I have been through the Tentative Lists of Countries from A-I so far with a view to identifying potential "Top 50" proposals. Interestingly I came up with a few which have either already been proposed or are within the list put up by Els yesterday of possible inscriptions this year! But also some new potentials - hence I am putting up the "review to date" as a "record" and to stimulate ideas.
I hadn't previously worked my way through the T List (and I am still only about one third of the way!). There was a feeling of "deja vu" both regarding the countries with the biggest lists (China and France of course - but Iran slips into second place ahead of France!) but also the general impression of just how much of "the same" there is - huge numbers of churches, forts, mosques etc and not a great deal of "wow". That isn't to say that many are not perfectly "respectable" candidates for inscription - but NOT what I have called "Top 50" material! Now of course I can't know just how special some of the potential sites might be within their category - some I had visited, some I knew something about and some were totally unknown - this latter group took up quite a lot of time searching the Web to try to establish what they were. Often just about the only material was the T List entry itself - which doesn't augur well for anything that special I fear. 2 areas I feel particularly weak on
a. Natural Niches - Maybe I am dismissing too many of these as not being "Top 50" - I had chosen Surtsey however!
b. African Cultural Landscapes etc. There may be a tendency to dismiss all of Africa as "African" and hence "the same" but there are of course wide variations and just because there are a number of such sites on already doesn't mean that others are not "top class". Without too much knowledge I have identified a couple of potentials among this first list.

Herewith my "summary review". I have highlighted my "potential Top 50" in bold

Afghanistan – (3 sites) - Blue Lake, Herat City and "Bactria". Cetnral Asian towns are pretty well represented already?

Albania – (3 sites) Tombs, another amphi, Another city – nothing special?

Algeria – (6 sites) Lots of oases, Royal tombs, Old churches – nothing special?

Andorra – (2 sites) more churches. Nothing special/

Angola – (11 Sites) 3 Churches, 7 fortresses . Capital of Kingdom of Kongo might be worth looking at

Antigua - (0 sites)

Argentina - (7 sites) A modernist building "according to tenets of Le Corbusier", the planned 19C town of La Plata, Puna-type Natural area, more sites from Inca road, Palaeontology site, another Andean site, cultural Buenos Aires – The Puna might repay more attention?

Armenia – (4 sites) more churches and monasteries plus a Sassanian arch site – nothing very special?

Australia – (1 site) Convict site – can't get very excited? A bit surprising really how thin the Oz T list is?

Austria – (10 sites) 3 more abbeys/Caths, 1 Castle, 1 medieval town , 1 Forest, 1 Nat Park (=NP), 1 Cult Landscape - mainly more of same?

Azerbaijan – (10 sites) 2 geological, 2 fortress/defensive, 1 Zoroastrian, 2 medieval , 1 Caspian biosphere reserve – possibly the Zoroastrian worth looking at?

Bahrain – (4 sites) 3 Dilmun civilisation related , 1 marine. The Mounds might be good but the Dilmun civilisation is already represented

Bangladesh – (5 sites) Buddhist and local ruler sites. I have seen most of them or similar. Nothing of great note

Barbados - (3 sites) British garrison site, sugar industry and a natural area. The Sugar site might be worth a look or another in the West Indies?.

Belarus - (10 sites) 4 churches, defence architecture, a 19C canal, a palace and Soveit designed rebuld in Minsk – but not as good as the "original" in Moscow

Belgium – (9 sites) mainly buildings, including 19 and early 20C, and a "continuity" town. WWI remains are worth a place in the Top 50?

Belize – (0 sites)

Benin – (5 sites) an African park (similar to others), 1 Slave route related, 1 Lake town and 1 Local ruler palace. I have been to Benin, seen some of these and considered others. Nothing really major?

Bhutan – (0 sites) Amazing!!

Bolivia – (6 sites) more Inca Road and other Inca, Andean mining, Andean Natural, Dinosaur tracks and Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is worth looking at?

Bosnia – (8 sites) 5 Natural & Architectural ensembles, 1 cave, 1 medieval town and Sarajevo – latter should be considered (but has been rejected before)?

Botswana – (4 sites) 1 natural and 3 archaeological inc a Cultural Landscape. Nothing "major"?

Brazil – (17 sites) 11 Natural sites, 2 religious, 1 Niemayer buildings, 1 colonial town, 1 Rio landscape and 1 building in Rio. I think that the Natural sites are already pretty well represented. Rio might be worth a consideration?

