UNESCO Adds 26 New Sites To World Heritage List, Maratha Military Landscapes of India Included

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, at its 47th session in Paris, has added 26 new properties to the World Heritage List for the year 2025. Of the 26 sites across the globe, 21 are cultural, four are natural, and one is categorised as mixed. A World Heritage tag helps protect and promote shared heritage based on OUVs (Outstanding Universal Values) recognised in sites across 196 countries.

The 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India' have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it India's 44th property to receive this global recognition. The network of forts, spread across Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, reflects the military architecture and strategy of the Maratha Empire, which ruled significant parts of the Indian subcontinent from the 17th to the 19th century.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed pride over the recognition. In a post on X, he wrote, "It is a moment of immense pride for all countrymen that UNESCO has included 12 forts associated with the life of Maharajadhiraj Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the UNESCO World Heritage list."

"Just a few days ago, I visited the Raigad Fort and had a spiritual experience of the symbols associated with the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These forts have been the main pillars of protection of Hindu Swaraj, and from here, crores of countrymen have been getting continuous inspiration towards their mother language and culture," he added.

यह सभी देशवासियों के लिए अत्यंत गौरव का क्षण है, जब UNESCO ने महाराजाधिराज छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज जी के जीवन से जुड़े 12 किलों को #UNESCOWorldHeritage में शामिल किया है।

अभी कुछ ही दिन पहले रायगढ़ किले पर जाकर छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज जी के जीवन से जुड़े प्रतीकों से आत्मसाक्षात्कार…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 11, 2025

Along with India, several other countries also had significant cultural and natural sites added to the UNESCO list this year.

Here Is The Complete List Of The 26 New Sites Added To The World Heritage List:

1. Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection (Cambodia)
2. Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal (Tajikistan)
3. Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains (Cameroon)
4. Faya Palaeolandscape (United Arab Emirates)
5. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Forest Park Selangor (Malaysia)
6. Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia - The domus de janas (Italy)
7. Maratha Military Landscapes of India (India)
8. Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan (France)
9. Minoan Palatial Centres (Greece)
10. Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape (Malawi)
11. Murujuga Cultural Landscape (Australia)
12. Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream (Republic of Korea)
13. Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave (Russian Federation)
14. Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe (Turkiye)
15. The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal (Jamaica)
16. The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panama (Panama)
17. The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee (Germany)
18. The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (Iran)
19. Wixarika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (Tatehuari Huajuye) (Mexico)
20. Xixia Imperial Tombs (China)
21. Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes (Viet Nam)
22. Cavernas do Peruacu National Park (Brazil)
23. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagos Archipelago - Omati Minho (Guinea-Bissau)
24. Gola-Tiwai Complex (Sierra Leone)
25. Mons Klint (Denmark)
26. Mount Kumgang - Diamond Mountain from the Sea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)