Borobudur Temple Compounds

Card # 28
These postcard sent to me by Edy

There is no written record of who built Borobudur or of its intended purpose.[16] The construction time has been estimated by comparison between carved reliefs on the temple's hidden foot and the inscriptions commonly used in royal charters during the eight and ninth centuries. Borobudur was likely founded around 800 AD.[16] This corresponds to the period between 760–830 AD, the peak of the Sailendra dynasty in central Java,[17] when it was under the influence of the Srivijayan Empire. The construction has been estimated to have taken 75 years and been completed during the reign of Samaratungga in 825. Read more

Queen Maya riding horse carriage retreating to Lumbini to give birth to Prince Siddhartha Gautama.

Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the then British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.

Information and Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Taman Negara Mulu, Malaysia

Card # 27 These postcard sent to me by Jasmine

Gunung Mulu National Park near Miri, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its caves and the expeditions that have been mounted to explore them and their surrounding rainforest, most notably the Royal Geographical Society Expedition of 1977 - 1978, which saw over 100 scientists in the field for 15 months. Read more



Information and Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and World Heritage Center

Tapak Warisan Dunia, WHS, Malaysia

Card # 26 These postcard sent to me by Jasmine

My first WHS UNESCO postcard from Malaysia. It shows 3 WHS from M'sia.
On the top left is Banda Hilir, Melaka, Historic City of the Straits of Malacca.
The state's capital is Malacca Town. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008. Malacca was found by Parameswara Srivijayan prince on 1400. Another version of the story says that Parameswara chose the name 'Malacca' from the Tamil word 'mallakka' which means upside down or on ones back. In 1414 Parameswara convert to Islam and change his name to Raja Iskandar Shah. Malacca Harbor in 1831.

1854 map of the "British Territory of Malacca"

1630 map of the Portuguese fort and the city of Malacca. Read more


On the right shows Taman Kinabalu, Sabah
Kinabalu National Park or Taman Negara Kinabalu in Malay, established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of the most important biological sites in the world.
View of Mount Kinabalu from Kundasang. Read more

Located on the west coast of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo; it covers an area of 754 square kilometers surrounding Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,095.2 metres, is the highest mountain on the island of Borneo. The park is one of the most popular tourist spot in Sabah as well as in Malaysia. In 2004, more than 415,360 visitors and 43,430 climbers visited the Park.

and on the bottom is George Town, Penang, Historic City of the Straits of MalaccaGeorge Town or Georgetown, is the capital of the state of Penang in Malaysia. Named after Britain's King George III, George Town is located on the north-east corner of Penang Island and has about 220,000 inhabitants, or about 400,000 including the suburbs.

Formerly a municipality and then a city in its own right, since 1976 George Town has been part of the municipality of Penang Island, though the area formerly governed by the city council is still commonly referred to as a city, and is also known as Tanjung ("The Cape") in Malay and 喬治市 (Qiáozhì Shì) in Chinese. The inner city of George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Most of George Town's population is of Chinese origin. George Town was founded in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company. The town was built on swampy land that had to be cleared of vegetation, levelled and filled.
Built in 1833, the Sri Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Penang, Malaysia, and features fascinating sculptures of gods and goddesses over its main entrance and facade. From its inception, the temple provided an important place of worship for early Indian immigrants and is now an important cultural and national heritage. Read more

Map of peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo).

Information and Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Historic Centre of Riga, Latvia

Card # 25
This beautiful Postcard i received from postcrossing :)

Riga's historical centre has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture, which UNESCO considers to be unparalleled anywhere in the world.

