EAST TIMOR (TIMOR LESTE)

SLOVAKIA

EUROPA 2023 from Slovakia

P. R. CHINA

This cover fom China depicts 5 stamps of same type celebrating the World Heritage Site South China Karst. The South China Karst, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2007, spans the provinces of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. It is noted for its karst features and landscapes as well as rich biodiversity. The site comprises seven clusters Phase I: Libo Karst, Shilin Karst, and Wulong Karsit nscribed in 2007, and Phase II: Guilin Karst, Shibing Karst, Jinfoshan Karst, and Huanjiang Karst inscribed in 2014. UNESCO describes the South China Karst as "unrivalled in terms of the diversity of its karst features and landscapes.

SPAIN

This cover came from Spain and depicts a miniature sheet issued in 2023 celebrating the Old Town of Cáceres, an historic walled city in Spain. Cáceres was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1986 because of the city's blend of Roman, Moorish, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture. Thirty towers from the Islamic period still stand in Cáceres, of which the Torre del Bujaco is the most famous. There have been settlements near Cáceres since prehistoric times. Evidence of this can be found in the caves of Maltravieso and El Conejar. The city was founded by the Romans in 25 BC. The Old Town (Parte Antigua) still has its ancient walls; this part of town is also well known for its multitude of storks' nests. The walls contain a medieval town setting with no outward signs of modernity, which is why many television shows and films have been shot there.

BELARUS

MAURITIUS

This cover came from Mauritius, depicting 4 different stamps and featuring a joint issue Mauritius-China with pictures of 2 World Heritage Sites: Le Morne Cultural Landscape in Mauritius and The Great Wall in China. Le Morne Cultural Landscape contains the giant basaltic monolith of Le Morne Brabant, a mountain on the Le Morne Peninsula in the extreme south west of Mauritius. It was here that runaway slaves, known as ‘maroons’ came to shelter throughout the 18th and first part of the 19th centuries, forming small settlements on the summit and within the barely accessible caves which lie almost hidden on the mountain’s near-vertical slopes. The physical and oral evidence that supports this use of Le Morne has made the mountain a potent symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom - one that is especially relevant to the regions from which they originated – India, South East Asia, Madagascar and the African mainland – and today represented by the Creole people of Mauritius and their shared memories and traditions. In modern times Le Morne – due to its favoured position and extreme natural beauty – is perhaps equally or better known as one of the island’s best beach destinations, and its importance as a symbol of resistance is only enhanced by its aesthetic appeal. The famous natural landmark is also home to a broad variety of endemic plant species, and is the only habitat in Mauritius where the national flower, the Trochetia boutoniana can be found. Having come to symbolize China, The Great Wall owns high status like the old saying that one who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero, and was listed as world cultural heritage in 1987 by UNESCO. Serving as the purpose of defense mostly, it went through different dynasties for destruction and construction, especially in Qin and Ming dynasty. Now with several sections of the Great Wall survived for tourists sightseeing to marvel at the massive architecture.

MOROCCO

This amazing cover from Morocco depict a single stamp with a picture of the Al Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem (Al Qods in arabic). The Old City of Jerusalem and its walls is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1981. It was proposed as a site by Jordan. The site is not assigned to a state on the UNESCO listing. In 2011 UNESCO stated "The Old City of Jerusalem" is inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.

ARMENIA

This excellent cover came from Armenia. It depicts 4 stamps of the same type (issued in 2022), celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage site Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley. The Monastery of Geghard is located in the Azat River gorge. Saint Gregory the Illuminator founded the monastery in the 4th century, according to tradition. This coincided with the introduction of Christianity as the state religion in Armenia. The main complex dates to the 13th century. It includes rock-cut churches, tombs, residential cells, and several khachkars (Armenian memorial stele with decorated crosses). The monastery was an important ecclesial and cultural centre of medieval Armenia. It was inscribed at UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000.

LITHUANIA

This cover from Lithuania depicts a 0,97 Euro stamp celebrating the natural UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Curonian Spit. The Curonian Spit is a 98-kilometre long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, and its northern within southwestern Klaipėda County, Lithuania. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, and it's shared by the two countries.

P. R. CHINA

TUNISIA

This cover from Tunisia depicts 2 stamps of same type issued in 2022, celebrating the Medina of Tunis. The Medina of Tunis is the medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from the Almohad and the Hafsid periods.

PORTUGAL

This cover from Portugal depicts a miniature sheet issued in 1997 celebrating the Cultural Landscape of Sintra. Sintra is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality of Sintra has several historic palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens. The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run. The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, historic estates and villas, gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 1995). Sintra's landmarks include the medieval Castle of the Moors, the romanticist Pena National Palace and the Portuguese Renaissance Sintra National Palace.

ARMENIA

This cover came from Armenia and depicts one stamp (on the right) celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Egypt Memphis and its Necropolis the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur. 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.

NEW ZEALAND

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil depicts 3 stamps with endemic FLORA from the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometres. Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined. Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species. Pantanal Conservation Area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

PORTUGAL

This cover from Portugal depicts a single stamp issued in 2023 celebrating the 17th. century fortresses of the border city of Elvas, classified by UNESCO as World Heritage site for its uniqueness in the world. The site, extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains barracks and other militar buildings as well as churches and monasteries. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century A.D., its fortification began when Portugal regained Independence in 1640. The fortifications designed by dutch jesuits represent the best surviving example of the dutch school of fortifications anywhere

CROATIA

A nice UNESCO cover from Croatia, with a miniature sheet and a single stamp, both issued in 2019, celebrating the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register. The national park was founded in 1949 and is in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north–south road that passes through the national park area connects the Croatian inland with the Adriatic coastal region.

P. R. CHINA