Bulgaria – ( 14 sites) More Thracian tombs and Balkan natural parks, several monasteries, a couple of Bronze Age/Neolithic sites and the town of Plovdiv. Nothing that remarkable?

Burkina Faso – (5 sites) Another wildlife park, 1 rock carvings, 1 early iron making, 2 pre colonial remains. The Boranga Necropoles might be worth looking at? Does the List have enough African Indigenous sites?

Burundi – (10 sites) Southernmost source of the Nile, 6 Natural (inc lake Tanganyika), 1 royal palace, 1 vernacular Architecture (family compounds), 1 indigenous sacred countryside. There are already quite a lot of African Palace compounds – nothing very special?

Cambodia – (10 sites) -10 Cambodian architectural ensembles – With Angkor already inscribed there can be no major case for any of these?

Cameroon – (13 sites) 5 NPs (including Korup), 1 Lake Chad, 1 waterfall, 1 palace, 1 indigenous cultural landscape (Bafut), 3 megalithic/archaeological. Look at Bafut and Korup?

Canada – (10 sites) The Klondike, 1 Basque Whaling Sta, 1 very early geology, 1 fossil, 1 Haida villages, 1 high Arctic, 1 Acadain and 3 "First Nations" related Some interesting ones here – Klondike and Geology?

Cape Verde – (6 sites) Salazar concentration camp, 1 salt works, 1 slavery, 2 towns, 1 natural. Not top 50 material?

CAR – (10 sites) National parks, Megalith, Iron working, Royal Palace, Waterfalls, Rock Art, Railway, Pygmy villages and forest. Nothing "Top 50"?

Chad – (9 sites) Hominid site, Rock art, Early metallurgy, NP, Lake Chad, Cultural Landscape. Nothing "Top 50"?

Chile – (18 sites) - Andean road, Atacama and Andean settlements, Juan Fernandez islands, Churches, Railway related (inc what was highest bridge in world), Torres del Paine and miscellaneous archaeological/ colonial. Possibly Torres Del Paine – but very similar to Los Glaciares and it is contiguous

China – (67 sites!) Including Li River (Guilin), Yangtse Gorges, Silk Rd, The Grand Canal, "Early manufacture" (Pocelain and Liquor), numerous scenic "zones/areas/ spots", Archaeological sites, Traditional houses, Temples, Parks, Bridges etc etc. Perhaps the Yangtse, Grand Canal and Guilin are worth looking at –The Silk road is already well represented

Columbia – (6 sites) Andean Road (again), coffee, Marine, 2 Prehispanic inc "Cuidad Perdido" and an NP. Cuidad Perdido is a world class prehispanic site

Comores – (4 sites) 1 Ecosystems, 1 cultural landscape and 1 Sultanate remains – I was there Feb 08 – nothing of great note

Congo – (0 sites)

Costa Rica - (2 Sites) 1 Central American park, 1 prehispanic site. Nothing of great note

Cote d'Ivoire – (4 sites) Mosques, Arch Park, Historic Town, Nat park – nothing of great note

Croatia – (16 sites) usual European mix of historic towns, Churches, Castles/forts, NPs – and a vineyard. Nothing of great note

Cuba – (4 sites) 1 NP, 1 Marine, 1 Hist Centre, 1 modern Architecture ("School of Art") – no "Top 50 Material"?

Cyprus – (12 sites) 5 churches, 2 bridges, 1 Rural settlement and a number relating to the Geology of the Troodos (significant geologically because it is part of the earth's ocean crust) – No "Top 50" material?

Czech Rep – (14 sites) usual "European" mix of "minor" interesting and repeats – Hops, Spa, Paper mill, Fish ponds, TV mast, Forts, Castles, Renaissance houses etc. No "Top 50" material

DPRK – 3 mountains, 2 towns with relics and 1 caves. Fascinating country but not really "Top 50"

DRC – (3 sites) 2 "Grottes" and a depression! Nothing much there.

Denmark – (5 sites) 2 Greenland, 2 towns and The Wadden Sea. The Eskimo/Norse culture remains might be worth considering?

Djibouti – (0 sites)

Dominica – (0 sites)

Dominican Rep - (14 sites) 6 "Sugar related", 4 NPs and some towns/cities. Is "Sugar Production a Top 50 Gap - but could come from a number of countries?

