5 Unesco Cultural Greats Part 2

From rock-hewn cities to Welsh castles; mountaintop temples to island prisons, we celebrate the UNESCO-listed wonders that make the world a more cultured place WORDS SARAH BAXTER 5 Unesco Cultural Greats Part 2.

1. RAJASTHAN HILL FORTS, INDIA

WHY?Explore six for the price of one flight

3. MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, USA

WHY?Admire American and UNESCO roots

UNESCO designated its first batch ofWorld Heritage sites in 1978, and this cluster of Ancestral Puebloan ruins in south-west Colorado was one of that original dozen. The only US national park focused solely on archeology, Mesa Verde comprises a massive concentration of Native American dwellings built from the sixth to the 12th centuries on a verdant plateau, 2,600m above sea level. Within the park, 4,400 sites have been recorded, ranging from simple pits and hollows to elaborate multistorey clif mansions with more than 100 rooms. GET THERE: Mesa Verde is located of Route 160, 14km east of Cortez; it lies around 600km south-west of Denver.

4. TROY, TURKEY

WHY?Mark the 20th UNESCO anniversary of this incredible 5,000-year-old city

Turkey has declared 2018 the ‘Year of Troy’, in honour of the site’s entry onto the UNESCO list in 1998. And quite right, too: the ancient Anatolian city is easily one of the world’s most famous archaeological treasures, founded in the third millennium BC by the Hittites and made a household name by Homer’s Iliad. The ruins, rediscovered in the 1870s, are extensive, and span millennia of occupation. You can see the early defensive walls and later Greek and Roman temples; also, the surrounding plains are littered with human history, from prehistoric settlements and Ottoman bridges to monuments to the First WorldWar Battle of Gallipoli. An incredible site. GET THERE: Troy is a 45-minute minibus ride from the city of Çanakkale, which has an airport.

5. PETRA, JORDAN

WHY?For a huge heritage hit without the crowds

Jordan has sufered by Middle Eastern association in recent years; the US government still urges travellers to ‘exercise increased caution’ here. Visitor numbers are creeping up, but it remains a good time to see the country’s headline site minus the crowds. Petra, which was carved by the Nabataeans in the third century BC, is a wonder, and more extensive than many assume. Spend time here, squeezing through the Siq, marvelling Top UNESCO sites Dreamstime ⊲ at the Treasury, climbing up to the monastery and exploring the old city. Or better still, combine with the new 650km Jordan Trail that winds the nation. GET THERE: Petra is a 2.5-hour drive south of Amman;buses run to Wadi Musa(Petra’s gateway).

sources: Wanderlust UK , July 2018