Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf (EXT) (Germany)
https://entwicklungsstadt.de/zehlendorf-waldsiedlung-strebt-unesco-wuerdigung-an/

(we had it for 2029 as earlier they were thinking to go via the preliminary route, but this article confirms a nom dossier has already been submitted)

Hearing where the current Secretary of Interior is not familiar with Okefenokee and seemingly unaware of its pending World Heritage nomination. I believe everything was submitted before the change of administrations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfTtwoG54B8

We should know soon, which sites form our list made it or were left out.

WHS 2026 [Potential host - Republic of Korea]

Africa (6)
- Zakouma National Park (Chad)
- Historic Sultanates (Comoros)
- Lake Tana Island Monasteries and the Adjacent Wetland Natural and Cultural Heritage (Ethiopia)
- Catholic Mission of Ambodifotatra (Madagascar)
- Former Colonial Plantations of Sao Tome and Principe (ST)
- Barotse Plains Cultural Landscape (Zambia)

Arab States (4)
- Gebel Qatrani Area (Egypt)
- Aqaba Marine Reserve [AMR] (Jordan, Saudi)
- Sidi Bou Said (Tunisia)
- Wadi Wurayah (UAE)

Asia and the Pacific (10)
- Imperial Kiln Sites of Jingdezhen (China)
- Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanasi (India)
- Alamüt Castle and Related Fortifications (Iran)
- Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals (Japan)
- Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan)
- Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats [EXT] (Korea)
- Burial Complexes of Hunnu Aristocrats (Mongolia)
- Ancient Port of Banbhore (Pakistan)
- Mayon Volcano Cultural Landscape (Philippines)
- Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan (Thailand)

Europe and North America (13)
- Una National Park (Bosnia)
- The Bony Fish Fossils of the Western Limfjord (Denmark)
- The Architectural Works of Alvar Aalto - a Human Dimension to the Modern Movement (Finland)
- The Royal Fortresses of Languedoc (France)
- Normandy Landing Beaches (France)
- Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf (EXT) (Germany)
- Italian Condominium Theatre System (Italy)
- Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests [EXT] (France, Montenegro, Serbia)
- Abaluartadas Fortresses of Raia (Portugal)
- The Bashkir Shikhans of Toratau, Kushtau and Yuraktau (Russia)
- Water Landscape: Ribeira Sacra (Spain)
- The Historical Port City of Izmir (Türkiye)
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (USA)

Latin America and the Caribbean (2)
- Amazonia Theaters (Brazil)
- Patzcuaro, Site of Humanistic Memory and Cultural Confluence (Mexico)


I thought this nomination was submitted for preliminary evaluation in 2024, but this has been a challenge recently right before it becomes mandatory, to determine which path was actually chosen.

Rocky Mosques of Mangystau Peninsula - Kazakhstan

"application has been submitted for the inclusion of the Underground (Rock) Mosques of Mangystau in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Discussions are currently underway to arrange a visit by experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) this fall"

https://astanatimes.com/2025/05/unesco-presents-kazakhstan-with-certificate-for-betashar-ceremony-inclusion-in-heritage-list/[b][/b]

Something got sent my way... if the source is correct, this should be in the final document set as the nominations considered for 2026 (have left in our full forecast as per above, we were "wrong" on the ones marked NOT SUBMITTED):

WHS 2026 [Potential host - Republic of Korea]

Africa (6)
- Zakouma National Park (Chad) [NOT SUBMITTED]
- Historic Sultanates (Comoros)
- Lake Tana Island Monasteries and the Adjacent Wetland Natural and Cultural Heritage (Ethiopia)
- Catholic Mission of Ambodifotatra (Madagascar) [NOT SUBMITTED]
- Former Colonial Plantations of Sao Tome and Principe (ST)
- Barotse Plains Cultural Landscape (Zambia) [INCOMPLETE]
+ Garamba (DRC) renomination

Arab States (4)
- Gebel Qatrani Area (Egypt) [NOT SUBMITTED]
- Aqaba Marine Reserve [AMR] (Jordan, Saudi) (seems 2 separate!!)
- Sidi Bou Said (Tunisia)
- Wadi Wurayah (UAE)

Asia and the Pacific (10)
- Imperial Kiln Sites of Jingdezhen (China)
- Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanasi (India)
- Alamüt Castle and Related Fortifications (Iran)
- Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals (Japan)
- Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan)
- Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats [EXT] (Korea)
- Burial Complexes of Hunnu Aristocrats (Mongolia)
- Ancient Port of Banbhore (Pakistan) [NOT SUBMITTED]
- Mayon Volcano Cultural Landscape (Philippines) [INCOMPLETE]
- Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan (Thailand)
+ Modern Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
+ Zomin Mountains (Uzbekistan) [INCOMPLETE]
+ Ancient Termez (Uzbekistan) [INCOMPLETE]
+ Gobi (Mongolia) [Postponed, given preference to the cultural site above]
+ Tropical Rainforests Sumatra (Indonesia): significant boundary modification

Europe and North America (13)
- Una National Park (Bosnia) NOT SUBMITTED
- The Bony Fish Fossils of the Western Limfjord (Denmark)
- The Architectural Works of Alvar Aalto - a Human Dimension to the Modern Movement (Finland)
- The Royal Fortresses of Languedoc (France)
- Normandy Landing Beaches (France)
- Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf (EXT) (Germany)
- Italian Condominium Theatre System (Italy)
- Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests [EXT] (France, Montenegro, Serbia) NOT SUBMITTED
- Abaluartadas Fortresses of Raia (Portugal)
- The Bashkir Shikhans of Toratau, Kushtau and Yuraktau (Russia)
- Water Landscape: Ribeira Sacra (Spain)
- The Historical Port City of Izmir (Türkiye) NOT SUBMITTED
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (USA)
+ Zerzevan Castle and Mithraeum (Turkiye)
+ Mt Olympus (Greece)

Latin America and the Caribbean (2)
- Amazonia Theaters (Brazil)
- Patzcuaro, Site of Humanistic Memory and Cultural Confluence (Mexico)


Not Submitted


Submitted and Complete

I am quite in shock for Zerzevan.

Official (Els source looks correct)!

WHS 2026

Africa (4)
- Les medinas des Sultanats historiques des Comores (Comoros)
- Parc national de la Garamba [re-nomination] (DRC)
- Lake Tana Island Monasteries and its Adjacent Wetland Natural and Cultural Heritage (Ethiopia)
- Les rocas de Sao Tome-et-Principe : Systeme colonial agricole et migration forcee (Sao Tome and Principe)

Arab States (4)
- Aqaba Marine Reserve (Jordan)
- Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Gulf of Aqaba (Saudi)
- Village de Sidi Bou Said : Hub d'inspiration Culturelle et Spirituelle en Mediterranee (Tunisia)
- Wadi Wurayah (United Arab Emirates)

Asia and the Pacific (10)
- Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites (China)
- Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanas (India)
- Alamut Castle and Related Fortifications (Iran)
- Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara (Japan)
- Rocky Mosques of Mangyshlak Peninsula (Kazakhstan)
- Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
- The Cemetery Complexes of the Xiongnu Nobility (Mongolia)
- Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Phase II Extension) (Republic of Korea)
- Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thailand)
- Tashkent Modernist Architecture. Modernity and Tradition in Central Asia (Uzbekistan)

Europe and North America (12)
- The Bony Fish Fossils of the Western Limfjord - Evolution and Climate Adaptation in the Earliest Eocene (Denmark)
- Aalto Works (Finalnd)
- Les Plages du Debarquement, Normandie, 1944 (France)
- The Network of Fortresses of the Seneschalty of Carcassonne (13th-14th centuries) (France)
- Berlin Modernism Housing Estates: Extension to include Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf (Germany)
- The Wider Area of Mount Olympus (Greece)
- The system of Italian-style condominio theatres of the 18th and 19th centuries in Central Italy (Italy)
- Bulwarked Fortresses of the Raia (Portugal)
- The Bashkir Shikhans of Toratau, Kushtau and Yuraktau (Russia)
- Ribeira Sacra Waterscape (Spain)
- Zerzevan Castle and Mithraeum (Turkiye)
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (United States)

Latin America and the Caribbean (2)
- Amazonia Theaters (Brazil)
- Patzcuaro, Site of Humanistic Memory and Cultural Confluence (Mexico)

One question is, should we tentatively label all these nominations for 2027 now?

I have done that, yes (although I skipped Termez, UZ can only have 1).
But I think we quickly should find whether there are any recent news updates for sites like Gebel Qatrani which we have been moving forward for ages.

2026 is a really great year for the city of Tashkent with 2 nominations of WHS.

Busan chosen as candidate to host UNESCO meeting on world heritage in 2026

https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10521144

If Korea is officially chosen (as expected) for host country, the host city will be Busan.

https://m.koreaherald.com/article/10521144

For 2026, I will add Gdynia - they got a Refer during the past session and have already announced to return next year.

This was an interesting piece by the Dong A Ilbo (Korean newspaper) stating "Korea urgently needs to address the politicized World Heritage Committee... It is crucial to take the lead in promoting harmony."

"The World Heritage Committee, which has rapidly become "politicized" over the past decade, could also be a challenge. For cultural heritage registration, there have been frequent instances of meticulous preliminary negotiations or mutual support among members of the same language and culture. In fact, this year, 11 out of 15 heritage sites that were initially recommended for denial or postponement were eventually registered. For example, the "Faya Archaeological Site" in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was previously ineligible for registration, but reportedly gained majority approval through "oil money lobbying." - Dong A Ilbo Report (August 2026)


The venue will be BEXCO Busan Exhibition and Convention Center. This is a large convention center located near SPA Land (wonder if the delegates will be up for Korea-style sauna!). Secondly, its about a 15 minute drive to UN Memorial Cemetery (part of the Busan Wartime Capital TWHS).


If this nomination is successful what comes next? Do we see potential nominations continuing West? Turkmenistan and Iran? Or do we see the focus shift South toward India? Perhaps, official nominations are added to tentative lists that would include more sites in China under the name 'Eastern Silk Roads' along with Korea and Japan?


Georgia potentially getting its 1st and then perhaps 2nd world heritage site (back to back 2026 / 2027). Political optics might be somewhat bipolar as there genuinely is enthusiasm on the ground for Okefenokee and the Civil Rights Movement nominations, but at the State and Federal level enthusiasm cools. Officials in Washington and the current Department of Interior leadership had nothing to do with these nominations. They don't seem to be actively trying to stop them, but I don't know what moves forward (if anything) for the US regarding World Heritage after 2027.


I will be very happy to see the extension inscribed having visited additional getbol this Summer. I had a great time exploring the Seosan Getbol.


Potential for 2 inscriptions for France, including Carcassone getting a double inscription and the delayed, somewhat controversial (for some) D-Day Landing Beaches in Normandy. If France is successful they pass Germany for 3rd most inscriptions for a state party, only behind Italy and China.

D-Day Landing Beaches, Normandy, 1944

In this link
https://www.normandie.fr/les-plages-du-debarquement-patrimoine-mondial
You can access "Consulter le dossier de candidature", in French but with good maps.

We can see that the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial (Colleville-sur-Mer) is indeed within the designated area (page 24/506).