Monuments of Nubia (Egypt and Sudan)
The construction of a dam threatened to submerge the 3,000-year-old monuments and temples of ancient Nubia when UNESCO launched this campaign in 1960. Over a period of 20 years, a total of 22 monuments and architectural complexes were painstakingly dismantled stone by stone, and reassembled on other sites, an immense technological challenge requiring 40 technical missions from five continents. The Nubian Monuments were inscribed on the List in 1979. More.

City of Venice (Italy)
UNESCO launched this campaign in 1966 after the city was devastated by floods a year earlier, providing technical expertise and financial aid. The international synergy from this project was an important source of inspiration to the founding efforts of the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Venice and its lagoon were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. More.

Moenjodaro (Pakistan)
When the campaign was launched in 1974, the ruins of this huge city, built entirely of unbaked brick in the third millennium BC, were threatened with flooding from the Indus River and encroaching salinity. Moenjodaro was inscribed on the List in 1980. The campaign was completed in 1997, setting up a master plan to ensure the sustainability of the conservation work. More.

Island of Gorée (Senegal)
This island, the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast, was already placed on the List in 1978, when UNESCO appealed to the international community in 1980, not only to protect and develop its architectural heritage, but also to preserve this reminder of human exploitation as a sanctuary for reconciliation. More.


City of Hué (Viet Nam)
Capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was a political, cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. Its 19th century palaces, mausoleums and pagodas were ravaged by war, monsoons and vegetation. The safeguarding campaign, launched in 1981, led to the listing of the complex of Hué’s monuments in 1993. More.

Historic Monuments of Paharpur and Bagerhat (Bangladesh)
Bangladesh is home to two cultural treasures – the monastery complex of Paharpur, built around 780 AD, and the 13th century mosque city of Bagerhat. Over time, monsoon floods, tropical vegetation and soil salinity have not spared them. In 1985, as Bagerhat became a World Heritage site, the safeguarding campaign began. More.

Jesuit Missions of the Guaranís (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay)
From 1609 onwards, the Society of Jesus set up missions within the frontiers of several South American colonies. These were intended to serve as models for integrating the indigenous population, socially and culturally as well as politically and economically. A number of these missions were inscribed on the list from 1983 to 1993. The campaign for their restoration was launched in 1988. More (in Spanish).

Tyre and its Surroundings (Lebanon)
Besieged by Alexander and Nebuchadnezzar, threatened by war, urbanization and the erosion of time, this ancient Phoenician city was entered on the List in 1984. A “heritage alert” drew international attention in 1987, followed by a safeguarding campaign in 1998. A UNESCO mission visited the site in 2006 and reported on post-war damage. More.