Unesco adds sites in India, Iran and Spain to its World Heritage List

Madrid's Paseo del Prado boulevard and El Retiro Park, as well as Telangana's Ramappa Temple and the Trans-Iranian Railway have been inscribed

The Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region was placed in the 2021 list of world heritage sites by the Unesco Heritage Committee during its 44th session.

Roman baths in Bath, England. Eleven towns in seven European countries are part of a transnational site, known as The Great Spa Towns of Europe, also added to the Unesco list

A woman takes pictures at El Retiro Park on the day that Unesco added Madrid's historic Paseo del Prado boulevard and Retiro Park to its list of World Heritage Sites

Plaza Cibeles lights up to celebrate Unesco adding Madrid's historic Paseo del Prado boulevard and Retiro Park to its list of World Heritage Sites

Saudi Arabia's Hima Cultural Area has been added to Unesco's list of World Heritage Sites, making it the country's sixth site on the UN organisation's list of landmarks that are of cultural and historical significance. Located between Najran and Wadi Addawasir in the country's south-west, Hima is home to one of the largest rock art complexes in the world

Quanzhou was an important Chinese port along the Silk Roads, known historically by traders from the Arab world as Zayton, or Zaitun, linking other ports such as Madras in India, Muscat in Oman and Siraf in Iran

Another newly inscribed site is the Rudreshwara Temple, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, in the south-central state of Telangana, India. It is located in the village of Palampet, about 200 kilometres north-east of Hyderabad city

The Trans-Iranian Railway, which connects the Caspian Sea in the north-east with the Arabian Gulf in the south-west, crossing two mountain ranges as well as rivers, highlands, forests and plains, and four different climatic areas, is also now a World Heritage Site

The Cordouan Lighthouse, also known as the 'king of lighthouses', was built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, designed by engineer Louis de Foix and remodelled by engineer Joseph Teulere in the 18th century. The world heritage body describes it as a 'masterpiece of maritime signalling'

An interior view of the Scrovegni Chapel with frescoes by Giotto from the beginning of the 14th century, in Padua, northern Italy. The Scrovegni Chapel is one of eight religious and secular building complexes that has been inscribed into the Unesco's World Heritage List

A view of Wilhelminaoord colony, which was part of the historical Colonies of Benevolence founded by the Society of Humanitarianism. It is now part of a transnational site, covering four settlements in Belgium and the Netherlands, that has been inscribed into the Unesco World Heritage List

A 'getbol,' or tidal flat, in Boseong, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, which has been listed as a natural World Heritage Site by Unesco

An aerial picture in Muiden, near Amsterdam, shows the Muiderslot castle, part of the New Dutch Waterline, now part of the Unesco World Heritage List

The ancient agricultural town of Al-Salt situated in the Balaqa highland was designated a World Heritage site by Unesco. The city, which is believed to have attracted settlers as far back as the Iron Age and while notable for its distinctive architecture, Unesco also cited the peaceful coexistence of its Muslim and Christian communities.

Aerial View of Roberto Burle Marx’s former home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which was elected as a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Catholic parishioners pray in the Franciscan Conventual Complex Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico. The Franciscan Conventual Complex The Monastery and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Tlaxcala, central Mexico, has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

People walk on the 'Promenade de Anglais' in Nice, France. The Winter Resort Town of the Riviera has become a Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site.

The Chankillo solar observatory and ceremonial center in Peru has also been added to Unesco's World Heritage List.

Aa reconstructed ancient Japanese building with a thatched roof and walls on the excavation site of Sannai Maruyama ruins near Aomori city, Aomori province, Japan. The Jomon culture (13,000 B. C. to roughly 300 B. C. ) archaeological sites became a Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site.

Unesco has also included the church of Estacian Atlantida, located in the homonymous town of Uruguay, on the World Heritage List.

A mining train once used to transport the ore containing gold is on show in the village of Rosia Montana, western Romania, now a Unesco World Heritage site.

El Requeson beach on the Sea of Cortez near Mulege, South Baja California state, Mexico on July 20, 2021. The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, and its islands are part of Unesco's World Heritage list as home to 695 vascular plant species, more than in any marine and insular property on the World Heritage List.

Bologna's 12th-century porticoes, still part of the city's everyday life, have been added to the World Heritage List.

Blaenavon's industrial landscape, in south east Wales, has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. The site encompasses relict quarries and mines, archaeological sites related to slate industrial processing, historical settlements, both living and relict, historic gardens and grand country houses, ports, harbours and quays.

Ivindo National Park in Gabon is home to diverse aquatic and plant life.

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (extension 2021). Massane split beech.

Franciscan Ensemble of the Monastery and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Tlaxcala (extension of the Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl).

Petroglyphs Zalavruga. View from the northwest.

