What is UNESCO?

You may wonder, as you read through our tour itineraries, what is UNESCO?

You will no doubt have heard it mentioned on tour, in a few documentaries or even the evening news now and then.

But what’s the history? What does it do? Or is it just a fancy group of letters put together for tour companies to sell tours? Not sure? Well, have a read on, and we’ll try to keep your interest until the end of this blog to sell you a holiday!

What Does UNESCO Stand For?

This part is easy. UNESCO stands for:

United
Nations
Educational
Scientific
Cultural
Organisation

What Does UNESCO Do?

After the founding of the UN in 1945, key education ministers came together from the USSR, China, Great Britain and America to discuss the need for an educational and cultural organisation.

The idea was that after the world had experienced two devastating world wars in such close proximity, it was understood that more was needed to prevent these horrors. Political and economic unions were not enough.
UNESCO was eventually created in 1945 with the understanding that peace could be better achieved and developed through intercultural dialogue, communication, education and the exchange of information.

Since its inception, UNESCO has been involved in many diverse projects. Working to stop racism, aiding in the end of apartheid in South Africa and protecting ancient temples such as the famous Abu Simbel in Egypt. UNESCO has also been working on many conservation projects such as protecting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and stopping a dam being built above Victoria Falls.

For us at Absolute Nomads, UNESCO is perhaps the most essential part of the UN. Promoting peace between countries and protecting their important landmarks.

What is a World Heritage Site?

With a drive to achieve more, in November 1972, UNESCO adopted a treaty known as the Heritage Convention; its goal was to enlist the world community in identifying cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal value.

Each identified site would have to pass a series of rigorous tests to determine its value before being added to a list of the best of the best.
Back to our original comment, the UNESCO list is not just a collection of places to attract tourists or some UN trophy case. Each site identified as a UNESCO listed site is continuously reassessed, and the title can be revoked, as has happened a few times over the years.

The world heritage status commits the home nation to protect the listed destination. If, through a natural disaster, war, pollution, or lack of funds, the listed site begins to deteriorate, then all countries signed up to the Heritage Convention will assist financially and physically in protecting the affected site.

UNESCO listed sites are divided into two categories Natural and Cultural.

UNESCO Natural Site

A Natural World Heritage Site is seen as a natural site, such as a place of exceptional natural beauty, aesthetic importance, or an area containing natural phenomena.

A natural site would be considered a prime example that may represent the major stages of the earth’s history or showcase the earth’s ongoing geological processes as seen in the development of landforms and landscapes.

Cultural World Heritage Site

A Cultural World Heritage Site is said to represent a masterpiece of human creativity; constructed to exhibit a significant exchange of human values, built over some time, within a cultural area of the world.

A cultural site will generally reflect developments within architecture, technology, religion, arts or landscape design.

All of the countries we travel to have UNESCO world heritage site, many of which feature on the tours we run. We tend to visit at least one of these marvels. See below for the sites in each of the countries we visit.

North Korea

Cultural

1. The Complex of Koguryo Tombs
2. Historical Monuments and Sites in Kaesong

Mongolia

Cultural

1. Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and surrounding sacred landscape
2. Orkhon valley cultural landscape
3. Petroglyphic complexes of the Mongolian Altai

Natural

1. Landscapes of Dauria
2. Uvs Nuur Basin

Iran

Cultural

1. Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran
2. Bam and its Cultural Landscape
3. Bisotun
4. Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat
5. Cultural Landscape of Maymand
6. Golestan Palace
7. Gonbad-e Qābus
8. Historic City of Yazd
9. Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan
10. Meidan Emam, Esfahan
11. Pasargadae
12. Persepolis
13. Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region
14. Shahr-i Sokhta
15. Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil
16. Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System
17. Soltaniyeh
18. Susa
19. Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex
20. Takht-e Soleyman
21. Tchogha Zanbil
22. The Persian Garden
23. The Persian Qanat
24. Trans-Iranian Railway

Natural

1. Hyrcanian Forests
2. Lut Desert

Tajikistan

Cultural

1. Proto-Urban Site of Sarazm

Natural

1. Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs)

Turkmenistan

Cultural

1. Kunya-Urgench
2. Parthian Fortresses of Nisa
3. State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv”

What Does it Take to Become a World Heritage Site?

To be listed on the World Heritage List, the nominated site must be considered to be of outstanding universal value and comply with at least one out of ten criteria listed below.

Once a site is selected, it is then added to a shortlist to be inspected and reviewed.

Criteria for Possible Site Selection

To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

A) To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

B) To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared;

C) To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

D) To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment, especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;

E) To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, ideas, beliefs, and artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

F) To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

G) To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

H) To be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

I) To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.