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Don't waste your time.

I know when somebody says that and you see it on our map here as tentative you'll be like "oh I'll go myself to confirm it isn't any good", because that's what I would do too. However, before you do, you should consider that it has already been rejected as world heritage site so if you are "staying ahead of the committee" with tentative sites then this won't be one of them, it's extremely unlikely to be a world heritage site.

So it's location is odd, north of Antalya surrounded by farms, the road doesn't look like it's going anywhere like a tourist site and the potholes aren't fun, yet it's signposted and they do have proper parking and facilities when you arrive. It's also dead cheap so that's not exactly the issue either, but when you start your visit you need to hike up 10 minutes of stairs. Consider this for your visit, especially if you were at nearby Termessos the same day and you are fit enough for both in a row.

The caves are special because evidence was found that there was continued life (or on/off might be me accurate) for 25,000 years. That surely sounds important. BUT, there is absolutely nothing here to shoe you that. It's like Peking Man without the museum. Empty caves, bats, puddles, not even cave art. There are two chambers, with the lower one nice and warm to show how life is like in …

I visited this WHS in December 2021 on a sunny morning. The most iconic building of the Central University City Campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is the central library. Just next to it, on the terrace leading to the Rectory Tower building, is the UNESCO WHS inscription plaque, just opposite the tunnel leading to the stadium. Like other Mexican WHS, there are no information boards to help guide visitors, not even in Spanish, so you need to come prepared on what you want to see and some background information.

The OUV of this WHS lies in the dynamic fusion of Mesoamerican motifs and revolutionary ideals. The UNAM is an independent university founded in 1910 and built over the succeeding decades with contributions from many leading artists and architects. Apart from the main university buildings, there is a sculpture park with monumental earthworks built around lava flows. The university is one huge quadrangle, entered from above with long wide rows of steps leading down, almost mimicking the urban spaces of the Aztecs, with legible propaganda displayed on the university buildings.

The university's designs were influenced by functionalism, which at one time informed anthropology, psychology and the sciences. In a nutshell, it is the theory that all aspects of a society serve a specific function and are necessary for the survival of that society. This holistic regard for the past holds great meaning in a place with such archaeological evidence of pre-Colombian greatness.

Besides the …

On my way from Transylvania to Bucharest, I visited the Monastery in Horezu. I had stayed over night in Targ Jiu and hopped a minibus direction Bucharest, getting off at Horezu. From the Horezu bus station, I walked uphill to the monastery.

It's now more than half a year that I visited. And frankly, nothing really stuck with me. I guess, you can see that it's a rather modern interpretation of an old pattern. It was built in the 17th century and clearly copies medieval Greek orthodox monasteries, e.g., Athos. It lacks a unique Romanian touch. Personally, I found the churches in Northern Romania significantly more impressive.

As mentioned in Els summary text, the inscribed property covers more than the main monastery. Due to bad planning/research I missed it. I saw a very nice picture from Samuel of (I think) Schitul Bolniţa. It's located to the right of the entry. There are also some buildings behind the monastery. It's not well signposted, as far as I could tell, so just snoop around.

Getting There

There are direct buses from Targ Jiu via Horezu to Bucharest. The next larger town is Râmnicu Vâlcea and there are local buses making the connection between Horezu and Râmnicu Vâlcea. Note: The local buses are really slow and do a huge detour through the country side.

The Horezu bus station is a bit outside of the city center at DN65. Don't expect much at the bus station. Upside: It's closer …

Antalya sure is a hotspot for tentative sites but it remains to be seen if any ever make it. The town itself can only show off the mosque and the surrounding buildings. Why my and the preview review pictures only focus on the minaret is obvious: that's the best part and the other buildings are in ruins.

The mosque is very small and even though I couldn't enter, one can see everything from the doorway. I asked a guy to take a few pics for me but he couldn't go much further in, with a barrier blocking the way. All he could look at that I couldn't see from the door is the opening in the floor showing off the ancient heating method. That doesn't impress me much.

While it's iconic for the town and picturesque from the square nearby, it is no way world heritage material.

This wonderful temple city complex. esp. after the recent cleanup by the provincial Government of Odisha ; unfolds in an array of majestic structures that one can go back 1200 years to visualize how life was back then ! 

Very Ornate group of temples, ponds , cultural stages, etc

Its an inexcusable miss either by UNESCO to not have it listed , or a case not well presented by the government to the World body! 

It's older (800 AD) than the nearby Shri Jagannath temple in Puri, (about 1000 AD) which itself older than UNESCO listed Konark Sun temple (1200 AD).

Oh my, this place sucks. I think the only thing it has going for it is that gladiators trained here. There are some remains including a theater with a mudlide making it look rather sad these days, and that's about it for why you came here. It's also littered with farm sheds that should be torn down to preserve the antiquities.