The work Joze Plecnik in Slovenia.

Dinorwig Slate Quarry Mountain Landscape

Hawraman/Uramanat Takht Village in Iran.

Frontiers of the Roman Empire, The Lower German Limes.

Sudanese style mosques, Ivory Coast

Unesco added Madrid's historic Paseo del Prado boulevard and El Retiro Park, as well as the Trans-Iranian Railway and the Ramappa Temple in Telangana, South India, to its list of World Heritage sites on Sunday.

The tree-lined Paseo del Prado, in the centre of the Spanish capital, is home to the Prado Museum, while the adjoining El Retiro Park is one of the city's most visited attractions.

Scroll through the gallery above for some of the latest sites to be added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 2021.

Spain's main attractions

El Retiro (The Retreat), an urban green space with a boating lake enjoyed by locals and tourists, was originally a palace and gardens built for the personal use of King Felipe IV in the 17th century.

Located at the urban heart of Madrid, the 200-hectare cultural landscape has evolved since the creation of the tree-lined Paseo del Prado avenue, a prototype of the Hispanic alameda or promenade, in the 16th century, Unesco said.

"The avenue features major fountains, notably the Fuente de Cibeles and the Fuente de Neptuno, and the Plaza de Cibeles, an iconic symbol of the city, surrounded by prestigious buildings. The site embodies a new idea of urban space and development from the enlightened absolutist period of the 18th century," the organisation said.

"Buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences join others in the site that are devoted to industry, health care and research. Collectively, they illustrate the aspiration for a utopian society during the height of the Spanish Empire."

The Paseo del Prado "was one of the first boulevards inside the city limits of all European cities and capitals... where all citizens, without distinction of class, could enjoy leisure and a stroll", said Spain's Foreign Ministry.

People enjoy boat rides on a lake at El Retiro Park in Madrid. Reuters

It said the accolade was "especially symbolic" in the current context of the pandemic, as the space had "fully fulfilled the function for which it was originally created".

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was quick to celebrate the news, writing in a tweet: "Deserved recognition for a space in the capital that enhances our historic, artistic and cultural legacy."

Meanwhile, Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida tweeted: "Proud of our city, and happy for Spain and the legacy of its capital."

What is the Trans-Iranian Railway?

The Trans-Iranian Railway, which connects the Caspian Sea in the north-east with the Arabian Gulf in the south-west, crossing two mountain ranges as well as rivers, highlands, forests and plains, and four different climatic areas, is also now a World Heritage site.

"Started in 1927 and completed in 1938, the 1,394-kilometre-long railway was designed and executed in a successful collaboration between the Iranian government and 43 construction contractors from many countries," Unesco explained. "The railway is notable for its scale and the engineering works it required to overcome steep routes and other difficulties.

"Its construction involved extensive mountain cutting in some areas, while the rugged terrain in others dictated the construction of 174 large bridges, 186 small bridges and 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels. Unlike most early railway projects, construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway was funded by national taxes to avoid foreign investment and control."

Inside the Rudreshwara Temple

Another newly inscribed site is the Rudreshwara Temple, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, in the south-central state of Telangana, India. It is located in the village of Palampet, about 200km north-east of Hyderabad city.

Ramappa Temple is the main Shiva temple in a walled complex built during the Kakatiyan period (1123-1323 CE) under rulers Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra, according to Unesco. Construction of the sandstone temple began in 1213 CE and is believed to have continued over 40 years.

"The temple’s sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture. Located at the foothills of a forested area and amidst agricultural fields, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu, a Kakatiya-built water reservoir, the choice of setting for the edifice followed the ideology and practice sanctioned in dharmic texts that temples are to be constructed to form an integral part of a natural setting, including hills, forests, springs, streams, lakes, catchment areas and agricultural lands," Unesco said.

The World Heritage Committee is hosting its two-week session in Fuzhou, China, where the body is assessing the condition and management of more than 1,100 existing sites, as well as accepting nominations from countries for new World Heritage Sites.

This year, 39 nominations proposed in 2020 and 2021 are being examined, split between cultural, natural and mixed sites.

On Saturday, a total of five sites were inscribed, including Saudi Arabia's Hima Cultural Area, as well as four European properties, such as the Great Spa Towns of Europe, Cordouan Lighthouse in France and Mathildenhohe Darmstadt in Germany.

China's ancient port of Quanzhou was also added to the list on Sunday, making it the country's 56th Unesco World Heritage Site, with others including Lushan National Park (1996), Site of Xanadu (2012) and The Great Wall (1987).

Last week, Liverpool's waterfront was removed from Unesco's list after concerns about overdevelopment, including plans for a new football stadium. Liverpool had been on Unesco's "in danger" list since 2012 owing to development in the city's north docks.

– Additional reporting by Reuters