The 35 Places That Could Become UNESCO World Heritage Sites This Year

Asmara is renowned for its modernist buildings, which have remained untouched since the 1930s. Some refer to the city as “Little Rome.” If accepted onto the list, it would become Eritrea’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Referred to as the “Manchester of India,” Ahmadabad’s historic city is brimming with textile markets, grandiose mosques, and ornate tombs of medieval rulers.

Mole National Park is renowned for its biodiversity, which includes 93 mammals, 400 types of birds, 33 reptiles and insects, and five different kinds of butterflies.

This Romanesque cathedral remains basically unchanged since its construction in 1213.

The former capital of the Republic of Kongo in known for the ruins of its 16th-century cathedral, which many Angolans call the first in Sub-Saharan Africa (although there is much debate over this).

This secret religious island has gone through some controversy since its nomination as, historically, women are not allowed to step foot there.

This area is home to the Khomani people, thought to be the last surviving indigenous San community in South Africa.

This natural reserve is considered the important summer habitat and breeding ground for the Tibetan Antelope.

The Dubai Creek, as it’s known in English, was instrumental in establishing Dubai’s commercial success with fishing, pearl diving and trade.

Strasbourg’s Grand Ile is already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the organization may choose to expand its borders. The island is renowned for its preservation of medieval buildings from Strasbourg’s history.

This area was used from the Medieval Ages until the start of the 20th century for subarctic farming by eskimos.

This biosphere reserve is nominated for its mountains and valleys. The complex topography also contains three different types of climate: dry, tropical rainforest and temperate rainforest.

This Argentinian national park is known for its series of connected lakes and rivers, mountainous peaks and lush woodlands.

After the first Opium War, this island became a portal through which many western civilizations accessed China.

This collection of sites in Central Germany (mostly churches) are associated with Martin Luther and the Reformation.

The buildings of this monastery were constructed between the 12th and 17th centuries. The complex is renowned for its mosaics and wall paintings and as an excellent example of Georgian medieval architecture.

This historic lead mine dates back to the 1500s. It is nominated as an exceptional example of a large-scale mining network.

This ancient Turkish city is renowned as an excellent archaeological site for Greek and Roman period antiquities.

This forest is renowned for having the “most complete and comprehensive ecological patterns and processes of pure stands of European beech,” according to UNESCO.

This potential world heritage site is a wetland known for its high genetic and ecological diversity. There are over 300 different species of plant, 62 invertebrates, 19 fish and five amphibians recorded here.

This religious complex, which now lies in ruin, dates back to Cambodia’s Pre-Angkorian Chenla Kingdom (from the 6th to 9th centuries). It was established as a capital city and royal sanctuary.

During the 16th century, Ivan the Terrible came upon this island and decided to build a fortress there to help him win a battle. The Assumption Cathedral, which was built around that time, is renowned for its preservation of over 3,500 feet of frescoes.

There are 25 archaeological sites across Minorca that are up for nomination. They are all considered to be great examples of the Talayotic culture that dates back to the prehistory and protohistory of the island.

The Bauhaus was the site of one of the greatest architectural revolutions in the early 20th century. The collection of buildings on campus were created and furnished by some of the masters of the movement, including Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Wassily Kandinsky.

The Dauria Reserve is populated by unique Siberian steppes and, according to UNESCO, is “one of few remaining Eurasian extensive grassland steppe where wildlife and domestic livestock co-exist.”

This commune in French Polynesia features a marae archaeological site that was once considered the religious center of Eastern Polynesia.

The area inspired many of the Romantic poets, like Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Al-Khalil became one of the four sacred cities of Islam, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

This wharf in downtown Rio de Janeiro was an infamous part of the African Slave Trade. It was here where slaves who had caught diseases or died on the boat ride across the Atlantic were buried.

The W Regional Park, Arly National Park and Pendjari Complex is an area of savannah known for having some of the last populations of big game, like West African lions, hippopotamuses and buffalo in West Africa. It stretches across Benin, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. Together, the three parks make up almost 20,000 square miles of land.

The historic city of Sheki is nominated for its urban planning, featuring winding streets, narrow alleys and the crowning achievement of the Khan’s Palace.

These caves in Germany are known for housing the oldest collection of works of art from the Ice Age.

The historic city of Yazd is nominated for its diverse collection of architecture, all dating from different time periods, that come together “in a harmonious combination with climatic conditions,” UNESCO says.

The former capital of Transjordan has nominated 25 different buildings that represent the golden age of Salt, from 1865 to 1920.

The Venetians built a complex defense system that stretches over 600 miles from Italy to Montenegro.