Riga in 1650. The inscription reads: Prospect der Stadt Riga ums Jahr 1650 (View at the City of Riga in the year 1650). Drawing by Johann Christoph Brotze

A view of Riga on a postcard. circa 1900. Read more

Val d'Orcia, Italy

Card # 24

These postcard sent to me by Riccardo

The Val d’Orcia, or Valdorcia, is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. It is characterised by gentle, carefully-cultivated hills occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pienza (rebuilt as an “ideal town” in the 15th century under the patronage of Pope Pius II), Radicofani (home to the notorious brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco) and Montalcino (the Brunello di Montalcino is counted among the most prestigious of Italian wines). In 2004 the Val d’Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Read more

The Dolomites

Card # 23 These postcard sent to me by Riccardo

The Dolomites are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy). Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley. But the Dolomites spread also over the Piave river to the east; and far away over the Adige river to the west is the Brenta Group (Western Dolomites); there is also another smaller group called Piccole Dolomiti located between the Provinces of Trento and Vicenza.

One national park and many other regional parks are located in the Dolomites. In August 2009, the Dolomites has been declared natural heritage of the UNESCO.


During the First World War, the line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces ran through the Dolomites. There are now open-air war museums at Cinque Torri (Five Towers) and Mount Lagazuoi. Many people visit the Dolomites to climb the Vie ferrate, protected paths created during the First World War. A number of long distance footpaths run across the Dolomites, which are called "Alte vie" (i.e., high paths). Such long trails, which are numbered from 1 to 8, require at least a week to be walked through and are served by numerous "Rifugi" (huts). The first and, perhaps, most renowned is the Alta Via 1.

Information and Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Historic Centre of Siena

Card # 22
These postcard sent to me by Riccardo

Siena, like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (c. 900 BC to 400 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called the Saina. The Etruscans were an advanced people who changed the face of central Italy through their use of irrigation to reclaim previously unfarmable land, and their custom of building their settlements in well-defended hill-forts. Then, at the time of the Emperor Augustus, a Roman town called Saena Julia was founded in the site. The first document mentioning it dates from AD 70. Some archaeologists assert it was controlled for a period by a Gaulish tribe called the Saenones. This beautiful historical place declared by UNESCO World Heritage Sites in year 1995. Read more

Medieval coin from Siena (12th century).

Information Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cappadocia and Uchisar- Turkey

Card # 211. Uchisar Koyu- Uchisar Village
2. Gorkun Dere Vadisi- Gorkun Dere Valley
3. Kaya Formasyonlari- Rock Formation

Uchisar Kaya Yerlesmeleri- Uchisar Rock-cut settlements

These postcard was sent to me by my friend Cuneyt Ozarikan

Cappadocia, the name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders characterized by fairy chimneys (image below) and a unique historical and cultural heritage. The term, as used in tourism, roughly corresponds to present-day Nevşehir Province of Turkey.

Cappadocia's limits are debated. In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians are supposed to have occupied the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine (Black Sea). Cappadocia, in this sense, was bounded in the south by the chain of Mount Taurus, to the east by the Euphrates, to the north by Pontus, and to the west by Lake Tuz, in Central Anatolia. But Strabo, the only ancient author to provide a major account of the area, greatly exaggerated its dimensions. It is now believed that 400 km (250 mi) east-west by 200 km (120 mi) north-south is a more realistic appraisal of Cappadocia's area.

The earliest record of the name of Cappadocia dates from the late 6th century BC, when it appears in the trilingual inscriptions of two early Achaemenid kings, Darius I and Xerxes, as one of the countries which are part of the Persian Empire. Read more

Uchisar is situated at the highest point in the region, on the Nevsehir-Goreme road, just 7 km from Nevsehir. It is not known when Uchisar was first inhabited , however, in style, it resembles Ortahisar and the Selime Kalesi (castle) in the Ihlara Region. The top of the citadel provides a magnificent panorama of the surrounding area. Many rooms hollowed out into the rock are connected to each other with stairs, tunnels and passages. At the entrances of the rooms, there are millstone doors, just like the ones in the underground settlements, used to control access to these places. Due to the erosion in places of this multi-leveled castle, it is unfortunately not possible to reach all the rooms. The fairy chimneys to the west, east and north of Uchisar were hollowed out and used as graves during the Roman period. Inside these rock cut tombs, the entrances of which generally face west, are klines or stone slabs on which the bodies were laid. Many rock cut churches have been discovered not only on the skirts of the castle but also inside it. The reason for this may be the fact that Goreme, having numoreus churches and monasteries, is very close to Uchisar. The simple Byzantine graves on top of the castle are not very interesting due to the fact that they have been eroded and ransacked. It is said that in towns with citadels, e.g. Uchisar, Ortahisar and Ürgüp (Bashisar), long defense tunnels reached far into the surrounding areas. However, since the tunnels have collapsed in places, this theory cannot be confirmed, but is a popular myth as to the great distances they cover. Read more

