UNESCO adds Sarnath, Okefenokee and Asian sites to World Heritage List

UNESCO's committee in Busan added Sarnath, Okefenokee Swamp and several other sites to the World Heritage List. The inscriptions highlight shared efforts to protect sacred places, wetlands and living cultural traditions.Several sites across Asia, the United States and Africa were added to the World Heritage List on Saturday at a UNESCO committee meeting in South Korea, including Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in Thailand, Sarnath in India, South Korea's tidal flats, porcelain industry sites in China and historic towns in Comoros.The meetings in Busan will continue till next Wednesday, with the committee reviewing dozens of other nominations, including the D-Day landing beaches in France, Mount Olympus in Greece and the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka-Fujiwara.The Okefenokee Swamp in the US state of Georgia was added to the list for its biodiversity and environmental significance. UNESCO said it is one of the world's largest freshwater ecosystems, with a vast network of wetlands that supports exceptional biodiversity and serves as the source of two major rivers. Its largely undisturbed peat beds preserve a 5,000-year record of environmental change. While the designation places the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge alongside landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, some locals have opposed the listing, fearing it would increase UN involvement in managing the site."We accept this inscription not as a finish line, but as a commitment to keep the Okefenokee wild, resilient, and thriving for generations to come," said Kim Bednarek, executive director of the non-profit Okefenokee Swamp Park, which worked with the US government on the refuge's nomination package. Thailand's Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in the south of the country, was also inscribed on the World Heritage List, becoming Thailand's ninth site. The temple is known for its 78-metre stupa and distinctive architecture. UNESCO described it as an outstanding example of Theravada Buddhist architecture that remains a living place of worship and preserves religious traditions that draw large gatherings of devotees. The temple was first proposed to UNESCO in 2012 and went through more than a decade of preparation to meet nomination requirements.With the listing expected to increase the number of visitors, officials said they were ready to deal with infrastructure and capacity challenges. "We have prepared our infrastructure, buffer zoning and evacuation plan to fit all the requirements of UNESCO," Nakhon Si Thammarat City mayor Kanop Ketchart said in an interview with The Associated Press this month. "More importantly, the people are getting used to all this process for almost 10 years. So they are very much looking forward to (it)." Sarnath, an ancient Buddhist site in Varanasi, was another new addition to the World Heritage List. UNESCO said it is recognised as the sacred place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, and that its architectural and archaeological remains continue to hold deep significance despite periods of decline and revival.The committee also expanded the World Heritage listing of South Korea's getbol tidal flats by adding four coastal wetlands in Seosan, Goheung, Muan and Yeosu in the country's west. UNESCO had already inscribed four other South Korean tidal flats in 2021 for their biodiversity and their role as a stopover for migratory birds. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the expanded designation "reaffirms the importance of international cooperation for the conservation of the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway," a major migratory bird route stretching from the Arctic through Asia to Australia and New Zealand.Other additions included historic handicraft porcelain industry sites in Jingdezhen in eastern China, which trace the development of handcrafted porcelain production from the 10th to the 19th centuries, and six historic towns in Comoros dating to the 11th century, giving the Indian Ocean island nation its first World Heritage listing. UNESCO said the towns reflect centuries of cultural exchange through Indian Ocean trade networks while preserving urban traditions shaped by African, Arab and Islamic influences.Saturday's additions to the World Heritage List brought together religious, environmental and historic sites from different regions, with the UNESCO committee in Busan set to continue reviewing more nominations over the coming days.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 25, 2026 18:42 IST