There are some upsides though: in 2021 it got a fancy new ramp from the D-road so you visit it better than the previous mud road, and the only mud you will need to content with are all the poor paths going around the site. It also got new toilets, ticket booth and that mosque was recently renovated but obviously you didn't come for that, it just happened to be here. Speaking of though, it's positioned like it's the highlight of the site but it's barely a century old so there isn't really anything special about it, although that tin minaret is interesting.

All in all I spent some 14 nights in Mexico City in December 2021 and January 2022. I knew Mexico City was a very large city with a lot to offer but the city definitely exceeded all my expectations. The historic centre proper around the Zocalo area, the Templo Mayor area, the world class unique murals and museums, the exquisite interior and exterior of the Bellas Artes Museum building, and the Xochimilco area would easily cover a good week, keeping in mind the initial jetlag and altitude acclimitization coming from Europe. On top of that there are 3 WHS within the city (UNAM, Luis Barragan and Camino Real) and 2 WHS just outside (Teotihuacan and Father Tembleque Aqueduct) making it a top hotspot in Mexico and North America.

Although I'm usually not a modern building fan, I must confess that I gladly visited the Bellas Artes Museum Building practically everyday and it certainly is Mexico City's best landmark. First from the old Torre Latinoamericano at noon and at sunset, then several times from the Sears Centro Historico terrace cafeteria, before resting at the nearby popular public garden, before or after some shopping, and of course I also visited its great interior (when I visited in December 2021 none of the murals were covered in plastic yet). This building alone in my opinion deserves inscription and I would rate it highly too.

Contrary to my praise for the Bellas Artes component of this WHS, the Xochimilco area extension is …

Anatolia is the go to place for early human settlements. The latest addition by the Turks in this area is Arslantepe Mound in 2021. What you will find is a hill with a "palace". It's all based on mud bricks and excavations are still ongoing. Seeing the size of the hill (tell), I would assume more buildings to be unearthed in the next decade or so.

There is a walkway across the public parts of the ruin. It's not huge, but allows you to explore the site. They did put up some signs which helps shed some light on the site.

The single greatest feature of the site are the rock drawings. I had seen them on Clyde's and Stanislaw's reviews. But they were nowhere to be seen when I visited. I was about to give up when Clyde via whatsapp let me know, that they are protected via curtains. You have to ask the guard to remove them. He did and the rock art is stunning, especially as it's displayed in situ rather than a museum.

The site was originally referred. I would argue that there is no overall reason against inscription and that the site belongs on the list. Reason I could see for a referral is that given the ongoing excavations, inscription could have taken place later to get a full picture of the site. I could also see approaching the Malatya area as a whole and documenting the human settlement of the area …

Seems to be some mix feelings about the site because I suppose it's "just another ruin" like so many others in southwest of Turkey. However, this one was grande and stands out quite a bit. Restoration was mainly done 50 years ago, with some pillars clearly mounted later than that, and the two diggers used in the project are even for display.

There is a theater outside of the visitable area, decent shape but nowhere like the nearby Aspendos, and the stadium is only half there which is still more than what many sites can say though. Additionally, many columns were re-errected and more could have, to show the city structure with column-littered roads.

I really enjoyed walking along these roads, reading the few signs available, and even went up the hill to the terrace for a nice view of town. There are still covered up areas of the town and it would make it even more impressive. I think the main problem is that many buildings are just there without much info, I didn't get the audio guide but even then you cannot even walk to some and get a better look. With some work this could be restored really well but I understand there is no money for all that, and with the little love the site gets I think it's not going to get improved.

The Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco have hardly been reviewed on this website so far, so let’s start with the basics. The included area is large (it’s even in the Top 20 of largest cultural WHS) and stretches out north of Mexico’s Highway #1 in Baja California Sur between San Ignacio and El Porvenir. It holds several hundred small groups of rock paintings and rock carvings. The area is remote and difficult to access: for a day trip you have the choice between Ratón (via San Francisco de la Sierra: needs 4WD, an only short climb up a staircase, small group of paintings) and Palmarito (via Santa Martha: car with good clearance needed, requires a 1.5-hour hike, rock face with abundant paintings). If you go by yourself, you need to report to the INAH office in San Ignacio beforehand to pay the entrance fee and they will let the local caretaker know that you’re coming and he will lead you to the site of the rock art. Multi-day trips that are offered by specialized outfitters use mules to trek to the even more isolated cave paintings, which are also said to be the best.

I choose Palmarito as the location for my visit. As I had only a rental car with fairly low clearance, I played it safe by hiring a 4WD with guide/driver to take me out there. It was arranged by the place where I was staying (Ignacio Springs B&B in San Ignacio) and …

I visited the Grey whales at San Ignacio Lagoon, one of the two locations that make up the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino. The B&B where I was staying (Ignacio Springs) booked the whale tour for me – beforehand I thought that you had to book as early as possible, but the lady just phoned in the night before. As always with sea-based tours: the weather & wind can cause cancellations, so it’s best to allow for a couple of days in the area (also to tick off the nearby Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco WHS, with which it even shared the initial nomination until they were wisely split up by World Heritage Bureau).