Ecuador – (6 sites) 1 "colonial city", 2 precolumbian sites, 1 NP, 1 petrified forest and 1 cultural landscape- Not Top 50?

See next post for next countries

Egypt – (30 sites) A number of further "Egyptian civilization" both in the Nile valley and elsewhere (but do we have enough of these?), some "natural"- desert, lakes, mountains (Sinai) and marine (Red Sea). Plus the odd monastery and Arabic citadel. Alexandria and the remains of Middle Egypt including Tell al Armana should both be considered

El Salvador – (6 sites) 1 natural, 1 reasonably significant Meso–American archaeological site and a number of mixed sites.

Eritrea - (1 site) Asmara modernist Centre. Asmara should justify consideration but we have already identified 1 "Art Deco" site!

Estonia – (4 sites). Geological, Peta bogs, Meadows and fortress. Nothing special?

Ethiopia – (2 sites) Bale Mountains, Paleo anthrop site. Nothing special?

Fiji - (4 sites) Tradit villages/Whaling town, Arch site, Cult landscape, Natural site. The list needs a few more Pacific sites but is there anything that special here?

Finland – (6 sites) - 2 Rock art, 1 stone age, 1 Sami religious, 1 lakes, 1 hospital. Not special enough?

France - (38 sites) Le Corbusier, Chocolate Factory, Airship hanger, 2 Vignobles, Carmargue, Carnac, Mt Blanc massif, 4 NPs, various military/fortifs, 1 Cathedral, several towns. Overseas territories – Reunion, Marquesas, New Caledonia. Perhaps the Marqueseas, Le Corbusier and Carmargue?

Gabon – (6 sites) 4NP, 1 pygmy area, 1 Grottes. Perhaps the Pygmy CL - but is there much in situ?

Gambia – (2 sites) Fort and Stone circles (both already on??)

Georgia – (15 sites) – 6 churches/cath/monast, several mountain villages, fortified ensembles , Tblisi hist center. All pretty well covered already?

Germany – (15 sites) 4 20C architecture (inc Le Corbusier again), Bayreuth opera house, Mining, Cathedrals, Residences, Castles, 3 Natural. Possibly Bayreuth Opera house -but maybe I am biased?

Ghana (6 sites) – 2 NP, 1 Cathedral, 2 Cult Landscapes, 1 Trade route/mosques. Not "Top 50"?

Greece (8 sites) - 4 ancient inc Knossos, 1 Byzantine, Mt Olympus, 2 other Natural. Knossos is "Top 50" material

Grenada (3 sites) – Fortifs and center of capital St George, 1 marine/coastal natural. Not "Top 50"?

Guatemala (18 sites) – Chichicastenango , Atitlan, 7 mixed with Mayan/Natural, 3 religious, 1 19C industrial, 1 castle, several natural. Chichicastenango and Atitlan worth considering?

Guinea (3 sites) - 1 Mt Nimba (yet again!), 1 salve, 1 African cult landscape. Not "Top 50"?

Guinea Bissau – (1 site) - marine/coastal natural. Not "Top 50"?

Guyana – (5 sites) – 4 Georgetown buildings (inc Cath, City Hall, fort), 1 natural. Not "Top 50"?

Haiti – (2 sites) – Jacmel colonial town. Not "Top 50"?

Holy See – (0 sites)

Honduras – (0 sites)

Hungary – (9 sites) 1 Wooden churches, 1 Vernacular architecture, 2 fortifs , 1 palace (Visegrad), 1 stud farm, 1 fossil, 1 cave, 1 Cult landscape. Not "top 50"?

Iceland – (10 sites) – Surtsey, several Norse historical sites, several geological. Surtsey worth considering?

India – (18 sites) 1 Amritsar, 1 Sarnath, 2 Ladakh Buddhist, 2 railway, 1 modern Arch (Chandigarh Le Corbusier), 4 Natural (inc Kanchenjunga and wild ass), Misc forts/tombs/monuments. Amritsar, Ladakh Buddhist, Le Corbusier - worth looking at?

