Red Fort inscribed on UNESCO's Heritage List

New Delhi, June 28, (UNI) The magnificent 17th century 'Lal Qila' (Red Fort Complex) in Delhi, built as the palace fort for Mughal Emperor Shahjahan marking the zenith of Mughal creativity, is among the four new cultural sites which were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List today.

The other three cultural sites, which were inscribed on the World Heritage List are: Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Japan), Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan) and Sydney Opera House (Australia).

''The decision to add the Red Fort Complex to the cultural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List was taken at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Christchurch (New Zealand) today,'' UNESCO Programme Specialist for culture Nicole Bolomey said.

The Fort, which gets its name from massive enclosing red sandstone walls, was designed to imitate paradise, as it was described in the Koran.

When asked about criteria on which the Red Fort Complex has been included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List, Ms Bolomey said, ''UNESCO has a list of six criteria on which the monuments are included in the list. The Lal Qila has been been included on the basis of its outstanding architectural planning of the Mughal era including their pre and post local tradition.'' The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals architectural elements typical of Mughal building, reflecting a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions. The Red Fort's innovative planning and architectural style, including its garden design, strongly influenced later buildings and gardens in Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra and further afield.

''The Fort is a reflection of the British Military occupation and a witness of the changing Indian History from the British period including the Mughal era to the Independence and the present day power of the country,'' she added.

''India is one of the members of the World Heritage Committe which comprises 21 nations this year,'' Ms Bolomey said.

The Sydney Opera House, a great architectural work of the 20th century that brings together multiple strands of creativity and innovation, both in architectural form and structural design.

A great urban sculpture set in a remarkable waterscape, at the tip a peninsula projecting into Sydney Harbour, the building has had an enduring influence on architecture.

The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, south-west of Honshu Island, is a cluster of mountains, rising to 600 metres and interspersed by deep river valleys featuring the archaeological remains of large-scale mines, smelting and refining sites and mining settlements worked between the 16th and 20th centuries.

Parthian Fortresses of Nisa consists of two tells of Old and New Nisa which indicate the site of one of the earliest and most important cities of the Parthian Empire, was a major power from the mid 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. They have been relatively undisturbed for nearly two millennia and conserve the unexcavated remains of an ancient civilization which skilfully combined its traditional cultural elements with those of the Hellenistic and Roman west. Archaeological excavations in two parts of the site have revealed richly decorated architecture, illustrative of domestic, state, and religious functions.

UNI