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The Lady Jaclene, out of Ramsgate, pushed slowly up the river, red ensign flapping in the hot salt-scented breeze. The River Gambia here was so wide I could see nothing of land save for a hazy grey-blue smear on the horizon on either side. Time crept past. I felt adrift in a strange land with no way to get my bearings. Then, around noon, a smudge in the river ahead began to come into focus, resolving itself slowly into the outline of a speck of land. The skeletal outlines of trees rose above the skeletal outlines of a low stone fort, its ramparts crenellated like the teeth of a jaw, its empty windows staring out sightlessly towards the African mainland. Anyone who knows their Joseph Conrad would have had the exact same words form in their head as I did: “And this also has been one of the dark places of the earth…”

Kunta Kinteh Island and its related sites is the easiest of The Gambia’s two World Heritage Sites to visit. It is the furthest downstream, making it the nearest to the tourist resorts of the Atlantic coast. And it is widely available as a set day trip. We booked for the following day via a tourist agency on the Senegambia Strip. It is commonly referred to as the ‘Roots’ tour, after Alex Haley’s book chronicling the abduction of a young man – Kunta Kinteh – from his village of Juffureh, his enslavement, his shipment via James …

WHS#78

Horyuji is home to the undisputed oldest wooden buildings left in the world today. The Chumon, Kondo, 5-story pagoda, and the surrounding cloister in the Western Precinct were all built and last rebuilt in the Asuka Period, over 1300 years ago. Other structures, like the Western Precinct's Great Lecture Hall and the Yumedono in the Eastern Precinct were last rebuilt over 1000 years ago, as well. Only a church in England and a few temples in China even come close to being a millenium old. And the whole complex has been around for over 1400 years! Enough about age, though, Horyuji is genuinely a very interesting temple complex to see if you're in the Kansai Region. To me, it's more important than any of the temples in Nara, aside from Todaiji, because it's an impressively large complex with an impressive legacy on temple building in Japan. While Todaiji and even Kofukuji are more visually impressive, I find that Horyuji's beauty is extremely underrated. It's also a breath of literal fresh air being away from the city, the tourist crowds, and yes, even the deer. It's just you, yourself, and the temples. And a few smart tourists, sorry. I was lucky enough to visit in December 2019 by taking a bus from JR Horyuji Station. You approach it through a lane of pine trees, which is apparently part of the WHS, before encountering the Nandaimon, the main gate to the complex. It took around an hour to explore, but …

One of our favourite sites, not just because of the name which is wonderful and is "as it says on the tin" and the story behind the name - without giving too much away beware your curiousity and where you watch one- off events from. The museum is excellent and gives you in-depth information on the site and helps understand why this place is unique and a site of wonder. It tells the story of the buffalo jump and all the factors which had to be in place to make a"jump" work, the weather, the wind, the herd - are there young, are they relaxed, the roles of the hunters and the young men, one in particular who becomes the calf and the story of the run and jump. It was a surprise to learn how complex the jump was and how rare. The museum is also highly respectful of First Nation people, as it should be.

We enjoyed walking around the site to see the jump from all angles but largely found ourselves alone on the walk, most people seeming to stay in the museum or on the walk of the upper site.

My partner is a history teacher and his main interests are the American West and the 2 World Wars. The history of this site and the insite to the lives of first nations people is bound to appear in some of his lessons.

This is the newest whs in Cambodia, but the oldest site (of the three). We rented a car and a driver to get there on a day trip from Siem Reap. It’s about a 3 hours drive.

The site was founded by the Chenla empire In the 7th century which makes it 3-400 years older than the Angkor empire.The site is much more ruined than Angkor due to nature, but also to American bombs in the early sixties and to the vandalism of the Khmer Rouge in the seventies.

The whs cover three temple complexes, but there are some small temples scattered around. The first temple complex is close to the parking lot and easy to find. The others slightly more hidden.

Prasat Sambor The most precious to see is the stone carvings. Most of them are gone, but some are visible. One carving covers typically one side of the octagonal temple.

Prasat Yeay PoenThere’s a bit more to see here and there are present restoration going on. Here you can also enjoy the carvings, but the most enjoyable is parts of the surrounding walls that are recovered and at some places you can see some of the 160 huge “medallions” which covers the wall on the inside. Very nice!

Prasat TaoThere is only one temple left, the main temple. The rest is just stone piles. The greatest objects are the two lions in front of the temple, They were both broken down by the …

When in Jerusalem, Mount of Olives and Mount Zion are practically unmissable parts of the itinerary, both for the historic and religious sites situated on them, and in case of Mount of Olives for the canonical wide perspectives over the entire Old City.

