The
(UNESCO) designates
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s of outstanding universal value to
cultural or
natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.
Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
accepted the convention on 29 April 1994.
, there are five World Heritage Sites listed in Kazakhstan, with a further 14 on the tentative list.
The first site inscribed to the list was the
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi ( kz, Қожа Ахмет Яссауи кесенесі, ''Qoja Ahmet İassaui kesenesı''; russian: Мавзолей Ходжи Ахмеда Ясави, ''Mavzoley khodzhi Akhmeda Yasavi'') is a mausoleum in ...
, at the 27th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
in 2003.
The most recent sites listed were two transnational sites:
Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, listed in 2014, is shared with China and Kyrgyzstan, while
Western Tien-Shan, shared with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, was listed in 2016. Three sites are cultural while
Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan
Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan is a part of the Kazakh Uplands (known in Kazakh as ''saryarka'', or "yellow range") which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was inscribed on July 7, 2008.
(''see'' List of ...
and Tien-Shan are natural.
World Heritage Sites
UNESCO lists sites under
ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.
Tentative list
In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.
, Kazakhstan lists 14 properties on its tentative list.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan geography-related lists
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
List
Lists of tourist attractions in Kazakhstan