China's Imperial Tombs added to the UNESCO list

▲ Aerial view taken by drone of two Chinese Imperial Tombs in Yinchuan. Photo Xinhua

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 12, 2025, p. 5

China's Xixia Imperial Tombs were officially inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List yesterday during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris.

The inscription brings the number of World Heritage sites in China to 60. The Xixia Imperial Tombs are a group of imperial tombs from the Xixia Dynasty (Western Xia, 1038–1227), founded by the Tangut people in northwest China from the 11th to the 13th centuries.

Covering an area of nearly 40 square kilometers, the site comprises four types of architectural remains: nine imperial mausoleums, 271 subordinate tombs, a northern architectural complex covering 50 square meters, and 32 flood control works.

The Xixia Imperial Tombs in Yinchuan are the largest and highest-ranking archaeological site that has survived to the present day.

At the annual meeting of the agency's committee, nine sites were added to the list, including the Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains in Cameroon, which is notable for its rich biodiversity and historical and cultural significance for local communities.

The dry stone structures of Diy-Gid-Biy rise above the Shikewe Basin, with terraces and platforms built from granite.

The name Diy-Gid-Biy comes from the Mafa language meaning chief's place of residence , reflecting the connection to tribal heritage.

The Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape in Malawi has also been added to the UNESCO list. It is a site of great natural beauty and biodiversity, with unique endemic species and fragile ecosystems.

Another site included is the Faya Paleoscape in the United Arab Emirates. This paleontological site offers a fascinating insight into the geological history of the region and houses fossils of great scientific importance.

The Murujuga Cultural Landscape in Australia was also added to the organization's World Heritage List, as a significant site for its petroglyphs and rock art, which tell the history and traditions of Australia's Indigenous peoples.

The list is completed by the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, an example of the region's military engineering and architecture, notable for their historical and cultural significance; the Memorial Sites of Cambodia, which transformed themselves from centers of repression into places of peace and reflection; and the prehistoric caves of the Khorramabad Valley in Iran, which offer a fascinating insight into the life and culture of human communities in the region during prehistoric times.

Also inscribed was the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia's Selangor Forest Park, which is known for its importance in the conservation and study of Malaysia's biodiversity and forest ecosystems.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will remain in session until July 16, during which 30 cultural and natural sites, including those in Panama, Brazil, and Mexico, are considered for the current edition. Among the candidates for this edition are the castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria, in present-day Germany, including Neuschwanstein, which served as the model for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle.

(With information from Xinhua and AFP)