There are several interesting sights on the slopes of Mount of Olives, such as Dominus Flevit Church, Mary Magdalene Church, Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane, the Tomb of the Virgin. Mount Zion is headlined by the Tomb of the King David and the Abbey of the Dormition, as well as the Room of the Last Supper.

This tentative submission is meant as an extension to the already inscribed Jerusalem Old City, and I fear it will not get sufficient consideration with Israel having left UNESCO a few years ago. To me, these and other parts of the area surrounding the walls of the Old City are an indelible part of the historical and cultural complex.

Visited in November of 2019.

WHS#79

After Kyoto, Nara is definitely the next most important historic city to visit in Japan. Even though it was capital of Japan for far less time, the monuments in Nara are no less impressive. While Ancient Kyoto wins in quantity and diversity of architectural and landscaping styles, Ancient Nara wins in the cohesiveness of its monuments, mostly concentrated in specific areas, most notably Nara Park. It's also home to, in my opinion, the single most impressive temple building in Japan, Todaiji's Daibutsuden. I was able to visit all 4 temples and shrines in and around Nara Park, these being Kasuga Taisha, Todaiji, Kofukuji, and Gangoji on a day trip from Osaka in December 2019. I arrived in JR Nara Station, as I had just come from Horyuji before going to Nara, and from there I took a loop bus to Nara Park.

The normal loop bus doesn't stop at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, but instead drops you almost a kilometer away to walk a forested path through Nara Park towards the shrine. There is a bus from the JR station directly to the shrine, but I believe it's less frequent than the loop bus, and I prefer walking over waiting. Anyway, wherever you get down will most definitely lead to an interaction with the (in)famous deer of Nara. I even saw one steal a plastic bag of donuts from some careless tourists. Nevertheless, they're a great touch to photos, as they seem to have a tendency to pose …

A visit to Cartagena does leave you with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it is Colombia’s most vibrant city which also has preserved its historical core. On the other hand, it is so fully geared to tourism that sooner or later you will get fed up with it, trying to fend off the stream of sellers of water and hats and avoid the ubiquitous tour groups. I had about 2 full days there, which I found a good amount of time. When you walk away a bit from the clock tower area and the busiest parts of the historic center, it certainly gets enjoyable. The city also has an accessible and low-key airport with long-haul connections, for example to Amsterdam, New York and Lima. 

The town’s OUV mostly is about its military fortresses and port. So on my first morning in the city I walked via the bridge from the center to the big fort on the other side of the bay. The Fort San Felipe de Barajas opens at 8 a.m. and I was one of the first visitors of the day, so it was very quiet. It is a fort built by the Spaniards in 1536, intended to expel the English from the Colombian coast.

Reportedly, it is the largest fort in South America. But only a small part dates from the 16th century, in the 17th and 18th centuries the structure was significantly enlarged to the large, bulky mass that it is now. There …

I spent about a day and a half in Jerusalem’s Old City on my trip to Israel in November 2019. That appears to be enough to see all of the major points of interest, both in terms of the inscribed WHS and the tentative extension; although in a city with such wealth of historical context, you will feel like you rushed through some of the sights no matter how much time you give yourself.

The very brief Jerusalem WH inscription is all about its significance to the three main monotheistic religions, and being an adherent of one is likely to be an important ingredient for a true spiritual connection to the city. Religious people will surely be awed by being so near the sacred sights, much more so than a secular visitor will ever be.

That secular visitor, nonetheless, will at a minimum find the trio of sights listed on the inscription rather impressive. The Church of Holy Sepulcre is tremendous, the Wailing Wall is sober and full of poignancy, and the Dome of the Rock is simply mindblowingly beautiful. Getting to the Temple Mount requires an extra effort; non-Muslims can enter only as tourists and only at limited times during the day; they are also prohibited entry to the interiors of the buildings in the compound. The visiting hours limitation means that a wait in line of upward of 45 minutes is practically unavoidable. And entirely worth it - the edifice is just stupendous when seen up …

Hattuşa is a key site for getting a good understanding of one of the major Bronze Age civilisations in the Eastern Mediterranean, contemporary to the Minoans and the early dynasties of the Egyptian New Kingdom. It is the capital of the Hittite Empire, spread out over a vast area, discovered only in the late 19th century and excavated since then with many of the findings now in various museums in and outside Turkey. 

