Peru has a 2,300-year-old solar observatory, the Thai National Park near the Burmese border, and the ancient Chinese trade center including a historic mosque. All are listed by UNESCO as the most culturally significant places in the world.

The Chankillo Observatory in Peru was built before the rise of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site on Tuesday, while Thailand’s vast Kaeng Krachan forest complex and the ancient Quanzhou Port in China were listed as World Heritage Sites along with several other cultural and natural sites on Sunday. Directory. world.

According to recent research, Chankillo Observatory can perform very accurate astronomical observations.

The walled ruins of the top of the mountain about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Lima have long plagued scientists.

Then in 2007, a study in the journal Science proposed that the sequence of towers built between 200 and 300 BC “marked the summer and winter solstices” and that Chankillo was “partly a solar observatory.”

Peruvian archaeologist Ivan Ghezzi and his British colleague Clive Ruggles co-authored the study. He told AFP that the towers were erected “very precisely” to mark the different positions of the sun, “so the exact date can be marked.” .

Their purpose is to calculate the month, winter solstice, and spring equinox—planting and harvest seasons, and religious holidays—with amazing accuracy.

The structure is like a huge clock, marking the passage of time in a year.

“Chankillo is a masterpiece of ancient Peruvians. A masterpiece of architecture, technology and astronomy. It is the cradle of American astronomy,” Gezi told AFP when visiting the website.

There are also 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru, including the Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu.

A sort of UNESCO World Heritage In addition to its growing popularity among tourists, the designation ensures legal protection of the site and funds for its protection. But it also increases the risk of excessive tourism and the government’s failure to protect designated locations.

A group of independent United Nations experts warned before UNESCO designated Kaeng Krachan Forest Park that the Karen community living in the area was repeatedly forcibly deported and arrested. [File: Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters]

‘Big Gift’

At the same time, Thailand’s Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa welcomed UNESCO’s inclusion of the Kaeng Krachan forest, despite the UN human rights experts warning that the Thai authorities are forcing the indigenous Karen people to leave the area.

“We received a big gift from the World Heritage Committee,” Kaeng said.

“In the past 16 years, we have worked hard and tried to list Kaeng Krachan as a World Heritage Site four times, and this time, we succeeded for the fourth time.”

A group of independent UN experts even issued a warning before announcing that the Karen community living in the area had been repeatedly forcibly deported and arrested.

According to reports, more than 80 Karen people were arrested this year, and 28 of them have been criminally charged for “occupying” park land, including a child, according to a statement issued by the UN independent human rights expert last week.

The Karen community living in the forest resisted attempts by the Thai authorities to move away from what they said was their ancestral home.

A spokesperson for the Thai government did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the reported deportation.

“The indigenous people who have lived there for more than 100 years have no rights to the land of their ancestors,” said Angkhana Neelapaijit, a former Thai human rights commissioner.

“They are facing deportation in the name of protecting the forest.”

“Maritime Silk Road”

In China, UNESCO also listed the ancient port of Quanzhou as a protected area.

According to the National Broadcasting Corporation CGTN, Quanzhou Complex has at least 22 historical sites and monuments in this coastal city, and is considered to be one of the largest and busiest ports in the ancient world.

Among the ruins and temples of the Quanzhou complex are the Qingjing Temple and the Twin Stone Pagodas, one of the oldest mosques in China.

Quanzhou, also known as Zaidun, is said to be the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. China is recovering As it expands its political and economic influence.

Other heritage sites announced on Sunday include the Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple in India, the Trans-Iran Railway in Iran, and the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro Parks in Spain.

On Monday, four islands in Japan, tidal flats in South Korea and wetlands in Georgia were also included on the UNESCO list.