UNESCO site ‘wonders’

I was asked to follow up on a comment I made in my letter titled “Explore UNESCO Sites” (May ’14, pg. 12). 

I had referred to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list and wrote, “While the list is certainly not perfect and has left me wondering, on a few occasions, why a particular site was included, it has often led me to sites I never would have considered or found had I not consulted it.” I was asked to name some of the World Heritage Site listings that left me scratching my head.

One that stands out is the Chongoni Rock Art site in Malawi. It consists of 127 sites of rock art dating from at least 2,000 years ago on up to the 20th century. I visited only a few, but they were badly defaced by graffiti, no effort had been made to protect them, and signage at the sites was very poor.

There were no signs leading from the main roads to the sites. It was only through luck and perseverance that we found them, since our guide, who was experienced and otherwise good, had never heard of them.

Personally, I enjoy the cultural and historical sites the most, so when relatively modern buildings such as those on the campus of the Central University of Venezuela, Sewell Mining Town in Chile, Engelsberg Ironworks in Sweden and even the Sydney Opera House are included, I sometimes wonder why. 

Some World Heritage Sites are nearly impossible to explore, such as Surtsey, off the coast of Iceland, which strictly prohibits visits, and the Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test Site, to which access is severely limited due to lingering nuclear radiation.

Although 190 countries have ratified the World Heritage Convention, only 160 have sites listed. Clearly, there are political influences affecting choices. One of my favorite archaeological destinations is Myanmar, yet, despite magnificent sites such as Bagan, Inle Lake or even the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar has no World Heritage Sites inscribed on the list. 

UNESCO has identified 44 sites to be “in danger” due to changing environment (e.g., the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve), armed conflict (e.g., archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan) and poor conservation or civilian encroachment (e.g., the historic town of Zabid in Yemen). 

Two sites (the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany and the Arabian oryx sanctuary in Oman) have actually been delisted.

While I have a certain degree of pessimism about a few sites, I still firmly believe that the UNESCO World Heritage List is one of the best roadmaps serious travelers can use when planning trips.

BOB PARDA

Poway, CA