The site is about two hours drive east of Ankara or two hours drive south-west of Samsun. The closest airport is in Amasya/Merzifon. Nearby cities are Boğazkale, Amasya and Çorum. Museums in Ankara (the Museum of Anatolian Civilisation) and the nearby cities are a must to visit if one wants to fully understand the Hittite civilisation and its capital Hattuşa.

The UNESCO heritage sites consists of two parts: Hattuşa and Yazılıkaya. There are other important sites nearby that you need to visit in order get a clear overview: Alacahöyük and Şapinuwa.

Before going to the Hattuşa site it would be good to stop at the Boğazkale Museum, which is modern and not too big. It shows in chronological order a small part of findings ranging from the Chalcolithic to the Byzantine Empire. The Hittite Sphinx gate with two of its four sphinxes, one returned in 2011 from Germany and the other from Istanbul, is the museum’s key attraction. Also other rare artefacts returned from abroad and are now exhibited at the museum.  

We …

WHS#62

Everyone who hears Cairo probably thinks of the Pyramids, and for good reason. The Pyramids of Giza are the biggest draw for tourists in Cairo, but Ancient Egyptian the heart of the city is not. It's a living Arab metropolis, and its heart is one of the most chronologically extensive and impressive Islamic cities in the world. The first mosque in Africa, Masjid Amr ibn al-As, was built here, and the Fatimids, Ayyubids, and Mamluks all ruled great Islamic empires from here. This is not a city that died with the pharaohs, but instead, one that thrived after them. It's the city of a thousand minarets, and that doesn't even seem to be an exaggeration! It's even a center of the Coptic Orthodox Church. And it's the bustling, crowded, polluted capital of the modern Egypt. Yes, Cairo is a crazy city with just as crazy a past, as I learned on my family trip to the Middle East in May 2018. The sad thing is that I almost didn't get to explore Islamic Cairo at all, as I had planned for the day to be taken up by Wadi al-Hitan, which I considered a greater priority. In a twist of fate, the police barred us from entry as it was low season and they couldn't assure our safety, but I wasn't discouraged. I realized that I could now explore 2 places that I had originally thought I couldn't due to the time constraints: Saqqara and Cairo itself. After …

WHS#77

Castles have never been my favorite kind of site to visit. As inherently military structures, they have a tendency to be squat and visually less appealing than other great monuments, as functionality is rightfully prioritized over artistic expression or cultural manifestation. Their use in military activity also means that they are rarely preserved as they were made, often interfering with their visual impact even worse. There's one place in the world that seems to consistently defy these characteristics of castles, and that's Japan. Japanese castles are famous for their graceful figures and tall keeps, but if you do your research, you'll find that only 12 of them are actually preserved since the preindustrial age. Most are in isolated areas in small cities, especially on the island of Shikoku, but there's one castle easily accessible from the Kansai metropolitan area, and it's the greatest of them all. This is Himeji-jo, the legendary White Heron Castle, and I was lucky enough to visit it en route from Hiroshima to Osaka in December 2019. Arriving on a Shinkansen, the castle is actually visible in the distance if you look in the right direction. There are lockers to store your luggage if you're on a route like mine, but they're pretty expensive, costing 700 yen if you have an especially large suitcase. In hindsight, it would've been cheaper, but also much less convenient, to store the luggage at the castle lockers, which cost half the price. Anyway, the castle is about a …

Mompox is a bit of a logistical nightmare (not the only one in Colombia). I studied different routes beforehand, but in the end, I couldn’t think of anything better than taking a bus there from Cartagena and taking the same one back 2 days later. The Unitransco bus turned out to be the most luxurious one of my Colombia trip – with comfy reclining seats, wifi, a toilet and no stops other than in 2 or 3 towns to pick up/drop off passengers. The ride took about 6.5 hours. Google Maps and maps.me totally lost track of the route in the maze of swamps and (former) islands, spitting out various incorrect times of arrival. For the last 1.5 hours, the bus takes a really minor road.

Colombia does not have many well-preserved Spanish-colonial remains. But Mompox surely is one of them. It was founded in 1537, less than 40 years after the first Europeans set foot on the South American mainland. Its historic center is beautifully restored and very cozy. It does attract its fair share of tourists, but it is geared more toward boutique-style visitors than toward backpackers or mass tourism.