From the town of San Ignacio, which lies on Highway 1, it’s another 1-1.5 hour drive to get to the actual lagoon. The first 45km is on an easy, paved road, the last 15 on a relatively bumpy unpaved one. There’s nothing here but a few basic camps and some mudflats. The operator I used was Antonio’s Ecotours, which asks 60 USD per person for the tour. The boats can hold up to 12 people, but on mine were only 5. I was welcomed at Antonio’s, got a safety jacket fitted on and on we went in the small motorboat. The boats are only allowed to go whale watching at the mouth of the lagoon, not inside the lagoon itself as that is too shallow and would endanger the whales.

The …

The Turkish Tentative list is a bit of a mixed bag. You have sites like Kaunos, Zerzevan or Mor Gabriel that are clearly WHS material. And you have sites like Izmir, where you wonder what specifically they refer to. It feels like the Turkish authorities use the tentative list as a work in progress list and that each region is free to submit any site they like to submit. Interestingly, I found several sites that according to the official signs were "inscribed on the Unesco Tentative List". If there was such a thing...

The Ayvalik nomination feels more like a draft nomination. I made a few markers in town, where to go and what to visit, but it was hard to pinpoint OUV. Ayvalik certainly has its charm, though. An old town with cobble stones. A nice port area. Some olive factory buildings, nowadays parking lots or tourist olive hops. And old churches. On the other hand, the town could use some paint and less cars.

I stayed for a night in town as a stop between Troy and Pergamon. It's a standard bus stop for buses from Istanbul to Izmir. I am not sure I saw the right places, but it was a pleasant night.

OUV

I wouldn't see a reason why Spanish Olive farming would be superior to Turkish Olive farming. And Ayvalik had a certain hard to pinpoint charm about the old town. With some renovations in town and some polishing of the …

The Royal Palaces of Abomey certainly were a highlight of my road trip in Benin. I did read about the "no photo" policy but with the help of a few Benin Francs that policy was abandoned very fast. Not with a big camera but with the iPhone I was allowed. Perfect, as the phones make good photos anyway these days.

The palaces are well restored (late 2019) and still some reconstruction was going on. Mainly restoring of the tatched roofs. A visit gives a good look into the Africa before the Europeans came. The tombs are also interesting to visit. The museum has relics from all the kings on display and also shows the history of the kingdoms. There are actually still kings in Benin today but, except some rule over the local community, they have not much to say.

The site is easily combined with a visit to the subterrean housing about 45 minutes away (Village souterrain d'Agongointo-Zoungoudo). A day trip from Cotonou can easily be arranged.

Whereas the pretty clock tower with baby mosque are very iconic for this modern bustling city, I do not believe that anything here is worth getting inscribed. The market area is nowadays merged with modern buildings and sells more than fabrics, making any authenticity for being an ancient trading point iffy. I think a lot of places around the world could have a status of ancient port town if one disregards modern infrastructure, which is impossible. I don't see anything unqiue for that. So do visit Konak Square as a tourist, rest I cannot recommend even for die-hard enthusiasts.

Most of us would place the end of World War 1 in 1919. For western Europe, this is mostly correct, keeping in mind that Germany saw plenty of violence on its streets. For several other parts of Europe, the war was far from over. You had the very bloody Russian Civil War, the Polish Lithuanian War, and the the Greco Turkish War as part of the Turkish War of Independence. And I am probably missing plenty. Essentially, these were wars being fought after the dissolution of large empires had created power vacuums all across Europe.

Turkish Izmir / Greek Smyrna holds a prominent place in the Greco Turkish War and the Turkish War of Independence. It's in Izmir/Smyrna that the Greek army landed in 1919. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and secret deals with the Entente, Greek nationalists seized on the opportunity. They wanted to reincorporate former Byzantine territories into Greece, the vision being to make Constantinople a Greek and Christian city again, ignoring that Greeks were a minority, even in Smyrna.

It's also in Smyrna/Izmir that the Turkish army fought the decisive battle in 1922 that decided the war and expelled the Greek forces and population. In its aftermath, several of the districts of what had been a multicultural metropolis were burned. The war also saw massive ethnic cleansing all across Turkey. The multicultural and multi religious Ottoman Empire had turned into Turkey, a nation state. Reading the Unesco description of the tentative site makes you a …

For me, the Visigoths were a short lived episode of late antiquity, an afterthought of the Roman Empire that faded away quickly. In reality, they ruled Spain for 250 years, before being swept away by the Muslim conquests. Almost swept away, I have to write, as Asturia, a mountainous region in Northern Spain remained independent under a Visigoth ruler, Pelayo.

