From large US parks to Asian temples, here are the new UNESCO heritage sites

Unesco designated more than a dozen sites – most of them in Asia – as world heritage sites at its annual assembly in the South Korean city of Busan.

The new inscriptions include the Buddhist temple Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan – continuously active for over 1,500 years in the Thai province of Nakhon Si Thammarat – ei Xiongnu funerary complexes, in Mongolia.

The organization has also given the green light to the recognition of the ancient world heritage site Buddhist site of Sarnath (India)a sacred site where the Buddha is believed to have given his first sermon and met his first disciples.

In Africa, he added the medinas of the historic sultanates of the Comoros and the Tunisian village of Sidi Bou Saidoverlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Natural heritage

As regards natural heritage, UNESCO has included theOkefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (United States) and the Wadi Wurayah nature reserve in the United Arab Emirates. Finally, it designated the bony fish fossils of as World Heritage Limfjord, in Denmarkas they represent the oldest and most significant site for understanding the evolution and early diversification of modern bony fishes.