When you say that the historic center of Mompox consists of only 3 streets, that seems like a very small area. But these streets are about 2km long and it took me 3 hours to cover it all (with some stops in between on a bench or on a terrace chair to recover from the heat). …

Nice half-day trip, nothing spectacular. Visiting Nicaragua without a volcano visit is almost sacrilegious thus making Masaya your goal is the best bet. It's just off the road leaving Grenada, costs 100 entrance ($3?) and you'll be up at the crater of an active volcano within 10 minutes. That's pretty cool alright.

So I only got here at 2pm and the guide was already telling people not to hike around the rim of the nearby dormant volcano. He actually had his watch set to the wrong time for that - like nobody has a phone to confirm he's 25min off. Brushing the rude staff aside I walked up to the lookout points and realized there is no point to hike around the entire crater as the only good views are on the south side facing the active volcano. As you can see from my picture you can just about get a glimpse of the lava stream glowing down there.

Angkor is truly an amazing place!

For me this is a childhood dream come through. As a little girl, I was fascinated about these temples in the jungle. We wanted to do a proper visit and bought a three day pass. As recommended from others, we started out with the greater circle and the smaller temples. A great start with some really nice temples. I specially liked Pre Rup (one of the early temples), Neak Pean (a cute little water temple), Preah Khan (big, interesting and less crowded) and the interesting South gate. We ended the day with sunset at Phnom Bakheng. Only 300 persons are allowed up there at a time, so you need to be there early, at least an hour before sunset. It was ok, but not spectacular.The next day we started early with sunrise at Angkor Wat. Lots of people, but not great sunrise really. Maybe better another time of the year? Anyway, nice to get an early start. Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom is a must. The reliefs at Angkor Wat is wonderful, the faces at Bayon interesting and Ta Phrom- setting in the jungle is a great place for Kodak moments. We ended the day by visiting of the outermost temples Banteay Samre, nice and quiet, and Banteay Srei, a small jewel. We also stopped at several smaller sites on the way. By the second day we have covered the site more or less. The last remaining Rolous group we visited …

On paper the Villa Adriana seems a site that I would love -- a collection of architecture from around the known world in the 2nd century A.D. incorporated into a retreat (and eventual seat of power) for Roman emperor Hadrian in the hills east of Rome. In reality -- well, it didn't meet my expectations. Part of that could have been the difficulty I had in getting to the villa; no taxis were easily to be found anywhere in Tivoli on the weekday I visited last November, and I couldn't find a good schedule for the Number 4 bus. I eventually made it to the villa by taxi, and began exploring the grounds mid-day. I rather wish I had a guide, though, since, as others have noted, the signs are lacking, and what signs existed were written in an academic style rather challenging to comprehend. What I did enjoy were the variety of the ruins: the relecting pool around which was formerly a portico modeled after the Stoa Poikile in Athens; the beautiful evocation of the Nile at Canopus in Egypt; the tiled floors of the Vestibulum and Baths; the great views from the Rocca Bruna tower; the unique circular Maritime Theater that was mostly inaccessible due to construction. There is certainly a lot to see at Villa Adriana, and with a proper guide, I'm sure I would have appreciated it more. As it was, I thought it was pleasant, but rather forgettable.

Logistics: Villa Adriana can be reached …

I already expressed my enthusiasm towards Tel-Aviv as a "non-member" three years ago. Now, I would like to comment it more in detail and add an obvious photo of a representative "white" building metioned in the official Tel Aviv - Yafo, Preservation Map and Guide purchased in the Bauhaus Center in 2017 (PHOTO - 23 Pinsker St., Mintz-Elenberg House / Anchor House, architect Pinchas Hutt, 1935-36) - the house is located in the buffer zone of the Bialik area, and it is kind of typical as seen on the massive stripe of windows covering the stairwell, but it is symmetrical unlike the classical Bauhaus. Another quite frequent feature is that the original balconies were covered by windows with shutters.

I was on a one week stay in Tel-Aviv in 2017 and spent at least 3 days by walking in the wider area of Tel-Aviv spanning from the old Yafo/Jaffa, Neve Zedek, Red City, Lev Hayir and The Carmel Market, White City to the newest Northern White City. The mentioned clusters also represent the successive growing and development from ancient Yafo to the modern capital of the Jewish Nation. The inscribed clusters (A - central White City around Dizengoff and Habima squares, B - Rothschild Avenue area, C - Bialik Area) with surrounding buffer zone were built in 30s-40s of 20th Century in the uniform and coherent style inspired by Bauhaus, Le Corbusier and Erich Mendelsohn. However, Tel-Aviv is not a museum but living organic structure, it means that Tel-Aviv …

