Cultural sites in China, Iran and Spain inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The World Heritage Committee on July 25 inscribed Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China (China), Trans-Iranian Railway (Iran), and Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro (Spain), on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its 44th session held online and chaired from Fuzhou (China).

China, Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China

• The serial site of Quanzhou illustrates the city’s vibrancy as a maritime emporium during the Song and Yuan periods (10th-14th centuries AD) and its interconnection with the Chinese hinterland. 

• Quanzhou thrived during a highly significant period for maritime trade in Asia. The site encompasses religious buildings, including the 11th century AD Qingjing Mosque, one of the earliest Islamic edifices in China, Islamic tombs, and a wide range of archaeological remains: administrative buildings, stone docks that were important for commerce and defence, sites of ceramic and iron production, elements of the city’s transportation network, ancient bridges, pagodas, and inscriptions. 

• Known as Zayton in Arabic and western texts of the 10th to 14th centuries AD.

Trans-Iranian Railway, Iran

• The Trans-Iranian Railway connects the Caspian Sea in the northeast with the Persian Gulf in the southwest crossing two mountain ranges as well as rivers, highlands, forests and plains, and four different climatic areas. 

• Started in 1927 and completed in 1938, the 1,394-kilometre-long railway was designed and executed in a successful collaboration between the Iranian government and 43 construction contractors from many countries. 

• The railway is notable for its scale and the engineering works required to overcome steep routes and other difficulties. 

• Its construction involved extensive mountain cutting in some areas, while the rugged terrain in others dictated the construction of 174 large bridges, 186 small bridges and 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels. 

• Unlike most early railway projects, construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway was funded by national taxes to avoid foreign investment and control.

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Spain

• Located at the urban heart of Madrid, the 200-hectare cultural landscape evolved since the creation of the tree-lined Paseo del Prado avenue, a prototype of the Hispanic alameda, in the 16th century. 

• The avenue features major fountains, notably the Fuente de Cibeles and the Fuente de Neptuno, and the Plaza de Cibeles, an iconic symbol of the city, surrounded by prestigious buildings. 

• The site embodies a new idea of urban space and development from the enlightened absolutist period of the 18th century. 

• Buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences join others in the site that are devoted to industry, healthcare and research. 

• Collectively, they illustrate the aspiration for a utopian society during the height of the Spanish Empire. 

• The 120-hectare Jardines del Buen Retiro (Garden of Pleasant Retreat), a remnant of the 17th-century Buen Retiro Palace, constitutes the largest part of the property displaying different gardening styles from the 19th century to the present. 

• The site also houses the terraced Royal Botanical Garden and the largely residential neighbourhood of Barrio Jerónimos with its rich variety of 19th- and 20th-century buildings that include cultural venues.

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