Tag Archives: UNESCO

Türkiye is a real open-air museum of ancient treasures located in one of the world’s most essential geographies, where the history of civilisation was written and shaped. The country has a fantastic wealth of heritage historical sites, with 21 on the UNESCO World Heritage List and 79 on the Tentative List, and, unsurprisingly, hundreds of thousands of cultural heritage enthusiasts visit every year. So, how much do you know about these fertile lands home to the mightiest kings of antiquity? Let’s look at some of Türkiye’s lesser-known archaeological treasures – riches to inspire your next adventure! Treasure of the Inner Aegean: Aizanoi Aizanoi, on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, is a remarkable ancient site in Kütahya, in the Inner Aegean. As the principal settlement centre of the Aizanitis living in ancient Phrygia, Aizanoi became a wealthy and prominent city during the Roman period due to grain cultivation and wine and wool production. Aizanoi is home to the world’s first trade exchange building, the Macellum, and Anatolia’s best-preserved Temple of Zeus. In Kütahya, a part of the Phrygian Valley, there are numerous open-air temples and altars dedicated to the mother goddess Cybele, as well as rock-carved tombs. Visit these fantastic structures while you’re in the region. Kaunos and Its Rock Tombs Kaunos, an important port city of the ancient world, is among Türkiye’s most exciting ruins, with its rock tombs. On the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, Kaunos lost its port as silt filled the sea over time. Like Stratonikeia, Kaunos is in the Muğla province and accessible via a 10-minute boat ride from Dalyan. The Kaunos rock tombs, which can also be seen from Dalyan, were produced in the fourth century BC and …

M/s Akama Hotel Ltd. a hotel development and investment company based  in Nepal, today declare the signing of a franchise agreement with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts for a new hotel development under the midscale Ramada by Wyndham brand in Kathmandu, Nepal. Kathmandu is the capital and most populous city of Nepal. It is located in the Kathmandu Valley, a large valley in the high plateaus in central Nepal, at an altitude of 4,600 feet. It lies in a hilly region near the confluence of the Baghmati and Vishnumati rivers, at an elevation of 4,344 feet above sea level. The city was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces, mansions and gardens built by the Nepali aristocracy. Nepal is the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The city is home to several World Heritage Sites: The Durbar Square, Swayambhu Mahachaitya, Bouddha and Pashupatinath. Proposed hotel is situated just 3 kms from the Pashupatinath Temple a UNESCO world heritage site and 4.5 kms from the Tribhuvan International Airport and have great views of the Kathmandu Valley. Expected to open in 2024, Ramada by Wyndham Kathmandu Dhumbarai will have a modern design 109 contemporary rooms and a host of amenities including a lobby lounge, an all-day dining restaurant & bar, health club, spa, swimming pool, meeting room and a business center. Mr. Binaya Kumar Shrestha, Chairman, M/s Akama Hotel Ltd said, “We are pleased to partner with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which is the world largest hotel franchise company in the world and introduce the Ramada by Wyndham brand in the city of Kathmandu. We are working closely with team Wyndham to convert the hotel to …

Gwalior (Music) and Kozhikode (Literature) were amongst the only cities from India which were included in this illustrious Bhopal. UNESCO has included Gwalior as the city of Music under the Creative Cities Network (UCCN). 55 cities from all over the globe joined the UCCN. Gwalior was acknowledged for its strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of UNESCO’s development strategies, and displaying innovative practices in human-centred urban planning. The project was led by Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board in cooperation with the Municipal Corporation of Gwalior, Gwalior Smart City Development Corporation Limited, Raja Mansingh Tomar Music & Arts University, music artists and other stakeholders. The Network now includes 350 cities in over one hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music. Since 2019, continuous efforts have been made including multiple stakeholder consultations and a dedicated feasibility study of the city to map the potential for UCCN membership followed by the drafting of the application. Gwalior serves as an exemplary example of living cultural heritage and it  houses one of the biggest annual music festivals of India; The Tansen Sangeet Samaroh to celebrate the rich culture of Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Sheo Shekhar Shukla (IAS), Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture Department and Managing Director, MP Tourism Board  quoted ‘Inclusion of Gwalior by UNESCO under the creative cities network is definitely a big shot in the arm which goes a long way to tell the whole world about the cultural richness of Madhya Pradesh. Gwalior being the city of Tansen, Baiju Bawra, the birthplace of Dhrupad Music form and Gwalior Gharana, which are world known for musical practices and traditions which are …