Indonesia - (24 sites) 1 Bali Hindu temple, 1 Bali cultural landscape, 1 Toraja Land, 5 NPs, 2 palace complexes, 3 Island natural, 1 fort, several Archaeological sites. I think Indonesia has some worthwhile possibilities for Top 50 eg - Torajaland and Bali Cult Landscape

Iran - (61 sites) Bazaars, Historic complexes/ensembles, Mosques, 2 Qanats/Water systems (duplicate Oman Aflaj ?), What appear to be additions or duplicates for eg Isfahan, Persepolis, a Cathedral, Susa archaeological site, various natural sites (Caspian forest, marine, lakes, mangroves) , a 19th C spa (!!), Teheran Palace. Susa is possibly the most important Arch site?

Iraq – (7 sites) Ur, Nimrud, Babylon and Ninevah, 1 marshlands, 1 fortress, 1 islamic city. The first 4 must have at least 2 for the Top 50??

Ireland – (8 sites) 2 bogs, 1 Killarney NP, 1 Cashel rock/castle, 1 Burren Natural , 1neolithic landscape, 2 historic. Nothing for "Top 50"?

Israel – (20 sites) Numerous old sites and "biblical" Old and NT, 1 mosque, 1 Bahai, 1 Jerusalem extension, 1 early smelting, 1 crusader fortresses. Not "Top 50"?

According to the study Filling in the gaps (2004/2005), notable gaps are: Indigenous belief systems in the Arctic Region and Eskimo, Inuit, Aleutian, Thule and other Northern cultures.
So the Danish (or Greenlandic) tentative site of Aasivissuit, Arnangarnup Qoorua (Greenlandic inland and coastal hunting area) definitely should be considered. Don't know what's left of it however.

Of course I am biased but I would still suggest the erosion cirques of the Negev (and Sinai). There's no geological parallel on the list as it is a unique phenomenon. The area also exhibits some endemic species. Perhaps not top 50 but still worth looking at.
As to the Biblical places of Israel - apart from Jerusalem there's nothing of worldwide significance. Some of the suggested sites are religiously important but this isn't enough for the top 50 I think.

I particularly like the Greenlandic suggestions.

The Azeri Zoroastrian fire temple also seems appealing, I know Assif has suggested other Zoroastrian sites in terms of the Towers of Silence in Iran perhaps a serial site.

Surtsey I think will probably be added to the list this year it is well advanced in the nomination process, which is incredibly well documented at the Culture House in Reykjavik. Certainly would be worthy of a top 50 space but I think it may even get on the list proper before we finalise our own.

I am already on record as supporting the WWI memorials in Belgium but would like to just re-inforce that support here.

here is my list of potential world heritage sites, arranged by state parties:

afghanistan
- herat, this was deferred before but it has potential, and some other sites related to alexander the great, the silk road and the intermixing of greek and buddhist cultures
- band-i amir lakes, just so we can have a natural site in this region. main criterion would be viii for sheer beauty. until 2008 (mt sanqingshan especially), i thought that it would be impossible to a site to qualify under this criterion alone, last time was in 1992, and since then, the criterion has been used sparingly since it is probably the most subjective of all natural criteria...

algeria
- might extend the tassili n'ajjer into the ahaggar mountains

australia
- desert region of central australia
- some more sites to represent the mallee ecosystem
- not sure where the oldest european settlement is in australia (sydney?) but it's worth nominating, ala panama city of central america, santo domingo of caribbean, or st george, bermuda of the british empire

bolivia
- the altiplano, why did the authorities waste money trying to nominate cal orcko?! this place has a greater chance to get accepted. if they were serious with the cal orcko nomination, might have just let spain do the "dirty task" of proving to the committee that ichnite sites are of outstanding universal value which it was close to achieving and then just ride on their efforts by saying that cal orcko is larger and more complete in scale than the spanish nomination...
- lake titicaca

botswana
- kalahari desert
- okavango swamp

brazil
- rio de janeiro, based on the nomination before, was assessed to qualify under criterion ii and to a lesser extent vi. just needed to revise the nomination and focus more on the cultural landscape aspect, instead of the natural

canada
- bay of fundy national park, although might be too similar to the kvarken-high coast world heritage site
- some sites in the canadian arctic

chile
- national parks in tierra del fuego, might be a transboundary site with argentina
- what happened to the juan fernandez archipelago nomination? this was assessed to qualify for criterion x
- atacama desert

