de bene esse: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Sunday, June 23, 2013

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

LIKE & SHARE our photo galleries of the new UNESCO #WorldHeritage sites if you believe that some places hold a value that is universal, that transcend the boundaries of history and culture, which we must protect together, as our common heritage! — New UNESCO #WorldHeritage Sites, added on June 23 (5 photos)

Golestan Palace (Islamic Republic of Iran)

The lavish Golestan Palace is a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences. The walled Palace, one of the oldest groups of buildings in Teheran, became the seat of government of the Qajar family, which came into power in 1779 and made Teheran the capital of the country. Built around a garden featuring pools as well as planted areas, the Palace’s most characteristic features and rich ornaments date from the 19th century. It became a centre of Qajari arts and architecture of which it is an outstanding example and has remained a source of inspiration for Iranian artists and architects to this day. It represents a new style incorporating traditional Persian arts and crafts and elements of 18th century architecture and technology.

Image released into the public domain by its author, Zereshk at the English Wikipedia project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golestan-takht2.jpg

Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora (Ukraine)

The site features the remains of a city founded by Dorian Greeks in the 5th century BC on the northern shores of the Black Sea. It encompasses six component sites with urban remains and agricultural lands divided into several hundreds of chora, rectangular plots of equal size. The plots supported vineyards whose production was exported by the city which thrived until the 15th century. The site features several public building complexes and residential neighbourhoods, as well as early Christian monuments alongside remains from Stone and Bronze Age settlements; Roman and medieval tower fortifications and water supply systems; and exceptionally well-preserved examples of vineyard planting and dividing walls. In the 3rd century AD, the site was known as the most productive wine centre of the Black Sea and remained a hub of exchange between the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Empires and populations north of the Black Sea. It is an outstanding example of democratic land organization linked to an ancient polis, reflecting the city’s social organization.

Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, by user Dmottl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chersonesos_ruins.jpg

Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)

Situated in Kaesong city, in the south of the country, the site consists of 12 separate components, which together testify to the history and culture of the Koryo Dynasty from the 10th to 14th centuries. The geomantic layout of the former capital city of Kaesong, its palaces, institutions and tomb complex, defensive walls and gates embody the political, cultural, philosophical and spiritual values of a crucial era in the region’s history. The monuments inscribed also include an astronomical and meteorological observatory, two schools (including one dedicated to educating national officials) and commemorative steles. The site testifies to the transition from Buddhism to neo-Confucianism in East Asia and to the assimilation of the cultural spiritual and political values of the states that existed prior to Korea’s unification under the Koryo Dynasty. The integration of Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist and geomantic concepts is manifest in the planning of the site and the architecture of its monuments.

e is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license, by user Kallgan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kaesong03.JPG

Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany, Italy

Twelve villas and two pleasure gardens spread across the Tuscan country side make up this site which bears testimony to the influence the Medici family exerted over modern European culture through its patronage of the arts. Built between the 15th and 17th centuries, they represent an innovative system of rural construction in harmony with nature and dedicated to leisure, the arts and knowledge. The villas embody an innovative form and function, a new type of princely residence that differed from both the farms owned by rich Florentines of the period and from the military might of baronial castles. The Medici villas form the first example of the connection between habitat, gardens, and the environment and became an enduring reference for princely residences throughout Italy and Europe. Their gardens and integration into the natural environment helped develop the appreciation of landscape characteristic Humanism and the Renaissance.

Image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licensen, by user Sailko http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Parco_di_Castello_5.JPG

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)