The ancient city of Sardis and the Thousand Hills Tumulus were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming Türkiye's 22nd cultural heritage site; Ludwig's castles from Germany, the Carnac stones from France, and the Minoan palaces from Crete were also added to the list.
UNESCO has added several new sites to the World Heritage List after reviewing applications that required extensive research and submission processes.
The ancient city of Sardis, the capital of Lydia, and the Thousand Hills Tumulus were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming Türkiye's 22nd cultural heritage site.
The news was announced by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, on his X account.
Sardis, spanning approximately 7,500 hectares and notable for its thick walls reaching 20 meters, is known as one of the most powerful cities of antiquity. The tumuli, known as the Thousand Hills, contain the monumental tombs of the Lydian royal family.
Other sites on the list included many across Europe, including the famous fairytale castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the megalithic Carnac stones in northwestern France and the Minoan Palaces on the Greek island of Crete.
Fairytale castles
The World Heritage Commission decided to elevate Neuschwanstein Castle, Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and the royal residence in Schachen in Germany to World Heritage status at its meeting in Paris.
The magnificent castles of Upper Bavaria have attracted numerous tourists for over 140 years. The residences of King Ludwig II (1845-1886) attracted over 1.7 million visitors last year alone, including many foreign visitors, particularly from the USA and Asia.
"The inclusion of the palaces on the World Heritage List is an extraordinary honour for these impressive sites," said Maria Böhmer, President of the German Commission for UNESCO. "They are all architectural masterpieces and bear witness to the artistic imagination and eccentricity of the fairy-tale king."
Germany previously had 54 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the old towns of Stralsund and Wismar, Cologne Cathedral, the Wadden Sea and the Roman border fortifications of the Limes.
Ancient structures
The French Carnac megaliths and the Greek Minoan palatial centres are both structures from ancient times.
The Carnac Stones are a dense collection of megalithic sites located near the south coast of Brittany, dating from 4500–3300 BC.
The Minoan palatial centres, which include Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia, were key centres of the Bronze Age Minoan civilisation, which flourished between 2800 and 1100 BC.
World Heritage inscription recognises the historical significance of sites, their architectural integrity and the existence of a comprehensive conservation and management framework.
Cultural prestige
While the World Heritage title does not bring any financial support, it does provide greater international attention and cultural prestige.
World Heritage status also carries with it UNESCO requirements aimed at benefiting local populations, particularly those experiencing an influx of tourists. Among other things, the organisation requires an effective visitor management concept to better manage mass tourism.
The consequences of ignoring UNESCO regulations were seen in Dresden's Elbe Valley in 2009, when a new bridge led to the revocation of its World Heritage status. The construction of the bridge, called the Waldschlösschenbrücke, was deemed to damage the "Outstanding Universal Value" of the cultural landscape. This marked the first time UNESCO had removed a European World Heritage site from its list.
Italy's 60 sites are on the list, the most of any country. These include the historic centers of Rome, Florence, and Naples, the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the Amalfi Coast.
Other sites added to the World Heritage list this week include three sites used as torture and execution sites by Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime 50 years ago.
The listing coincides with the 50th anniversary of the rise to power of the communist Khmer Rouge government, which killed an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians through starvation, torture and mass executions over four years from 1975 to 1979.
UNESCO's World Heritage List includes the Great Wall of China, the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India and the Angkor archaeological complex in Cambodia.