There are different versions of what happened and the circumstances thereof. In the myth, he rebelled, there was a battle against the Arab overlords and he won. Or he simply didn't lose. Looking at the territory of Northern Spain, I think the mounted Arabs had a hard time. The mountains and hills don't seem to be suited for a cavalry based army, but great for guerrilla warfare.

Pelayo's small kingdom would form the nucleus for the kingdom of Asturias, which would grow over the centuries, eventually to form Spain via union with Castille. To this day the king of Spain claims descendance from this local Visigoth noble.

The buildings included in the site date from the 9th century. By then, the kingdom was firmly established and the Muslim onslaught stopped. They are small in size compared to what came before (Romans) or comes later (high middle ages), but comparable to what you see in the Carolingian empire.

I managed to see four components:

• Church of Santa María del Naranco (a former palace).
• Church of San Miguel de Lillo
• The Cámara Santa
…

I rarely prioritize nature over culture when traveling. Even with my comparatively short roster of WH sites, Mount Etna is only the fifth natural or mixed site that I visited. My better half is usually even less keen, especially whenever there is a whiff of danger – such as, for instance, going up an active volcano. Nonetheless, it was she who suggested that we modify our plans for the trip to Sicily in the late September of 2021, and take advantage of a private Jeep tour with a local guide for a half-day on the mountain. (“Jeep” is not meant here as a brand name, but rather as a generic term. Our ride was a Land Rover Defender.)

Our guide, who spent his entire life on the slopes of Etna, gave us an unparalleled overview of the volcano, driving us through various vegetation zones and lava plateaus, stopping by and hiking to several key features, and pointing out various details (that, frankly, an unprepared mind cannot possibly absorb and retain in their entirety). Some parts that we drove through you definitely cannot reach in a regular car and without guidance. Also, this being an active volcano, being led by someone able to interpret the seismic activity monitoring system was certainly reassuring (there are usually sufficient advance signals of the heightened activity, so the park would have plenty of warnings – and, likely, be closed – if there was a chance of an imminent eruption).

Etna is, of course, …

In January 2022, I made my way to Tequila by public transport from Guadalajara. I found a bus company with the promising name of “Quick” at the old, dilapidated inner-city bus station that has frequent departures during the day. One way cost was 90 pesos (4 EUR). Unfortunately, the ride wasn’t all that quick – it took 2 hours. An hour is already spent on leaving the sprawling city of Guadalajara. On the way back I disembarked as early as possible, at Periferico Sur, where I caught the Tren Ligero (above ground subway) to the city center.

The landscape only gets interesting near the town of El Arenal, the first of the three included in the core zone. Here you’ll really start to notice the large agave fields. Their blueish colour makes them a fine sight I think.

I got off the bus at Tequila - a real tourist town, with a long main street (“the strip”) lined with souvenir shops that leads to the main square. I already got offered a tour to a tequila factory several times, but I first wanted to see what options there are. It appears that you can be driven around here in a tourist bus in the shape of red pepper or a wooden barrel. I opted for a more sober tour of a factory, that of Jose Cuervo on the main square. This is also a thriving business: there are tours throughout the day, and you can go for a …

Wow what a waste of time. Maybe the idea if idyllic village near the mountains is what drives tourists, not that I saw any, into this village (definitely not a TOWN). While you can reach it via tiny roads from the north it's better to drive the 2h from Izmir on the Dxxx, with the road conditions deteriorating more and more as you get closer to the mountains.

There is a huge sign at the entrance, faded as if it's from the 80s, and only in Turkish. So O had to make my way around myself. I don't recommend trying to drive to the eastern part as the small roads could block you off suddenly. The best is to stop at the mosque, look at that, it's probably the highlight anyway, and the walk a circle to see some of the traditionally houses. By traditional, it's hard to say which one is old or built within the last decades. They are also nestled within modern buildings and it's not pleasing to the eye. Once in a while you see a row of houses, more picturesque, but they also also not old. Celebrating a building style with a heritage award doesn't seem right. This ain't exactly the Trullis.

There are accommodatiom options in the village but you are better off just spending an hour walking around before driving back and wondering if it was all worth the effort.

Nothing has really changed about this location since the first review only that they now have a proper museum instead, charging entrance fee and it all seems a bit cleaned up.

Parking nearby is challenging. The hilltop has a small square with a few spaces if you are lucky, otherwise trying to make circles in these narrow streets isn't adviced. You can park on the main road below if you feel that's safe.

There isn't much to see. The main mausoleum section is just big slabs of rock covered up to reduce damage. You can see all that in 10 minutes. While I understand there is history behind it and it was an important site, I don't find it having enough impact to really consider as universal value.