UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
WHS closely connected with an entry on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. I.e: the WHS is a major or the sole location for the occurrence/performance of an entry and/or is closely associated culturally with it. https://ich.unesco.org/
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Ahwar of Southern Iraq | Traditional craft skills and arts of Al-Mudhif building | |
| Aksum | Ethiopian Epiphany (2019) has been celebrated historically in Axum, Lalibela, Gondar where world heritage sites of Ethiopia are found. | |
| Al Ain | Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices (2019) - Al Ain named in nomination among UAE representatives; Al Aflaj, traditional irrigation network system in the UAE, oral traditions, knowledge and skills of construction, maintenance and equitable water distribution (2020) | |
| Aleppo | 2021: "Al-Qudoud al-Halabiya is a form of traditional music from Aleppo with a fixed melody. ...Aleppans continue to perform the music in the alleyways and souks of the old city." | |
| Ancient Nara | Daimokutate - In Yahashira Shrine of Nara City | |
| Angkor | Royal ballet of Cambodia - closely associated with the Khmer court; the origins of Khmer classical dance in the style seen today are disputed. Cambodian scholars, such as Pech Tum Kravel, and French scholar George Groslier have claimed Khmer classical dance as a tradition maintained since the Angkor period (wiki) | |
| Angkor | Bokator (2022) | |
| Armenian Monastic Ensembles | Pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery (2020, Iran + Armenia) | |
| Blue and John Crow Mountains | The Maroon Heritage of Moore Town was listed in 2003 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and then relisted in 2008 on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (AB ev) | |
| Borobudur | Gamelan (2021): "Gamelan is an integral part of Indonesian identity dating back centuries; archaeological evidence of the practice has been found in the relief sculptures of the eighth-century Borobudur temple." | |
| Brugge | Holy Blood Procession | |
| Changdeokgung Palace Complex | Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture - "Wooden architecture has a long history in Korea. Among the best examples are Changdeokgung Palace and Bulguksa Temple, which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These architectural treasures were constructed under the command of daemokjang. In this sense, traditional Korean wooden architecture, built and restored with the skills and knowledge of daemokjang, are appreciated not as mere buildings, but as works of art." - Intangible Heritage Nomination File | |
| Chongoni Rock Art | Gule Wamkulu | |
| Cordoba | Fiesta of the patios in Cordova | |
| Dolomites | Alpinism (2019) | |
| Dubrovnik | The festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik | |
| El Tajin | Location for regular performance by Totenacs of the Ritual Ceremony of the Voladores | |
| Fasil Ghebbi | Ethiopian Epiphany (2019) has been celebrated historically in Axum, Lalibela, Gondar where world heritage sites of Ethiopia are found. | |
| Grand Place, Brussels | Ommegang of Brussels, an annual historical procession and popular festival (2019) "The procession follows a 1.5 km route through the city to the Grand-Place" | |
| Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain | Mongolian traditional practices of worshipping the sacred sites (2017): "State’s support for initiatives to revive Mountain worship" and "Any activity on Burkhan Khaldun Mountain itself, other than worshipping rituals, is traditionally forbidden" (AB ev) | |
| Harar Jugol | Shuwalid festival | |
| Historic Cairo | Coptic Cairo, Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church: Festivals related to the Journey of the Holy family in Egypt (2022) | |
| Island of Saint-Louis | Ceebu Jën, a culinary art of Senegal (2021): "a dish that originated in the fishing communities on the Island of Saint-Louis in Senegal" | |
| Jeju | Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (women divers) | |
| Jongmyo Shrine | The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music | |
| Kinderdijk | Craft of the miller operating windmills and watermills (2017) | |
| Kotor | Cultural Heritage of Boka Navy Kotor (2021): "Boka Navy is a traditional, non-governmental maritime organization founded in Kotor, Montenegro in 809." | |