The permanent delegation of India to UNESCO yesterday announced that on the occasion of World Hindi Day, UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre has agreed to publish Hindi descriptions of India’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites on WHC website. Union Education and Skill Development Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan via Twitter welcomed the decision. He said that Hindi is a matter of pride for every Indian and Hindi lover. The popularity of Indian languages on the global stage is welcoming and encouraging. 

UNESCO has inscribed Ramappa Temple in Warangal, Telangana, as a World Heritage Site. This was announced at the World Heritage Committee’s 44th session taking place online from July 16 to 31. A consensus with 17 countries backing the move ensured the inscription of the site. Ramappa Temple stands on a six-foot-high star-shaped platform, and is named after sculptor Ramappa who built it.

In a bid to tap the potential of Rajasthan’s cultural heitage, the Rajasthan Tourism and UNESCO have joined hands for a project, wherein 10 cultural tourism hubs are being developed in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Barmer districts. These hubs are being developed by adopting the ‘Art of Life’ methodology. The project is adding prosperity to the life of 884 performing artists and 594 handicraft artists and safeguarding the traditional art forms.

More than 12 crore pilgrims are expected to visit Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 starting January 15 at Prayagraj (formerly known as Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh, including 10 lakh foreign tourists. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has joined hands with the Government of Uttar Pradesh in promoting the one-of-its-kind event. Suresh Kumar Khanna, Urban Development Minister, Uttar Pradesh announced the details of Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 in Mumbai recently, saying, “This event is organised at four places in the country. The event held at Prayagraj itself is a subject of attraction and curiosity for the country and the world. Following the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UNESCO has included Kumbh in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Programmes based on ancient cultural heritage will be organised, in addition to cultural programmes, food, festival etc. To seek support for Kumbh 2019 from Maharashtra, Khanna met Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, and handed over an invitation to him on behalf of Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh. The team also discussed the preparation by the state for this sought-after event. The Government of India has made a historic increase in number of flights by constructing a new air civil terminal in Prayagraj, which is now connected to the country’s several main cities like Bengaluru, Indore, Nagpur, Patna etc. A heliport is also being set up here and arrangements are being made to provide the facility of helicopter joy ride to tourists. Also, to provide high-quality facilities to tourists, a premium tent city is being developed in the Kumbh Mela area.

The Government of Assam, Tourism Department has declared to open the Kaziranga National Park from the first week of October this year till middle of May 2017. Earlier, it was from November 1 to April 30 every year. The BJP-led government is taking steps to keep the Park open for the tourists for eight months instead of the normal six months with an aim to increase tourist inflow to UNESCO’s world heritage site, which suffered due to the recent floods.

Sikkim has added another feather to its cap with the recent addition of the Khangchendzonga National Park to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites as India’s first ‘Mixed World Heritage Site’. The UNESCO recognition will give a further push to eco-tourism in our state, while also helping us to regulate the high influx of visitors to more popular destinations with only a minimal negative impact of tourism,” said Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling. “This is important since tourist arrivals to our state more than doubled to 38,479 in 2015 and our target is around 12 lakh visitors by 2025,” he said in a statement. The park was initially commissioned in August 1977 with a declared area of 850 Sq km and was extended to 1,784 sq.km some years later. Khangchendzonga National Park had been on the Unesco’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites since 2006, and has among the sharpest altitudinal variations for any site in the world — from a low of 1,220 metres to 8,586 metres — within a small aerial distance of 42 km.