OUR WORLD’S HERITAGE II A Virtual Tour of UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the World

Introduction

A World Heritage Site is a landmark selected by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or natural significance. Currently there are over 1,100 of these sites. In this course you will learn about the creation of the World Heritage Program and the differences between cultural, natural, and mixed properties. This series will explore select World Heritage Sites around the world in a series of stunning audio-visual presentations, along with background information.

Natural Heritage Sites

We explore sites of remarkable palaeontological discoveries, such as Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park in Canada, the notable Messel Pit in Germany, Cal Orck’o in Bolivia, Egypt’s Whale Valley, and the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag in Mongolia. See places of amazing biodiversity, such as the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar, the Serengeti, Peninsula Valdes, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and South Georgia, and enjoy stunning landscapes from Greenland to Namibia, and from Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay to Australia’s Outback.

World Heritage Cities

Enjoy visits to amazing UNESCO World Heritage Cities, as you explore Djenne and Timbuktu in Mali, the walled city of Harar Jugol in Ethiopia and the Stone Town of Zanzibar on the African continent.

We then head to Europe to explore Valetta on the Island of Malta, Venice and its Lagoon and Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, beautiful Bruges, Nancy, Strasbourg and Berlin. Discover cities of the Hanseatic League, such as Lübeck, Wismar, Stralsund, Torun and the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, Riga and Tallin. Delight in the beauty of cities such as Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow and L’viv. In the Balkans you will see Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir, Kotor and the unique city of Mostar. Our European sightseeing end in legendary Istanbul.

In the Middle East we will explore Sana’a, Shibam in Yemen and the cities of Damascus and Esfahan.

Our Asian journey takes us on the Silk Road to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in Uzbekistan. We explore the World Heritage Cities of Ahmadabad and Jaipur in India, Luang Prabang in Laos, Vietnam’s historical cities of Hue and Hoi An, World Heritage sites in Beijing, China, the ancient Japanese capitals of Nara and Kyoto and Hiroshima.

In the Americas we discover Quebec City and Lunenburg in Canada, Mexico City, Morelia, Zacatecas and Oaxaca in Mexico; Mompox and Cartagena in Colombia; Quito, the capital of Ecuador; Lima and Arequipa in Peru; the port city of Valparaiso in Chile and Salvador de Bahia in Brazil.

Modern Architecture We conclude this session with a look at heritage sites featuring Modern Architecture, from Pampulha and Brasilia in Brazil, to the Italian Modernist architecture of Asmara, Eritrea’s capital, and from the Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau, the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates in Germany to the White City of Tel-Aviv in Israel. In Mexico visit the House and Studio of Luis Barragan Mexico, the Central University City Campus of the UNAM and see the amazing murals created Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros.

Intangible Cultural Heritage

We look at the concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Intangible heritage consists of nonphysical intellectual wealth, such as folklore, customs, beliefs, traditions, knowledge, and language. Discover several fascinating cultural practices, such as the creation of carpets and miniatures in Iran, Batik in Indonesia and textiles in the Andes. Listen to the traditional music of the Morin Khuur in Mongolia; see traditional dances in Bali, show puppet theatre in Java and water puppetry in Vietnam. Partake virtually in Charrería, the equestrian traditions of Mexico, discover the Kallawaya traditional healers of Bolivia and enjoy watching the Carnaval de Oruro in Bolivia and the Indigenous Festivity dedicated to the dead, the Día de los Muertos in Mexico.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, you should be able to do the following:

• Describe several cultural and natural World Heritage Sites • Get a good understanding of our unique Intangible Cultural Heritage. • Challenge stereotypes commonly held about these countries • Get insights useful to travellers to these sites.