| Kotor | Festivity of Saint Tryphon and the Kolo (chain dance) of Saint Tryphon (2022) - "The festivity stems from the cult of Saint Tryphon. His remains were taken to Kotor in 809, and he has been worshipped as the patron saint of Kotor, the Diocese of Kotor, and the Boka Navy ever since." | |
| La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle | Craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics (2020) | |
| Lalibela | Ethiopian Epiphany (2019) has been celebrated historically in Axum, Lalibela, Gondar where world heritage sites of Ethiopia are found. | |
| Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces | Winegrowers Festival in Vevey | |
| Loire Valley | Equitation in the French tradition | |
| Medina of Essaouira | Gnawa (2019): The Gnawa are also found in large numbers in imperial cities, often within the historic old urban fabric (the medinas), particularly in Essaouira and Marrakesh. These two cities are home to a significant number of Gnawa musicians and followers of Gnawa culture. | |
| Medina of Marrakesh | The Cultural Space of Jemaa el-Fna Square (2008) & Gnawa (2019): The Gnawa are also found in large numbers in imperial cities, often within the historic old urban fabric (the medinas), particularly in Essaouira and Marrakesh. These two cities are home to a significant number of Gnawa musicians and followers of Gnawa culture. | |
| Mexico City and Xochimilco | Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead: "Míxquic es un pueblo que forma parte del polígono de la zona chinampera declarada como Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO." | |
| Mijikenda Kaya Forests | 2009 | |
| Naples | Neapolitan pizza, for example to be had at Pizzeria Da Michele | |
| Osun-Osogbo | The Ifa Divination System | |
| Osun-Osogbo | Oral heritage of Gelede | |
| Pearling | Fjiri (2021): "Fjiri originated on the Island of Muharraq, where, up until the mid-twentieth century, most of the population formed part of the pearling community." | |
| Petra | The Cultural Space of the Bedu in Petra and Wadi Rum | |
| Potosi | Ch'utillos, the Festival of San Bartolomé and San Ignacio de Loyola, the meeting of cultures in Potosí | |
| Provins | Falconry, a living human heritage (2012) | |
| Puebla | Artisanal talavera of Puebla and Tlaxcala (Mexico) and ceramics of Talavera de la Reina and El Puente del Arzobispo (Spain) making process (2019) | |
| Qhapaq Ñan | Knowledge, skills and rituals related to the annual renewal of the Q'eswachaka bridge (2013) | |
| Quanzhou | Nanyin, a musical performing art | |
| Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras | The Hudhud Chants of the Ifugao | |
| Sambor Prei Kuk | Bokator (2022) | |
| Sana'a | The Song of Sana'a | |
| Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple | Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture - "Wooden architecture has a long history in Korea. Among the best examples are Changdeokgung Palace and Bulguksa Temple, which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These architectural treasures were constructed under the command of daemokjang. In this sense, traditional Korean wooden architecture, built and restored with the skills and knowledge of daemokjang, are appreciated not as mere buildings, but as works of art." - Intangible Heritage Nomination File | |
| Stari Grad Plain | Procession Za Krizen ("following the cross") on the island of Hvar | |
| Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch | Alpinism (2019) | |
| São Luis | Cultural Complex of Bumba-meu-boi from Maranhão (2019) | |
| Tombs of Buganda Kings | "Bark cloth making is an ancient craft performed by the Baganda people who live in the Buganda kingdom in south Uganda" | |
| Upper Svaneti | Georgian Polyphonic Singing | |
| Val di Noto | Catania, Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian Puppet Theatre | |
| Vienna | Classical horsemanship and the High School of the Spanish Riding School Vienna (2015): The Spanish Riding School in the Vienna’s Imperial Palace (A-1010 Vienna, Michaelerplatz 1, Hofburg) in the city center of Vienna, where training sessions and regular performances are open for the wider public. | |
| Wadi Rum | The Cultural Space of the Bedu in Petra and Wadi Rum |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source