The 25 most endangered historical sites in the world

The Kinchila Aboriginal Boys Training Home was used to house Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys who had been forcibly removed from their families to assimilate into the white community. Since 2003, the Kinchila Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, a survivor-led organization, has been working to transform the site into a museum and healing center for this group of children, known as the Stolen Generation.

The 15th century Bagerhat includes very important monuments such as Shaṭ Gombuj, the largest historical mosque in Bangladesh, and the mausoleum of Saint Khan Jahan Ali, who is said to have built the city. Located in the delta of the Ganges River, the city (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) has been dealing with flooding, rising sea levels and increased cyclone activity over the past two decades.

Lamanai, Yucatec Maya for “submerged crocodile,” is an archaeological site dating back to 1500 BC. The forest area is home to a wide variety of wildlife and is threatened by agricultural deforestation. While international tourism is the main means of maintaining the site, it does not benefit the local community, which has advocated ways to improve their tourism system.

Monte Alegre State Park in Pará, Brazil, contains the largest and oldest rock art collection in the Amazon basin. Apart from human threats, these ancient plates are facing degradation due to agricultural expansion and an increased risk of wildfires.

The political monument, La Maison du Peuple, House of the People, was established after Burkina Faso declared its independence from France in 1960. The structure is still in use for concerts and events but is in need of repairs and preservation.

Bunung, an indigenous community in Cambodia’s Mondulkiri Province, is affected by economic development and natural resource extraction. The Norwegian Wikimedia Foundation aims to raise awareness of indigenous rights and to help protect this landscape, which includes ancestral cemeteries, agricultural fields and spiritual forests, all linked to the history and identities of the Bunung people.

Yongtai, China, features hundreds of fortified palaces (zhuangzhai), which contain centuries-old archives detailing everything from family genealogy to military history. To preserve this rich heritage, family custodians of some of these palaces are seeking new models for sustainable development through tourism.

Abydos, an Egyptian site occupied around 3300 BC, overlooks a desert valley that was once thought to provide a passage to the realm of the dead. Recent excavations have discovered that the site served as a tomb for the early pharaohs of Egypt as well as a center of worship for the god Osiris. The future of the site is in danger due to rising water levels, urban and agricultural sprawl, and lack of tourist awareness.

Rising sea levels and increasing storms make protecting Hearst Castle, an artillery fortress ordered by King Henry VIII, almost impossible; Site managers predicted that the water level would rise to five feet over the next 100 years, which would flood the fort.

All that remains of Asante – Africa’s most powerful nation during the 18th century – are 10 traditional shrines among a few other dilapidated structures. These shrines have been well preserved to withstand the tropical climate, but by the 20th century, a UNESCO World Heritage site was low on the Ghana government’s priority list. Currently, the buildings are subject to the ongoing debate about how to best preserve them.

The island of Sumba consists of a number of small settlements that maintain the traditions of living in Sumba. These villages with log houses, built on stilts to keep livestock underneath, are endangered due to lack of maintenance and dwindling knowledge of traditional building methods. Meanwhile, rapid urbanization and climate change loom large on the island’s horizon.

Terita Bazaar, India’s first Chinatown, was formed in the mid-18th century when Chinese sailors and Hakka and Cantonese settlers established the area. They brought with them their culture, food, and goods. The bazaar is now under threat from encroachment on urban development.

In August 2020, an explosion destroyed many heritage buildings in Beirut, including Ottoman-era homes built for the elite. The explosion accelerated the economic decline and was exacerbated by COVID-19 and a lack of tourism. The Wikimedia Foundation supports new collaborative strategies to rebuild Beirut.

Benghazi’s historic city center features a mixture of Arab and Ottoman architectural styles, as well as early 20th century modern buildings, remnants of Italian colonialism. But after the bombing of World War II, the city could not recover to its original condition due to lack of government funding. The goal is to rebuild the area.

Koagannu, the oldest and largest cemetery in the Maldives, is located on the waterfront of the Addu Atoll Islands, surrounded by a shallow coral reef. All 26 Maldives are at risk of being completely submerged due to rising sea levels, as are the 1,500 tombstones at Koagannu.

At its peak, Teotihuacan, meaning “City of the Gods,” was the most influential city in Mesoamerica. This historic site, defined by its three towering pyramids, has been on the Watch List four times since 1999 due to its rapid decline. Tourism is a major source of revenue, but the site requires organized management and services.

The main sources of water for most of the population in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal are from public water fountains, or Hitis. The development has led to fewer traditional infections to provide water for the community.

This tomb was built in the early 15th century for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. In the early 1900s, a nearby river washed away the southeast part of the building, and the surrounding park was flooded several times over the years. The site requires maintenance and regular maintenance.

The cultural landscape of the Yanacancha-Huax in the Andes is famous for the hydro-irrigation system developed by the pre-Inca civilization. In recent times, infrastructure maintenance has been forgotten or abandoned. WMF encourages site rehabilitation and sustainable tourism development in the area.

Although they are a remnant of Portugal’s totalitarian Estado Novo regime, the marine terminals Alcântara and Rocha do Conde de Óbidos are still the most important modernist structures in Libson. Inside are 14 murals by famous artist José de Almada Negreros depicting scenes from the city’s maritime history. WMF plans to work with the Lisbon Port Administration to preserve and maintain these murals.

Although the city of Timisoara, Romania, once had a thriving Jewish community, it was overturned by World War II, and today there are only 600 members. In time for the city’s 2023 designation as the European Capital of Culture, Timisoara hopes to highlight its Jewish heritage, particularly with the rehabilitation of the Textile Synagogue, built in 1899.

Africatown, a historical community in Mobile, Alabama, was the place where former slaves took refuge in West Africa after the Emancipation Proclamation. The area is also home to about 100 survivors of the Clotilda, one of America’s last known slave ships. The ship, whose wreck was discovered near the city in 2019, provides an opportunity for conservation and storytelling within the community.

Garcia Pasture is a pre-Columbian village in southernmost Texas dating from 1000 to 1750 AD. The swamps are home to a wealth of archaeological treasures for the Esto’k Gna people. Climate change and a proposed natural gas pipeline have endangered the site. The WMF encourages greater participation and communication with Indigenous communities when it comes to their lands and decision-making.

Socotra archipelago, the largest island in the Arabian Sea, is famous for its rich and unique biodiversity. The area is also home to the Socotra people, a community that is often overlooked. The Socotra archipelago is under threat due to climate change with extreme weather conditions such as cyclones. WMF strives to devise ways to preserve the site alongside local traditions.