china
- quite happy with the latest tentative list submitted by china: grand canal, silk road, serial sites of sacret mountains, ancient city wall and imperial tombs, industrial sites related to porcelain, silk worm, paper and tea...
- taklimakan desert and other sites in western china, especially related to the islamic faith
- some more sites representing 20th century china: like shanghai's the bund
- maybe the backyard of hong kong, if not modern hong kong, should be represented: like as a serial site with guangdong province for the "walled villages/cities of southern china"
- fossil sites, we have constantly heard from documentaries that most feathered dinosaur fossils came from china, so why not nominate such sites?
- extension to mount everest. always wondered how come sagarmatha qualified only under criterion vii. but realized that the geological value is better represented by the larger region of the himalayas showcasing continental collision. (so does this mean that mont blanc might have a better chance being nominated as part of the alps transfrontier nomination, instead of a stand alone site?)
- bamboo forest sites? probably as extensions and complements to the sichuan giant panda sanctuaries
- are there any significant marine sites in china? it's one of those big countries in which i cannot think of any significant marine sites

colombia
- sierra nevada national park - this place has always been highly ranked on list of potential world heritage sites

cuba
- zienaga de zapata national park - another of the highly ranked parks as potential world heritage sites

egypt
- alexandria, including the underwater ruins and the catacombs
- oxyrhynchus, being one of the richest sites with respect to hieroglyphs. this might qualify for criterion vi for documentary and literary significance, unlike previous pharaonic world heritage sites, which qualified for criterion vi because of monumentality and iconic values
- some oasis towns, especially the siwa oasis, where alexander the great travelled to have his fortune told
- suez canal, whereas panama canal fostered the growth of american business and trade, suez canal fostered the growth of the british empire, notably, its trade connection with india

france
- lots of sites from overseas territories to enhance the representativity of the caribbean, pacific (french polynesia, especially bora-bora), and indian ocean islands
- the avenues of carnac, only other prehistoric french site on the list is the lascaux caves and vezere valley
- what about the cultural landscape of the french riviera? instead of nominating the mediterranean shores of the pyrenees, this would have been more successful in my opinion, this could be a transfrontier site with monaco, and since monaco has no sites on the list yet, this could be a success
- might want to extend paris to include the catacombs

germany
- a serial site for the castles of king ludwig... i know that castles are over-represented, but i think we can squeeze this in, under the name "Fairy Tale Castles of King Ludwig of Bavaria"... these are the top tourist attractions in germany, and thanks to disney, have become the archetype of castle in popular culture

greece
- palace of knossos - nomination is merely a formality, this site is of outstanding universal value, not sure about the authenticity of the reconstructions though, but value is too high and can override that authenticity question
- island of santorini, this was nominated before, but the committee requested an expanded nomination...

india
- sri harimandir sahib, being sacred to sikhism
- golconda fort and its diamond mines, the same mines that gave us some of the bloodiest and legendary diamonds in history
- andaman and nicobar islands
- western ghats
- amritsar
- sacred cities associated with hinduism

indonesia
- bali - the hindu culture, rice agriculture, etc.
- coral reefs, why not a transboundary site with malaysia and philippines to protect the coral triangle?
- jogjakarta, and some other sites related to ancient sultanates that fluorished in the archipelago

iran
- susa
- towers of silence - i just copied this from the forum, so that's what they call those structures...

iraq
- babylon, nimrud, nineveh, ur, ctesiphon... these are too important in the history of the sumerian and babylonian civilizations, and world history as a whole, so to consider which site is best candidate for world heritage listing is ridiculous, all of them should be listed

israel and palestine
- might be good to nominate a serial site related to the life of jesus, but this is subject to sensitive political issues

italy
- some more site from sardinia, i think the only site from that island is the nuraghe
- sites in southern italy reflecting the influence of norman and fatimid cultures
- mount vesuvius... the committee requested a "moratorium" on volcanic sites since these are over-represented... and not sure how this will compare geologically with aeolian islands, but this might be considered as an extension of the pompeii world heritage site, since these two places are inextricable linked

japan
- historical japan is represented, what about prehistoric (some archaeological sites) and modern japan (especially the shinkansen)
- are there still remains of the famous fleet of the mongol empire which attempted to conquer japan? if there are, it might be worth a nomination, since it strengthened the japanese nationalism/identity (and to an extent, made the concept of kamikaze/divine wind famous)
- the ryukyu island chain is famous for its biodiversity and the blue coral reefs
- mount fuji, the icon of japan and the main subject of ukiyo-e which led to the japanism of western arts and paintings, certainly deserves a place on the list

kenya
- what happened to the rift valley lakes reserve nomination?

