike Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi, that was definitively excluded from the list.
Image by Atlas of Wonders

And finally our favourite: the out-of-this-world City of Yazd in Iran: read a full article about our trip there following the link. Image by Atlas of Wonders