Three sites in Asia have been selected for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. A total of fifteen sites have been newly-inscribed so far by the World Heritage Committee as meetings continue in Manama.
The three new sites in Asia include the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensembles in Mumbai, India; a dozen hidden Christian sites in Japan’s southern Nagasaki Region; and a collection of seven Sansa, or Buddhist mountain monasteries, in Korea’s southern provinces.
The Mumbai site is home to public buildings that have been built first in the Victorian Neo-Gothic style in the 19th century, and in the early 20th century, in the Art Deco idiom. The Victorian ensemble showcases Indian elements such as balconies and verandas, while the Art Deco edifices blend Indian design with Art Deco imagery in a unique style that has been described as ‘Indo-Deco’.
Located on the north-western part of Kyushu island, the 12 components of the site consist of ten villages, Hara castle and a cathedral built between the 16th and 19th centuries that belong to the hidden Christian communities who secretly transmitted their faith during the period of prohibition from the 17th to 19th century.
Korea’s Sansa Buddhist mountain monasteries, established from the 7th to 9th century, contain a large number of individually remarkable structures, objects, documents and shrines. The monasteries are still in use today.