korea (north and south)
- demilitarized zone, not for intangible cultural value, but more for natural values, if reports are to be believed in, then this might be sort of a "last frontier" in the korean peninsula for wildlife, not sure though how this will compare with the world heritage sites in the russian far east

malaysia
- taman negara national park - i think this is considered as the most biodiverse site in peninsular malaysia

mexico
- cuatrocienagas and the sonoran desert
- la venta - not sure though how different this is from other archaeological sites
- a transfrontier nomination of shipwrecks with philippines, specifically, the famed manila-acapulco galleon trade which brought immense wealth to spain

micronesia
- nan madol

mongolia
- the flaming cliffs and other fossil sites, always associate mongolian fossil sites with

nests of dinosaur eggs
- gobi desert

myanmar
- pagan and shwedagon pagoda

nigeria
- benin city earthworks - always had a soft heart for capitals of ancient empires, and this country, not to mention west africa, is home to a network of these...

norway
- svalbard

palestine
- jericho

panama
- panama canal, this is practically a shoo in, although the gov't currently has plans to expand it, so it may decide to wait until this has concluded to avoid clashing with unesco over how to manage the site

papua new guinea
- lots of biodiverse sites here, not to mention extensive karst landscapes

peru
- cajamarca, specifically the ransom room, should qualify for criterion vi as the place where the inca empire met its end with the execution of atahualpa

philippines
- unique geologic formation of chocolate hills, read somewhere that there are only two places in the whole world where such a formation exist (don't know the other, but the description in the tentative list points to indonesia)
- magellan's cross in cebu, sure shoo-in for criterion vi if nominated as a serial site to represent what is usually considered the first mass in asia, and of course ushering in the spanish empire, might have a problem with authenticity

An interesting list m_m - will no doubt comment on it later. But 1 question. This is the 2nd post in which you have linked Nan Madol to France. It is in the Federated states of Micronesia (FSM) which was under US administration - and, I believe is still connected in "Free Association" with the US even though ti is a full member of UN (an intersting example of the numerous potential manifestations of "sovereignty" Assif!!)

oops, i know that nan madol is located in the caroline islands... but somehow i always connected it with french territories, when in fact, it is part of micronesia.

i have already edited my list to correct this geographical oversight...

my post got cut while trying to update the list to add some comments, here is the continuation of my list starting from russia to yemen:

russia
- taimyr peninsula - considered to have the largest concentration of mammoth carcass, not sure though if possessing mammoth remains, no matter how well preserved, is of outstanding universal value
- volgograd - monuments related to world war ii
- moscow metro, either an extension to the kremlin world heritage site, or a separate nomination, since this could stand on its own

saudi arabia
- mecca and medina
- some natural site related to the arabian oryx, since the omani site has been delisted, time for one of the neighboring countries to step up
- coral reef sites in the red sea
- some lost cities buried under the desert sand might also qualify

south africa
- kruger national park, this might be nominated to together with the peace park established with mozambique and botswana
- table mountain, this was recommended as an extension to the cape floral region by iucn and the committee, hope south africa is listening

sudan
- some natural sites in the country, since it has some of the largest national parks in east africa, and reports by some organizations show that the biodiversity is still intact

thailand
- temples in ayutthaya and sukhothai were already inscribed, but these are "dead" temples, more of archaeological value than true living temples still connected with the life of modern thailand, so maybe temples located in bangkok like the temple of the dawn might be nominated

tunisia
- nefta oasis

turkey
- ephesus and bodrum, home to two of the 7 wonders of the world and major cities in ancient times
- catalhoyuk

ukraine
- chersonesos

usa
- quite happy with the tentative list, from nw hawaiian islands to sites related to mlk
- some more sites in alaska, especially related to the caribou migration--always thought of this as the "american version" of the serengeti migration
- some sites to represent the midwest grasslands and prairie ecosystem
- mining towns along the west coast might be a good candidate, because it led to the population and increased migration to the western part of the continent

vietnam
- biodiverse sites in the cardamom mountains and other regions... i'm thinking actually of the vu quang reserve

yemen
- mareb archaeological site - associated with the queen of sheba and capital of an ancient kingdom
- tarim - impression of this place is a yemeni version of the kaiping diaolou world heritage site

I think that the Klondike (Canada) is one of the best proposals. (of Course i am biased: i am from canada). the site would have historical buildings, mines, ships, and mining equipment, tailings piles.

