The World Monuments Watch is a project of the World Monuments Fund, a non-profit organization that spotlights endangered historic and cultural sites from around the world.
Every two years, the WMF adds new spots to its watchlist, raising awareness and raising funds for the ongoing protection of the sites.
To date, the organization says it has directly contributed more than $110 million to projects in more than 300 locations. The World Monuments Fund says sites are also seeing significant economic benefits from the increased visibility that comes with being on the watch list.
Climate change and other threats
The World Monuments Fund has added the Maldives’ Koagannu Mosques and Cemetery, pictured, to its list of endangered sites for 2022.
Thanks to World Monument Fund
The locations in the spotlight this year include Hurst Castle, a historic fortress on the south coast of England that partially collapsed after storms in 2021. The WMF says the castle’s addition to the watch list “could help draw attention to draw attention to the impact of climate change on heritage through ongoing monitoring.”
The Maldives’ Koagannu Mosques and Cemetery was also listed due to climate-related risks, with the Global Monument Fund stating that the damaging effects of rising sea levels can already be seen at the site.
The WMF also highlights sites that celebrate underrepresented voices in history, including the Garcia Pasture in Texas in the US, the ancestral home of the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe, as well as spots affected by what it calls “unbalanced tourism.”
In Egypt, the ancient city of Abydos is being spotlighted as a place ‘not often visited by tourists despite its cultural importance’.
And while the Teaotihuacan Archaeological Park in Mexico is a popular destination, the World Heritage Fund is including the site on its list for 2022 to emphasize that Teaotihuacan’s popularity doesn’t necessarily mean that local residents reap economic benefits.
The mosque city of Bagerhat in Bangladesh is on the World Monuments Watch list this year.
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“This year’s Watch shows that heritage preservation can provide innovative solutions to today’s global challenges,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the WMF, in a statement.
“We urge the world to stand side by side with communities and save these places of extraordinary cultural importance. Heritage sites are an incredible resource for addressing bigger issues facing society, as well as local needs for recognition, access , participation and economic opportunities.”
2022 World Monuments Watch List
The Jahangir Tomb in Pakistan is another spot on this year’s list, with the World Monuments Fund noting that the site is in need of restoration.
Maria Gulraiz/World Monument Fund
– Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home, Kinchela, Australia
– Mosque City Bagerhat, Bagerhat, Bangladesh
– Cultural Landscape of the Bunong People, Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia
– Fortified Mansions of Yongtai, Fujian Province, China
– Island of Sumba, Indonesia
– Heritage Buildings of Beirut, Lebanon
– Hitis (water fountains) of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
– Tomb of Jahangir, Lahore, Pakistan
– Nuri, Sudan
– Hurst Castle, Hampshire, United Kingdom
– Lamanai, Indian Church Village, Belize
– Monte Alegre State Park, Brazil
– La Maison du Peuple, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
– Abydos, Egypt
– Traditional Buildings of Asante, Ghana
– Tiretta Bazaar, Kolkata, India
– Historic City Center of Benghazi, Libya
– Koagannu Mosques and Cemetery, Maldives
– Teotihuacan, San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico
– Cultural Landscape Yanacancha-Huaquis, Miraflores District, Peru
– Alcântara and Rocha do Conde de Óbidos, Marine Stations (Almada Negreiros Murals), Lisbon, Portugal
– Fabric Synagogue and Jewish Heritage of Timișoara, Timișoara, Romania
– Africatown, Mobile, Alabama, United States
– Garcia Pasture, Brownsville, Texas, United States
– Socotra Archipelago, Yemen