World Heritage Sites II: 12 More of the Worlds Greatest Places

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) continues to designate and bring attention to World Heritage sites across our planet. UNESCO World Heritage sites are special places in the world that stand as superlative creations of human genius and of nature: masterpieces of architecture and archaeology, sublime works of art, classic cityscapes, and awe-inspiring wonders of science and the natural world.

World Heritage sites are considered to hold global significance for all of humankind—places that bear witness to the development of our civilization, and to the stunning natural beauty of Earth. Designation as a World Heritage Site means that a place tells us something profound about the human experience—and/or our planet’s remarkable ecosphere—in different times and places.

Our first foray into World Heritage sites celebrated UNESCO’s remarkable initiative, exploring a rich sampling of these sites across the globe. But there are so many more amazing sights to see, and we knew we needed to visit even more of these astonishing locales. In this exciting sequel, World Heritage Sites II: 12 More of the World’s Greatest Places, you’ll delve into a dozen more extraordinary treasures of archaeology, architecture, art, engineering, and our natural environment.

Once again, the sites are personally selected and guided by esteemed historian Justin M. Jacobs of the American University, who has spent his career studying unique places that reveal the world to us, and our place in it. And, as before, Justin’s richly diverse itinerary takes you around the world, from iconic places to locations that are less traveled but no less extraordinary:

• The West Norwegian Fjords. Globally beloved for their breathtaking scenery, these waterways within Norway’s coastal mountains astonish visitors as they reflect Norwegian cultural history.
• Japan’s White Heron Castle, Himeji. A remnant of Japan’s fascinating feudal past, this phenomenal edifice stands as a symbol of Japanese culture and its glorious visual aesthetics.
• Iraq’s Samarra, Pearl of the Desert. The splendorous royal city of the mighty Abbasid caliphs boasts palatial architecture, stunning mosques, and superb decoration.
• Rice Terraces of the Philippines. As dazzling to the eye as they are brilliant in their engineering, the rice fields of the Ifugao people are a masterwork of human ingenuity.
• The Cliff Palace of Mesa Verde. On the Colorado Plateau, one of the most extraordinary prehistoric ruins in the Americas is the magnificent cliffside homes of the Ancestral Puebloans.

Jewels of Nature and Human Culture

The 12 richly evocative lectures of World Heritage Sites II introduce you to some of the greatest cultural and natural wonders of our planet, highlighting a range of unforgettable sites across the world. In this course, you’ll not only experience the sites themselves, but you’ll also gain rich lessons in the history and culture related to the sites. You’ll learn about the creation of the sites and, in many cases, about the symbiotic connection between a natural landscape and its human inhabitants.

As an example, you’ll visit two mountains of sublime aesthetic beauty, Mount Tai and Mount Emei in China, whose peaks have drawn Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian pilgrims for centuries. In exploring these treasured landscapes, you’ll witness how the trails that take you up to the mountain peaks are adorned with a remarkable array of sacred architecture—temples, shrines, pavilions, staircases, and monumental poetic inscriptions—and are deeply linked with devotional ritual.

A Globe-Spanning Spectrum of Sites

As you travel the planet with Justin, the inquiry takes you far beyond the typical tourist experience. In visiting the sites, you’ll incorporate penetrating historical research, diagrams, maps, and the insights of the latest scholarship, enhancing your appreciation of places such as:

• The Great Wall(s) of China. In approaching this legendary emblem of Chinese culture, dispel the myth that it was ever a single, continuous wall, as you trace the many defensive walls built along China’s northern frontier over 2,000 years. Highlighting the iconic walls of the Ming Dynasty emperors, study their majestic architecture and dramatic history.
• Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia. Investigate a group of the most unusual and distinctive churches in the world. Contemplate the astonishing construction of these religious spaces, a millennium ago, as each church was excavated from a single block of soft volcanic rock. Uncover the elaborate decoration of the churches, reflecting the unique Christian traditions of Ethiopia.
• India’s Incredible Mountain Railways. Make the trek into the Himalayas mountain range and the Nilgiri Mountains in India on three remarkable and still-functioning 19th- and early 20th-century railroads. Grasp the ingenious engineering that enables the trains to ascend soaring mountains, and the political and economic reasons these unusual rail systems were built, as you take in India’s dizzying mountain scenery.
• Sacred Bagan of Myanmar. One of Asia’s most spectacular archaeological sites, the plain of Bagan in Myanmar contains several thousand Buddhist temples, shrines, and stupas. Delve into the history of the Bagan Empire, why its monarchs envisioned this stunning plethora of religious architecture, and visit a range of the region’s exquisite and beloved temples.
• Old Havana of Cuba. Discover what makes Havana unique among New World cities, as an extraordinary architectural treasure. Relive the city’s colorful past as a trading hub for Spanish conquistadors and a later playground for international travelers, and uncover the layers of history in its elegant plazas and boulevards, imposing forts, and colonial-era churches and mansions.
• Brazil’s Futurist Capital: Brasília. Finally, a thoroughly unusual phenomenon: an entirely new, purpose-built city—Brazil’s capital constructed in the 1950s. Investigate the utopian vision of its modernist architects and planners, visit its extraordinary municipal and residential structures, and reflect on the contradictions between the vision for the city and the realities of its realization.

Places that Reveal the World to Us

In World Heritage Sites II: 12 More of the World’s Greatest Places, you’ll cultivate a detailed and sophisticated understanding of our common humanity as you see how it’s been expressed in some of the most magical works of humankind and nature. Each of these treasured World Heritage sites is unique. And each one tells you something exceptional about life on our planet.