The United Nations’ cultural organisation, Unesco, has unveiled some new sites on its World Heritage List. Here are some of them:

Koh Ker archaeological site, Cambodia

The ancient temple complex, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in the Srayong commune of Preah Vihear province’s Kulen district. It comprises numerous temples and sanctuaries, including sculptures, inscriptions, wall paintings and archaeological remains.

Constructed over 23 years, it was one of two rival Khmer Empire capitals – the other being Angkor – and was the sole capital in the period from 928 to 944.

Cultural landscape of old tea forests of Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er, China

Located on Jingmai Mountain in south-western China, the site comprises five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests 1,250m to 1,500m above sea level, three protective barrier forests, and nine ancient villages in the old tea forests, which are inhabited mainly by the Blang and Dai ethnic groups.

The cultural landscape was jointly created by the ancestors of the Blang people – who immigrated to Jingmai Mountain in the 10th century, and later discovered and domesticated wild tea trees – and the indigenous Dai people.

Gaya Tumuli, South Korea

The site is an archaeological cemetery with burial mounds attributed to South Korea’s ancient Gaya confederacy.

According to Yonhap news agency, Gaya was a loosely knit federation of six or seven small kingdoms that prospered between the first and sixth centuries in the southern and central regions of the Korean peninsula.

The tumuli consist of seven clusters of tombs in the architectural style of graves built in the fourth and fifth centuries, along with burial accessories and goods showing Gaya’s network of trade and handcrafted manufacturing.

Hoysala temples, India

Built in the 12th to 13th centuries, the Hoysala temples are located in the southern state of Karnataka. The temples are known for evolving a distinctive ornate style, with temple architecture following a stellate plan built on a raised platform, according to The Hindu.

The material used in the temple construction is chloritic schist, also known as soapstone, which is soft and amenable to carving, the Indian newspaper reported.

According to Unesco, the shrines are characterised by “hyper-real sculptures and stone carvings” that cover the entire architectural surface, a circumambulatory platform, a large-scale sculptural gallery, a multi-tiered frieze, and sculptures of the Sala legend.

Tak’alik Ab’aj national archaeological park, Guatemala

Tak’alik Ab’aj is a 1,700-year-old Guatemalan archaeological site associated with the rise of early Maya civilisation.

It was a cosmopolitan commercial hub inhabited first by an ancient group known as the Olmecs and later by the Maya.

The site in modern-day El Asintal, about 200km west of Guatemala City, boasts buildings, sculptures, ceremonial squares and items bearing the writing of both civilisations.

Guatemalan Culture Minister Felipe Aguilar told Agence France-Presse that the site was considered the birthplace of the Maya culture. “That is what makes it unique.”

Djerba, Tunisia

The Tunisian resort island of Djerba is famous for its ancient ruins, whitewashed villages, mosques, churches and synagogues.

Djerba is considered to be the mythological island in Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus and his companions encounter the lotus eaters. It was also featured in the Star Wars movies as part of the planet Tatooine.

Known for its religious diversity, the island has churches, synagogues including the Ghriba, the oldest in Africa, and fortified mosques from the Ibadi school of Islam, some of which are underground.

It is also famous for its Carthaginian and Roman ruins, and also traditional houses known as “houch”, which have an interior courtyard and ingenious systems to collect rainwater. AFP, CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK