Clive Ruggles

Two new astronomical World Heritage Sites

Two very different places linked to astronomy have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List at the 2019 World Heritage Committee in Azerbaijan. Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK is the first 20th-century astronomical observatory to become a World Heritage Site, while Risco Caído and the sacred mountains of Gran Canaria is a “cultural landscape” highlighting cultural astronomy operating in a rich historical and social context.

For more information on the two sites see the Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy and for more information on the context of the two successful nominations see the article “Beyond Jodrell Bank: astronomical heritage”.

The picture shows the front covers of the nomination dossiers for the two new World Heritage Sites.

Gran Canaria meeting brings together two UNESCO initiatives

An international expert meeting took place in Gran Canaria, Spain, in May 2018 which brought together the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative and UNESCO’s thematic initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest. The aim was to identify and reinforce the close linkages that exist across human cultures between religious/sacred traditions and celestial knowledge, and the clear connections between sacred sites and the skyscape.

The meeting issued a set of recommendations (available in English and Spanish) aimed at recognising, respecting and helping to preserve such sites, including through the World Heritage process.