GERMANY

Two special UNESCO covers from Germany, celebrating the ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz. The ShUM communities, named after the initial letters of Hebrew city names Speyer, Worms, and Mainz, were crucial in the development of the Ashkenazi culture in central Europe, especially between the 10th and 13th centuries. The sites, which comprise the Jewish Cemetery in Worms, Worms Synagogue, Jewish courtyard in Speyer (pictured), and the Old Jewish Cemetery in Mainz, were influential in the architecture of Jewish communities in Germany, northern France, and England. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2021.

UNITED KINGDOM - SCOTLAND

This cover from United Kingdom was posted in Edinburgh, Scotland, and depicts 4 differente stamps. The stamp on the left top shows a drawing of the Old Town of Edinburgh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. The Old Town of Edinburgh was founded in the Middle Ages, and the New Town was developed in 1767–1890. It contrasts the layout of settlements in the medieval and modern periods. The layout and architecture of the new town, whose designers include William Chambers and William Playfair, influenced European urban design in the 18th and 19th centuries.

SRI LANKA

P. R. CHINA

BELARUS

SRI LANKA

This cover from Sri Lanka features a joint issue with Egypt, both stamps celebrating World Heritage Sites: the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka and Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, in Egypt. Anuradhapura was the first capital of Sri Lanka and a Buddhist spiritual centre. It was founded in the 4th century BCE. It was attacked by the Tamils in the 2nd century BCE and sacked by the Pandyas in the 9th century CE. The monuments were subsequently restored but the city was finally destroyed in 993 by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I and the capital was moved to Polonnaruwa. In the following centuries it was overgrown by jungle. Monuments that remain today include the Abhayagiri vihāra (pictured) and the Ruwanwelisaya stupa, as well as the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a tree that grew from a cutting from the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. It is inscribed as a World Heritage Site since 1982. The capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt has some extraordinary funerary monuments, including rock tombs, ornate mastabas, temples and pyramids. In ancient times, the site was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.

P. R. CHINA

This cover from P. R. China features a joint issue with France, both stamps celebrating two UNESCO sites: the Mount Tai in China and the Mont Saint Michel in France. Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak, which is commonly reported as being 1,545 meters.Mount Tai is known as the eastern mountain of the Sacred Mountains of China. It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five. Mount Tai has been a place of worship for at least 3,000 years and served as one of the most important ceremonial centers of China during large portions of this period. Because of its sacred importance and dramatic landscape, it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey is an abbey located within the city and island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, in the department of Manche. The abbey is an essential part of the structural composition of the town the feudal society constructed. On top, God, the abbey, and monastery; below this, the Great halls, then stores and housing, and at the bottom (outside the walls), fishermen's and farmers' housing. The abbey has been protected as a French monument historique since 1862. Since 1979, the site as a whole – i.e., the Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay – has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux. The abbey is among the most visited cultural sites in France.

FRANCE

This cover from France features a joint issue with P.R. China, both stamps celebrating two UNESCO sites: the Mount Tai in China and the Mont Saint Michel in France. Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak, which is commonly reported as being 1,545 meters.Mount Tai is known as the eastern mountain of the Sacred Mountains of China. It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five. Mount Tai has been a place of worship for at least 3,000 years and served as one of the most important ceremonial centers of China during large portions of this period. Because of its sacred importance and dramatic landscape, it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey is an abbey located within the city and island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, in the department of Manche. The abbey is an essential part of the structural composition of the town the feudal society constructed. On top, God, the abbey, and monastery; below this, the Great halls, then stores and housing, and at the bottom (outside the walls), fishermen's and farmers' housing. The abbey has been protected as a French monument historique since 1862. Since 1979, the site as a whole – i.e., the Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay – has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux. The abbey is among the most visited cultural sites in France.

COOK ISLANDS - AITUTAKI

An amazing cover from Aitutaki, my first one from this small island in Cook Islands. Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araʻura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is 18.05 km2, and the lagoon has an area of between 50 and 74 km2. A major tourist destination, Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands archipelago. Aitutaki had a population of 1,712 in 2016. The main village is Arutanga (Arutunga) on the west side.

SWITZERLAND

This cover from Switzerland has two different stamps. The stamp on the right shows a picture of the "Landwasser Viaduct", on the Albula Railway. The Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway are two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps. They were built in the early 20th century, providing a rapid and easy route into many formerly isolated alpine settlements. Building the railroads required overcoming technical challenges with bridges, galleries, and tunnels. The site is shared with Italy and is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008 as Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes.

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil features a complete set issued in 1996 with Hummingbirds from Atlantic Forests and Amazon Basin. Both regions are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

SOUTH AFRICA

This cover from South Africa depicts a set of 4 stamps celebrating the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, a World Heritage Site, established on 11 June 2001 by linking the Sehlabathebe National Park in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal. The highest peak is Thaba Ntlenyana rising to 3,482 metres. Proposed extensions to the main park include the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (Free State) and Royal Natal National Park (KwaZulu-Natal) in South Africa; and the Bokong Nature Reserve and Ts'ehlanyane National Park in Lesotho. The park is situated in the Drakensberg Mountains which form the highest areas in the sub-region, and support unique montane and sub-alpine ecosystems. These ecosystems hold a globally significant plant and animal biodiversity, with unique habitats and high levels of endemism. The park is also home to the greatest gallery of rock art in the world with hundreds of sites and many thousands of images painted by the Bushmen (San people). The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area was conceived as a Peace park, covering about 8 113 km2, consisting of 5 170 km2 (64%) in Lesotho and 2 943 km2 (36%) in KwaZulu-Natal.