UNESCO

The UN cultural organisation UNESCO meeting at its 43rd session in Baku, Azerbaijan, has ordered North Macedonia to take measures to properly protect the heritage of the lakeside city of Ohrid - or be added to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.

Turkey has been reelected as a member of the Executive Council (EC) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) for two years, the Foreign Ministry said on July 4.           

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) has opened its 90th training center in cooperation with Istanbul's Bahçeşehir University.

After UNESCO threatened to put the lakeside town of Ohrid and the surrounding area on its list of endangered sites, mainly citing its persistent problem with illegal construction, the local authorities promised swift action.

For Bulgaria, cooperation with UNESCO is a priority because we are a country with rich cultural heritage. A country that has contributed to the development of European civilization, working to build a peaceful world based on cooperation and overcoming ethnic, religious and racial differences.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay discussed the cooperation between Bulgaria and the world organization.

Today the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Culture and Media Vezhdi Rashidov welcomed the UNESCO Director- General Audrey Azoulay in Sofia. He shared the idea that the Bulgarian St. Stephen's Iron Church in Istanbul should be included in the World Heritage List of the organization.

The Kızılırmak Delta Wetland and Bird Sanctuary can be added to the UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites in July, a local official said on March 5.

Safranbolu district of Karabük, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is known as the "capital of protection," broke a record last year by hosting a total of 1.27 million visitors.

Turkey has been the host to many ancient civilizations and empires for ages. Its heritage can be seen in its preserved sites, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Some of them remain largely undiscovered, though. Click through for our list, prepared by İnci Hazal Özcan, including the 16 UNESCO sites in Turkey that you should --but probably did not-- see. (Photos: Alamy)