Information obtained from Cappadocia online and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

20 World Heritage Postcard!!!Hurray!!!

Collected and posted 20 World Heritage UNESCO postcards for far. I would like to thank all my friends and private collectors and not forgetting my postcrossing friends who had send me all these tremendous World Heritage postcards.:)

Thank You

City of Verona, Italy

Card #20
These postcard sent to me by Riccardo

Verona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans.

Verona owes its historical and economical importance to its geographical location, in a loop of the Adige River near Lake Garda. Because of this position, the areas saw regular floodings until 1956, when the Mori-Torbole tunnel was constructed, providing 500 cubic meters of discharge from the Adige river to Lake Garda when there was danger of flooding. The tunnel reduced the risk of flooding from once every seventy years to once every two centuries. Read more

A history of Verona, published 1910, by A. M. Allen. Edited by Edward Armstrong, with twenty illustrations and three maps, hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries Digital Collections

Ponte Pietra at sunset

Information and Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Historic Centre of Sighişoara

Card # 19
These postcard sent to me by Calin

The Sighisoara Citadel is the old historic center of the town of Sighişoara , Romania, built in the 12th century by Saxon colonists under the Latin name Castrum Sex. It is an inhabited medieval citadel that, in 1999, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 850-year-old in 1999 for testament to the history and culture of the Transylvanian Saxons.

Birthplace of Vlad III the Impaler, also known as Dracula, Sighişoara hosts, every year, a medieval festival where arts and crafts blend with rock music and stage plays. The city marks the upper boundary of the Land of Sachsen. Like its bigger brothers, Sibiu (Hermannstadt - The European Cultural Capital in 2007) and Braşov (Kronstadt), Sighişoara exhibits architecture typical of medieval Germany. During the Communist era, this German area was preserved, and the original architecture is still in place.

Information Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Historic Centre of Florence

Card # 18
These postcard sent to me by Riccardo

Firenze, population of 367,569 it's know for it's history and it's importance in the Middle ages and not forgeting for it's art and architure. It's also called at the Athens of the Middle Ages. This beautiful historic place declared in World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.

Its 600 years of extraordinary artistic activity can be seen above all in the 13th-century cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Church of Santa Croce, the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace, the work of great masters such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and Michelangelo. Read more

Santa Maria del Fiore, is the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence, Italy, begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival facade by Emilio De Fabris.

Santa Croce, (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south east of the Duomo. The site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini, and Marconi, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories

Uffizi, Is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. It's housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a palazzo in Florence, Italy. The narrow courtyard between the Uffizi's two wings creates the effect of a short, idealized street. View toward the Palazzo Vecchio

Pitti Palace, Early, tinted 20th-century photograph of the Palazzo Pitti, then still known as La Residenza Reale following the residency of King Emmanuel II between 1865–71, when Florence was the capital of Italy.

Information and Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

Card # 17
These postcard sent to me by Riccardo

Another massive UNESCO World Heritage postcard. It gives a live to my passion for WH postcard collection. Pompeii, was destroyed and completly buried under 60 feet of ash and pumice when the Mount Vesuvius Volcano collapsed in AD 79. Pompeii was rediscover in 1748, before it was lost for 1,700 years. Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum

A depiction of the eruption which buried Pompeii (from BBC's Pompeii: The Last Day). The depiction of the Temple of Jupiter and the Temple of Apollo are nonetheless inaccurate as these temples had been destroyed 17 years earlier.

"Garden of the Fugitives". Plaster casts of victims still in situ; many casts are in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. Read More

Image Obtained From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia