The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York-based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) that is dedicated to preserving the historic, artistic, and architectural heritage around the world.[1]

Selection process

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Every two years, it publishes a select list known as the Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites that is in urgent need of preservation funding and protection. The sites are nominated by governments, conservation professionals, site caretakers, non-government organizations (NGOs), concerned individuals, and others working in the field.[2] An independent panel of international experts then select 100 candidates from these entries to be part of the Watch List, based on the significance of the sites, the urgency of the threat, and the viability of both advocacy and conservation solutions.[1][3] For the succeeding two-year period until a new Watch List is published, these 100 sites can avail grants and funds from the WMF, as well as from other foundations, private donors, and corporations by capitalizing on the publicity and attention gained from the inclusion on the Watch List.[1]

2006 Watch List

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The 2006 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites was launched on June 21, 2005, by WMF President Bonnie Burnham.[1][4][5] It marked the first time that an entire country was placed on the Watch List. Iraq, long considered as the "cradle of human civilization" and within whose borders lie an estimated 10,000 archaeological sites, has been left vulnerable to widespread looting, vandalism, and other acts of violence in the wake of the 2003 military invasion.[1]

The World Monuments Watch provides a valuable barometer of the state of heritage preservation worldwide… The biennial Watch list tells us not only which sites are in peril, but also what kinds of threats—natural disaster, war, pollution, neglect, or other issues—are endangering the world's heritage.

— Bonnie Burnham, WMF president, launch of 2006 Watch List[1]

On October 6, 2005, nearly four months after the publication of the 2006 Watch List and more than a month after the significant devastation brought about by Hurricane Katrina on America's Gulf Coast, the WMF, together with partners American Express Foundation and National Trust for Historic Preservation, decided to place the Gulf Coast and New Orleans as the 101st endangered site on the 2006 Watch List.[6][7]

List by country/territory

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The mudbrick structures of the Iranian city of Bam were severely damaged by an earthquake in 2003. It was subsequently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and List of World Heritage in Danger in 2004,[8] and on the WMF Watch List in 2006.
 
Rome's Temple of Portunus is one of the best preserved early Roman temples in the world.[1]
 
The Great Ziggurat of Ur is one of the many archaeological sites in Iraq that has been left vulnerable to looting and vandalism since the invasion and occupation began in 2003.[5]
 
Mauritania's Chinguetti Mosque is home to a unique collection of important Islamic manuscripts. It is situated in Chinguetti, considered as the "seventh city" of Islam.[1]
 
Seismic instability and the depletion of its aquifer has endangered the very foundation of Mexico City.[5]
 
Moscow's Narkomfin Building is a nationally listed monument in Russia and continues to inspire architects around the world.[5]
 
The Turkish archaeological site of Aphrodisias features some of the best-preserved examples of Greco-Roman architecture in the eastern Mediterranean.[1]
 
Pennsylvania's Cyclorama Building was included on the Watch List since the structure was slated for demolition by the authorities.[5] The building was demolished in March 2013.[9][10]
Number[A] Country/Territory Site[B] Location[C] Period[C]
1 Afghanistan Haji Piyada Mosque Balkh 9th century
2 Antarctica Sir Ernest Shackleton's Expedition Hut Cape Royds, Ross Island 1908
3 Australia Dampier Rock Art Complex Dampier, Burrup Peninsula 10,000 BC–present
4 Bangladesh Sonargaon-Panam City Sonargaon 15th–19th centuries
5 Bosnia and Herzegovina Mehmed-Pasha Sokolovic Bridge Višegrad 1571–1577
6 Brazil Convent of San Francisco and Historic Olinda Olinda, Pernambuco 1535–1827
7 Cameroon Bafut Palace Bafut 1907–1910
8 Cape Verde Tarrafal Concentration Camp Tarrafal 1930s
9 Chile Tulor Village Antofagasta 500 BC–AD 300
10 Chile Cerros Pintados Tarapacá 500–1450
11 China Cockcrow Post Town Cockrow Post, Huailai 1420
12 China Lu Mansion Dong Yang 15th–19th centuries
13 China Qikou Town Shanxi Province 18th–19th centuries
14 China Stone Towers of Southwest China Various Locations ca. 1000–1500
15 China Tianshui Traditional Houses Tianshui, Qincheng, Gansu 1644–1929
16 China Tuanshan Historical Village Yunnan Province 15th–19th centuries
17 Croatia Novi Dvori Castle Zaprešić Mid–19th century
18 Croatia Saint Blaise Church Dubrovnik 1707–1717
19 Cuba Finca Vigia (Hemingway's House) San Francisco de Paula 1886
20 Egypt Sabil Ruqayya Dudu Cairo 1761
21 Egypt Tarabay al-Sharify Cairo 16th century
22 Egypt West Bank Luxor 1540–1075 BC
23 El Salvador San Miguel Arcangel and Santa Cruz de Roma Panchimalco & Huizucar 1730–1740
24 Eritrea Asmara Historic City Center Asmara 1916–1941
25 Eritrea Kidane-Mehret Church Senafe 12th century
26 Eritrea Massawa Historic Town Massawa 16th–19th centuries
27 Finland Helsinki-Malmi Airport Helsinki 1930–1938
28 Georgia Jvari Monastery Mtshekta ca. 600
29 Greece Helike Archaeological Site Achaia BC 2500–500
30 Guatemala Naranjo El Petén 600–900
31 India Dalhousie Square Kolkata 1600–1699; 1900
32 India Dhangkar Gompa Himachal Pradesh 15th–16th centuries
33 India Guru Lhakhang and Sumda Chung Temples Sumda Chung 11th–14th centuries
34 India Watson's Hotel Mumbai 1867–1871
35 Indonesia Omo Hada Nias Island 1715
36 Iran Bam Bam 10th–18th centuries
37 Iraq Iraq Cultural Heritage Sites Country-wide Prehistoric–present
38 Ireland Wonderful Barn Kildare 1743
39 Italy Academy of Hadrian's Villa Tivoli 2nd century
40 Italy Cimitero Acattolico Rome 1776 first burial
41 Italy Civita di Bagnoregio Bagnoregio 12th–15th centuries
42 Italy Murgia dei Trulli Murgia dei Trulli ca. 800
43 Italy Portici Royal Palace Naples 1740–19th century
44 Italy Santa Maria in Stelle Hypogeum Verona 3rd–5th centuries
45 Italy Temple of Portunus Rome Late 2nd–1st centuries BC
46 Kenya Mtwapa Heritage Site Kilifi, Mtwapa 1100–1199
47 Laos Chom Phet Cultural Landscape Luang Prabang 19th century
48 Latvia Riga Cathedral Riga 13th–19th centuries
49 Lebanon Chehabi Citadel Hasbaya 12th century
50 Lebanon International Fairground at Tripoli Tripoli 1963
51 Macedonia Treskavec Monastery and Church Treskavec 12th–15th centuries
52 Mauritania Chinguetti Mosque Chinguetti 13th century
53 Mexico Chalcatzingo Morelos 800 BC
54 Mexico Mexico City Historic Center Mexico City 15th–20th centuries
55 Mexico Pimería Alta Missions Sonora 1700–1799
56 Mexico San Juan Bautista Cuauhtinchan Puebla 1528–1544
57 Mexico San Nicolás Obispo Morelia, Michoacán 16th–18th centuries
58 Nepal Patan Royal Palace Complex Patan 17th–19th centuries
59 Nigeria Benin City Earthworks Edo State 1240–1460
60 Norway Sandviken Bay Bergen 18th–19th centuries
61 Pakistan Mian Nasir Mohammed Graveyard Dadu District 18th century
62 Pakistan Thatta Monuments Thatta 14th–18th centuries
63 Palestinian Territories Tell Balatah (Shechem or Ancient Nablus) Nablus, West Bank BC 1699–AD 1600
64 Panama Panama Canal Area Panama City, Chagres River 1882–1914
65 Peru Cajamarquilla Lima 500–1200
66 Peru Presbítero Maestro Cemetery Lima 1805–1808
67 Peru Quinta Heeren Lima 1888–1930
68 Peru Revash Funerary Complex Santo Tomás 10th century
69 Peru Túcume Archaeological Site Lambayeque 9th–15th centuries
70 Poland Jerusalem Hospital of the Teutonic Order Malborka 14th century; 17th century
71 Poland Mausoleum of Karol Scheibler Łódź 1885–1888
72 Portugal Teatro Capitólio Lisbon 1925–1931
73 Romania Oradea Fortress Oradea 17th–18th centuries
74 Russia Melnikov's House Studio Moscow 1929
75 Russia Narkomfin Building Moscow 1928–1930
76 Russia Semenovskoe-Otrada Moscow Region 1774–1850s
77 Samoa Pulemelei Mound Palauli, Letolo Plantation ca. 1000–1500
78 Serbia and Montenegro Prizren Historic Center Prizren 1200–present
79 Serbia and Montenegro Subotica Synagogue Subotica 1902
80 Sierra Leone Old Fourah Bay College Building Freetown Mid–19th century
81 Slovakia Lednické-Rovne Historical Park Lednické-Rovne 18th century
82 South Africa Richtersveld Cultural Landscape Northern Cape Province Prehistoric–present
83 Spain Segovia Aqueduct Segovia 1st century
84 Sudan Suakin Suakin Island 17th–18th centuries
85 Syria Amrit Archaeological Site Amrit 300–230 BC
86 Syria Shayzar Castle Shaizar 12th century
87 Syria Tell Mozan (Ancient Urkesh) Tell Mozan ca. 2200–1500 BC
88 Turkey Aphrodisias Aphrodisias 150 BC–AD 1200
89 Turkey Little Hagia Sophia Istanbul 527–536
90 United Kingdom Saint Mary's Stow Church Stow, Lincolnshire 975 AD; 11th–15th centuries
91 United Kingdom St. Vincent Street Church Glasgow, Scotland 1857/59–1904
92 United States of America 2 Columbus Circle New York City 1964
93 United States of America Bluegrass Cultural Landscape of Kentucky Central Kentucky Late 18th–Early 19th centuries
94 United States of America Cyclorama Center Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 1958–1961
95 United States of America Dutch Reformed Church Newburgh, New York 1830
96 United States of America Ellis Island Baggage and Dormitory Building New York, New York 1908–1913
97 United States of America Ennis Brown House Los Angeles, California 1924
98 United States of America Hanging Flume Montrose County, Colorado 1887–1890
99 United States of America Mount Lebanon Shaker Village New Lebanon, New York 1860
100 Venezuela La Guaira Historic City Vargas 1589
101[D] United States of America Gulf Coast and New Orleans Mississippi and Louisiana 18th–20th centuries

Statistics by country/territory

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The following countries/territories have multiple sites entered on the 2006 Watch List, listed by the number of sites:

Number of sites Country/Territory
9 United States of America[E]
7 Italy
6 China
5 Mexico and Peru
4 India
3 Egypt, Eritrea, Russia and Syria
2 Chile, Croatia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia & Montenegro, Turkey and United Kingdom

Notes

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^ A. No official reference numbers have been designated for the sites on the Watch List.
^ B. Names and spellings used for the sites were based on the official 2006 Watch List as published.
^ C. The references to the sites' locations and periods of construction were based on the official 2006 Watch List as published.
^ D. On October 6, 2005, the WMF added the historic and cultural assets of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans to the 2006 Watch List as its 101st site, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina significantly damaging and destroying numerous historic structures across the region.
^ E. Tally includes the Gulf Coast and New Orleans site.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Holly Evarts (21 June 2005). "World Monuments Fund Announces 2006 World Monuments Watch List Of 100 Most Endangered Sites" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  2. ^ Holly Evarts (6 June 2007). "World Monuments Fund Announces 2008 World Monuments Watch List Of 100 Most Endangered Sites" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  3. ^ Holly Evarts (June 2005). "2006 Watch List Fact Sheet" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  4. ^ "World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e Holly Evarts (June 2005). "2006 Watch List Highlights" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  6. ^ Holly Evarts (2 August 2006). "In Katrina's Wake: Restoring a Sense of Place, WMF Gallery" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  7. ^ "World Monuments Fund and National Trust for Historic Preservation with Support from American Express Team Up to Help Preserve Gulf Coast's Historic Landmarks Devastated by Hurricane Katrina" (PDF). World Monuments Fund. 12 November 2005. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Bam and its Cultural Landscape". World Heritage Center. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  9. ^ Worden, Amy (March 12, 2013). "Gettysburg's Cyclorama building is no more". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  10. ^ Stansbury, Amy (9 March 2013). "The death of the Gettysburg Cyclorama building". The Evening Sun. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
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