WHS#76

Genbaku Dome is one of the smallest WHS out there. The ruins of a single great building, surrounded by rails, are immaculately preserved as they were on August 6, 1945 after the Little Boy exploded almost directly overhead. Literally, it looks as if the tragedy had just happened a few days before when I visited one night in December 2019. I had just come from a day trip in Miyajima, and the long winter nights overtook me on my way to Peace Park. I don't regret seeing the dome at night, though. With the dark silhouettes of leafless trees ever so slightly covering my view as disembarked from the Meipuru-pu bus, the dimly lit concrete ruin was truly a startling sight. It felt ominous to see the dome at night, but it had a strange calming sensation too. There were barely any tourists around, and the few people there either passed by quickly or stood still while reading the information boards. I was totally free to admire and photograph the building from every angle, including right under the riverside entrance, where the rails were a few feet from the facade. While not part of the WHS core zone, the nearby Peace Park and most especially, the Hypocenter Marker a block away add a lot of insight into the tragedy that happened here. Back to the Genbaku Dome itself, it's truly a unique site. It was once an impressive building, but it never would've become a WHS if not …

WHS#75

Visiting Miyajima is probably the biggest reason most people visit Hiroshima. I know it was why I was there when I had my trip to Japan in December 2019. It's home to one of the "Top 3 Views" in Japan, one of the most famous and beautiful Shinto shrines, and loads of cute deer. It's a really easy day trip from Hiroshima, too, as it's accessible by streetcar, train, and ferry. I took the train route to Miyajimaguchi and caught a ferry from there to the island, since it's all covered by JR Pass. Otherwise, one can stick with the presumably cheaper streetcar route or the faster direct ferry from Peace Park. Not the whole island is actually part of the WHS core area, but it seems that included are the forested areas from Momijidani Park to the peak of Mt. Misen, the hill of Senjokaku, the mud flats around the O-Torii Gate, and of course, Itsukushima Shrine itself. From the ferry, I walked by the deer-lined shore before entering the core zone by the big stone torii gate that guards the path to Senjokaku and Itsukushima. Unfortunately, the O-Torii Gate was under renovation when I visited. It was completely covered by scaffolding, preventing me from fully enjoying the amazing view.

Arriving at around 10:00 in the morning, I was able to walk through the mud flats in front of the great shrine. Despite the low tide mud and barrenness, the deserted shrine was strangely charming in …

I think Nicaragua inscribed the wrong places and instead should focus on all the awesome natural sites around the country. Both Leóns are kinda lame. On the other hand without an inscription nobody would visit and no funding for keeping it maintained. There were after a 3 coaches parked outside the entrance gate when I drove up, blasting their aircon the entire time parked there and the site was "overrun" by elderly American tourists. So much in fact that no guide was available for taking me which is supposed to be mandatory (or maybe just a service you get for the $5 entrance fee). This trip is shaping up to be a DIY tour more than ever.

So while the groups heading for the restaurant across the gate (with guides hmmm) I was free to explore the remains of old Leon, abandoned after an earthquake from the magnificent Momotombo nearby (should be a WHS like Fujisan but isn't even tentative). That was many hundred years ago. A possible look of the town can be seen by a nearby model. I'm guessing it's a typical old town layout. I think I counted 3 churches alone. As you get to these places in the area you will get used to one thing: they are just walls now, barely a foot high sometimes. They aren't even original if I'm not mistaken. Replaced with new mortar to give it a look that something once stood here. The better ones even get a roof …

I visited 5 of 6 locations soon after the inscription some 10 years ago, but still have not managed to see the most appreciated component by our communitity - Tuschkastensiedlung. The first visit I would call as "exploratory", and I was not disappoined. My favorit component is Hufeisensiedlung and I visited this place then several times on every occasion. The reason is not only convenient location on the U-bahn line but very delicate atmosphere I feel during every my visit.

I like not only the blueish horshoe building with the pond in the middle but also dark red small buildings assembled to rhombus shapes located to the West from the main building. 

I was thinking intensively why I tend to visit the Hufeisen, and my answer is that I do not take this site as an intelectual construct that was evident from other reviews - that the site is interesting because of permanent impact on few prominent Bauhaus architects on our everyday life. Instead, I take it in purely emotional way based on what I can see on the site but not what I have read about modern architecture before. In fact, I usualy (but not always) use this principle also during my visitits to medieval sites. To conclude, parts of this WHS emanate similar spirit to me as I can feel for example in Siena. This justifies its OUV in my opinion (I hope it is not too esoteric - see PHOTO).