Dawson (which would be the city in the klondike proposal) has "log skyskrapers", 4 stories log houses; which i think is very neat.

Rio de janeiro (Brazil) is almost a prime choise

Amritsar (india) is important, visually stunning. and there are no Sikh holy sites on the list

i would also go with Tblisi (Georgia), which is a fantastic city.

Amarbayasgalant Monastery (mongolia) deserves to be on the list

I think many capital cities are still worth to be listed as WHS; for example
- Washington D.C., USA
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Paris, France - with extension to include Champ Elysee, Latin Quarter, Pantheon etc.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Bangkok, Thailand
and Old and New Delhi, India

Hi Xeres -
Re the possible inscription of Amritsar. You might be interested in this
http://www.sikhpoint.com/community/Articles/harmandersahib.php

Jerusalem was not inscribed without controversy. I cannot see Saudi Arabia ever seeking the inscription of Mecca/Medina (m_m) and it sounds as if at least some Sikhs have a similar view about Amritsar not being suitable material for inscription - even though the government of India has placed it on their T List!

I hope i'm posting this in the right place, a bit new to this.

I think Bokrijk could actually be a nice inclusion to the world heritage list as well (I know it's in my own country (Belgium), but I was just wondering what you guys and girls would think of it)

What is bokrijk? In the words of the website:

"On 6 October 1953:
The Provincial Council of the Province of Limburg decided to found an Open Air Museum in Bokrijk, an important and historic decision. With the post-war industrial revolution and the increasing prosperity of the Fifties, there was the imminent threat that Flanders' living environment would very soon be drastically disturbed.
The first conservator, J. Weyns, ensured a scientific approach in developing the Open Air Museum. In the first instance, a building would be thoroughly inspected and dated on the spot, and then disassembled by experts and brought over to Bokrijk. In this way, in less than 20 years some 100 buildings from the Flemish agricultural landscape were saved from destruction. Creating the image of a village that to a great extent came close to historical reality was something groundbreaking in the field of open air museums. The buildings were equipped from the start with objects and equipment in the locations where they belonged . "

Also the remains of the mausoleum of halicarnassus in Bodrum Turkey, one of the original 7 world wonders would in my eyes be a nice inclusion.

The phenomenon of "Open air museums" consisting of buildings reassembled from different parts of a country and representing different historical periods etc (of which Bokrijk is an example) goes back to the 19th century. If not the first, "Skansen" in Stockholm, became the most famous ,and its name has has come to be used as a "generic" for all such institutions

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_air_museum#Sweden for background and a list by country (which includes Bokrijk)

The problem regarding WHS is that such museums are not strictly "authentic". Also, I guess, the vary act of putting them together turns them into "movable objects". Where museums are included within WHS (and as our "Connections" shows there are a large number!) it is not strictly the objects within them which are inscribed but the buildings. I guess one could conceive of, e.g. Skansen, being inscribed as a WHS on the basis of its Universal Value as being an outstanding example of this particular human construction/activity!!

I can't think of any Skansens which are within WHS boundaries - Kizhi has an area given over to buildings moved from parts of Karelia but the inscription document explicitly excludes them - and indeed is even concerned about whether they detract from the authenticity of the Pogost itself (As I said in my review of Kizhi I didn't think they did)

Some open air museums also contain buildings constructed to earlier designs rather than being transported -e.g Williamsburg. Some Chinese WHS eg Lijiang seem potentially to be turning themsleves into such open air museums both in the scale of their devotion to serving tourists and also by the amount of "re"-construction.

Another aspect of open air museums as in Skansen and Williamsburg et al is the use of guides/actors etc dressed up as period "locals" doing "period things" or even acting in so- called period speech and "outlook" (in line with the dumbing down of history as a school subject around the world via the introduction of "empathetic history" as a "rigorous" area of study -"Imagine you are a Roman soldier on Hadrian's wall" is a lot easier than learning a lot of facts and dates as all you have to do to get some marks is to talk about how cold it is in your skirt!). Again, I can't off hand think of an inscribed site which presents itself in this way though there must be some (Any ideas please??? I don't remember any "Roman" whores in the brothel at Pompeii explaining what their life was like! Though no doubt it will come. ). Parcs Canada does so at several otherwise "authentic" locations - one of which at least, the Klondike, is on its T List. I remember a "show-girl" at the dance hall but Parcs Canada stayed clear of the really unsavoury aspects of old time Klondike