Would it be possible to indicate the name of the sites in your pics please (especially the one from the last review)? Cheers.

"
Sure -
The Dzongs (the latest one - I have 1 more to do)
The review says - "I attach one such digitised photo of Trongsa dzong - the largest in Bhutan and wonderfully situated" but perhaps it got lost among all my text!!
Sacred Sites associated with Phajo Drugom Zhigpo and his descendants
It is of Taktshang (Tiger's Lair) - I presumed this was clear as the review was all about it and I said I hadn't visited any of the other potential sites
Ancient Ruin of Drukgyel Dzong
Indeed 2 photos of Drukgyel - 1 from NG and 1 mine

Thanks Paul. Might be my fault then. The photo of Trongsa Dzong is stunning - I'd be willing to visit to see this place alone!

Els/Clyde
If Clyde doesn't mind I wonder if the title to this topic could be changed to "Bhutan World Heritage" and moved to the country section? Then Clyde or Els could move the reference to me into the text of his first post and the whole topic becomes "person neutral"!?

In doing research for my reviews I have been coming up with a number of documents and issues regarding Bhutan and World Heritage and it would be useful to have a topic to file them under and possibly to discuss them.

I have been looking up what there is about Trongsa on the Web in relation to World Heritage
a. It appears that Austria has a long term and ongoing relationship with Bhutan to assist it in preserving its tangible heritage and has been working at Trongsa
b. This document from 2007 describes some of the activities Austria has been carrying out with particular reference to Trongsa. But of more general interest it suggests why Bhutan was very slow to get involved with World Heritage nominations e.g The Government of Bhutan "decided not to declare the Dzong a UNESCO heritage site due to dissociation with the (western) approach to conservation, which they find is not applicable in the Bhutanese context. This however, seems to be based on the misunderstanding that UNESCO heritage sites cannot be used as "living structures"" See more in - http://www.entwicklung.at/uploads/media/4421_bhutan___field_report_01.pdf
c. The Bhutan government must have overcome the concerns highlighted in 2007 - presumably with lobbying by Austria and UNESCO etc but still took until 2012 to put forward a T LIst . I woner if it was coincidence that this period (2007 -12) was the same as the period across which Bhutan transitioned from an absolute (albeit benevolent) monarchy to a representative democracy

I also discovered this little 2 page brochure from c 2000 (or a little bit earlier??) about what the Austrians had been doing. I rather like its highlighting of this problem "The installation of sanitary facilities in the last 20 years, which has led to increased water consumption in the dzong, as well as the negligent maintenance of the traditional courtyard drainage systems have considerably aggravated the impact of heavy rains and earth quakes, but have also increased wall sagging and cracking in the recent years "
http://www.p-b-export.at/db_consultants/upload_projekte/403__testimonial.pdf

Done!

thanks Els!

"I couldn't resist attaching the 3rd version of the current look with Solivagant's picture. If he disapproves he will surely let me know in the forum but I didn't want to ask and spoil the "surprise"". - Zoe review

Not at all Zoe - and certainly a "surprise" to see what has happened to Drukgyel!!