The Unesco World Heritage list recognises sites of global significance
To cite this page: Tan, Noel Hidalgo (2021, Updated 27 July 2024) Unesco World Heritage in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian Archaeology. Available at: https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/unesco-world-heritage-in-southeast-asia/
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Overview
The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage outlines the kind of sites that can be recognised as World Heritage. With over 1,200 sites recognised around the world, the World Heritage list is administered by Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
As of 2024, there are 47 Unesco World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia: 32 cultural, 13 natural and 2 mixed. Most archaeological sites fall under the cultural category, and are open to tourists. They are:
- Cambodia: Angkor, Sambor Prei Kuk, Temple of Preah Vihear, Koh Ker
- Indonesia: Bali’s Subak Cultural Landscape, Borobudur, Prambanan Temple Complex, Sangiran Early Man site, Sawahlunto Old Coal Mining Town, Yogyakarta
- Laos: Luang Prabang, Plain of Jars, Vat Phou
- Malaysia: Lenggong Valley, Malacca and George Town, Niah Caves
- Myanmar: Bagan, Pyu Ancient Cities
- Philippines: Baroque Churches of the Philippines, Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Vigan
- Singapore: Singapore Botanic Gardens
- Thailand: Ayutthaya, Ban Chiang, Sukhothai and associated Towns, Si Thep and associated Dvaravati Sites, Phu Phra Bat
- Vietnam: Citadel of the Ho Dynasty, Complex of Hue Monuments, Hoi An, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi, My Son Sanctuary, Trang An Landscape complex
- Cambodia: Banteay Chhmar, Banteay Prei Nokor, Beng Mealea, Prah Khan of Kompong Svay, Angkor Borei and Phnom Da, Oudong, Phnom Kulen, Former M-13 prison/ Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (former S-21)/ Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (former Execution Site of S-21)
- Indonesia: Bawomataluo Site, Historical City Centre of Yogyakarta, Kebun Raya Bogor, Muara Takus Compound Site, Muarajambi Temple Compound, Prehistoric Cave Sites in Maros-Pangkep, Sangkulirang –Mangkalihat Karsts: Prehistoric rock art area, Semarang Old Town, Tana Toraja Traditional Settlement, The Historic and Marine Landscape of the Banda Islands, The Old Town of Jakarta and Outlying Islands, Traditional Settlement at Nagari Sijunjung. Trowulan -Former Capital City of Majapahit Kingdom
- Laos: That Luang of Vientiane
- Malaysia:
- Myanmar: Ancient cities of Upper Myanmar, Badah-lin and associated caves, Inle Lake, Mon cities of Bago and Hanthawaddy, Myauk-U Archaeological Area and Monuments, Pondaung anthropoid primates palaeontological sites, Shwedagon Pagoda on Singuttara Hill, Wooden Monasteries of Konbaung Period in Mandalay
- Philippines: Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension), Batanes Protected landscapes and seascapes, Butuan Archeological Sites, Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves, Neolithic Shell Midden Sites in Lal-lo and Gattaran Municipalities, Paleolithic Archaeological Sites in Cagayan Valley, Petroglyphs and Petrographs of the Philippines, The Tabon Cave Complex
- Thailand: Ensemble of Phanom Rung, Muang Tam and Plai Bat Sanctuaries, Chiang Mai, Phimai and the Associated Temples of Phanomroong and Muangtam, Phra That Phanom, its related historic buildings and associated landscape, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat
- Vietnam: Con Moong Cave, Huong Son Complex of Natural Beauty and Historical Monuments, The Area of Old Carved Stone in Sapa, The Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape
Sites submitted for nomination must meet one or more of the ten following criteria:
1. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
2. 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;
3. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
4. 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;
5. 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;
6. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
7. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
8. to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
9. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
10. 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
Source: Unesco “Criteria for Selection”
Only countries (‘state parties’) who have signed the World Heritage convention may nominate a site for inclusion into the list. The process is fairly straightforward, but can be time-consuming because of the depth of documentation and research that is required. First, sites are put into the Tentative List which signals a country’s intention to nominate a site in the future. Next, the state party prepares a nomination file for the site, which includes extensive documentation, research, histories and maps that justifies the site’s inclusion into the list.
The dossier is then reviewed by up to three advisory bodies: the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Once these bodies have completed their evaluations, the reports are returned to the World Heritage Committee who will make the final decision to accept or reject the nomination. The committee can also choose to defer the decision or request for more information from the state parties. These decisions are announced at the annual World Heritage Committee meeting.
In more recent years, Unesco has moved to recognise other forms of heritage, such as Intangible Cultural Heritage, Global Geoparks, Creative Cities, and the Memory of the World.
Recommended Books
These are books related to the Unesco World Heritage in Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on the convention and its effects rather than on the sites themselves. Some of these links are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you click on them and make a purchase. For other sources of reliable academic information, you should also check out the books page for latest releases and the occassional free book, as well as the journals page for the latest scientific research.
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Unesco World Heritage in the news
News reports about Unesco World Heritage in Southeast Asia. The news reports indexed below usually link to external sites that were active at the time of posting; sometimes websites may be temporarily down or may have reorganised their underlying architecture or have even closed down – in these cases the links may not be available. Most of the news articles archived are in English, although when I am made aware of stories in this and other languages I try to index them.
External Links
These are links to external sites and unless stated, I have no connection with the organisations or entities in these links or control over their content. They are sorted alphabetically, but you should also explore the Resources page which have links sorted by themes. If you have a link to suggest, please get in touch!
- The official Unesco World Heritage List
- The official Unesco World Heritage Tentative List:
- List of World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia [Wikipedia]
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