There are 53 World Heritage sites in danger of disappearing due to environmental problems, degradation, armed conflicts and negligence.
Insurance company Budget Direct and London-based creation agency NeoMam Studios teamed up with Serbian and Turkish architects to digitally recreate some of the World Heritage sites in danger of disappearing. A virtual tour to these places is probably what you need during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Forgotten for more than 900 years, the ancient city Leptis Magna was once considered one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire.
This Mediterranean city flourished during the reign of Septimius Severus, after the dynasties of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, who became emperor from 193 to 211.
Like many other Roman cities, Leptis Magna has a theater. This is the oldest Roman theater in Africa, located on a low hill and has steps made of natural stone and concrete.
It is believed that this endangered world heritage was once decorated with hundreds of statues (133 identified statues), but only 2 remain intact to this day.
Located in present-day northern Libya, this site is primarily threatened due to environmental reasons such as floods and overgrowth. War made the problem worse.
The ancient city of Jerusalem is a 91-hectare walled area inside present-day Jerusalem that houses some of the world’s most important religious sites, including Temple Mount, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Holy Sepulcher Church. .
Today, Temple Mountain, a hill marked with the Dome of the Rock, dates back to 692 AD. Before that, the Temple of Solomon (First Temple) and Temple Second remained strong, until they were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
The remains of the Second Temple surviving to this day, part of the retaining wall – commonly known as the Wailing Wall or the Western Wall or simply Kotel (meaning Wall), and al-Buraaq Wall in Arabic – is one of the holiest sites in the world for today’s Jews.
Once proposed by Jordan, Jerusalem Castle and its walls were added to UNESCO’s list of endangered World Heritage Sites in 1982, just one year after being inscribed on the World Heritage List. gender.
Originally a great oasis for merchants from Three China, India and the Roman Empire, the city of Palmyra caught the attention in 2015 after it was declared by the Islamic State (IS). occupied during the Syrian Civil War.
This force destroyed ancient monuments, “executed” a series of Roman theaters and beheaded Syrian archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, head of the Palmyra antiquities department, when he died from declined to disclose the location of the city’s antiques.
The Temple of Bel did not survive the onslaught. But with digital rendering, you will once again see this world heritage in danger of disappearing completely. In the field, a lonely archway and part of a pillar are all that remains.
Nan Madol is an abandoned city built on a lagoon with more than 90 artificial islands and canals.
Carbon methods shows that Nan Madol was built in the 12th century (at the same time as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat), but few people know how the local Saudeleur people moved the volcanic heavy basalt rocks. to create stone palaces, temples and tombs.
Local legends claim that it is due to… magic, but scholars believe they can be released from the other side of the island.
Not so well known, nor inaccessible (you have to fly to Pohnpei, Micronesia, drive an hour outside of Kolonia’s main town and then go through a mangrove forest), this place has become a Attractive tourist destination when listed on the World Heritage list 2016.
Almost immediately, it was placed on a World Heritage list at risk of disappearance due to coastal erosion, rising sea levels, silt build up in canals and invasion from mangrove roots. disturbance of ancient architecture.
Located 50 miles on the Caribbean coast of Panama, the seaside fortress of Portobelo-San Lorenzo is recognized by UNESCO as the masterpiece of genius creations.
Built by the Spanish Empire, both fortresses were once part of a vast system – stretching from Cuba to Colombia – created to protect trade routes between the Americas and Spain. from the 16th to 18th centuries.
The fortresses represented revolutionary military architecture at the time and were forged to resist attacks from pirates and vandals.
Both are well preserved, although they were added to the World Heritage list by UNESCO in 2012 due to environmental factors, urbanization, and lack of management and maintenance.
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