Great Zimbabwe

 I already had a TN card of this Unesco site in Zimbabwe but now i've a real card from there. Great Zimbabwe National Monument was inscribed on the Unesco WHS List in 1986.

© Pavel Mikes Jr.

Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city that was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country’s Late Iron Age. The monument first began to be constructed in the 11th century and continued to be built until the 14th century, spanning an area of 722 hectares (1,780 acres) which, at its peak, could have housed up to 18,000 people. Great Zimbabwe acted as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch and would have been used as the seat of their political power. One of its most prominent features were its walls, some of which were over five metres high and which were constructed without mortar. Eventually the city was abandoned and fell into ruin. - in: wikipedia

Aldabra Atoll - Seychelles

I'm a lucky girl to have this card in my collection. Brigitte is even luckier bacause she has already been to Seychelles, where she got this great card of the Aldabra Atoll, one of Seychelles' Unesco WHS.

© Claude Pavard

Located in the Indian Ocean, the Aldabra Atoll is an outstanding example of a raised coral atoll. Due to its remoteness and inaccessibility, the atoll has remained largely untouched by humans for the majority of its existence.  Aldabra is one of the largest atolls in the world, and contains one of the most important natural habitats for studying evolutionary and ecological processes. It is home to the largest giant tortoise population in the world. The richness and diversity of the ocean and landscapes result in an array of colours and formations that contribute to the atoll's scenic and aesthetic appeal. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/185

BE-193312 & AU-261943

These 2 cards are both from Australia even if one was sent as an official from Belgium.

 BE-193312, sent by "sodade".

This is an australian card sent from Belgium and written in portuguese. I love the card, it was in my favorites wall. 

Cradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres (5,069 ft) above sea level, it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty. - in: wikipedia

© C. Bryce

AU-261943, sent by Gillian.

Chromodoris westraliensis is a species of very colourful sea slug. This species of nudibranch occurs in coastal regions of Western Australia.

The length of this animal is up to 400 millimetres. A mantle covers the upper parts of the animal and extends to form a skirt at the sides. The colouring is two (or one) bright blue patches on a black background, with an orange outline. This aposematic coloration advertises its toxicity to would-be predators. - in: wikipedia

Unesco WHS from Sri Lanka

These two cards are from two Unesco sites in Sri Lanka. The Sacred City of Kandy is a new site in my collection and the card depicting the statue of Parakramabahu I is my 2nd card from Polonnaruwa.

kandy was added to the Unesco list in 1988 and Polonnaruwa in 1982.

Copyright by Juergen Schreiber

This sacred Buddhist site, popularly known as the city of Senkadagalapura, was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the Dinahala culture to flourish for more than 2,500 years until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. It is also the site of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha), which is a famous pilgrimage site.

The monumental ensemble of Kandy, rebuilt in the reign of Keerti Sri Rajasimha, is an outstanding example of a traditional type of construction in which the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Tooth of Buddha are juxtaposed. The Temple of the Tooth, the palatial complex, and the sacred city of Kandy are directly and tangibly associated with the history of the spread of Buddhism, one of humanity's great religions. Built to house the relic of the tooth of Buddha, which had come from Kalinga (Orissa State, India) to Sri Lanka during the reign of Sri Meghavanna (310-28), when it was transferred a final time, the Temple of Kandy bears witness to an ever flourishing cult. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/450

Copyright © Leisure Publications

This statue  in Polonnaruwa, commonly known as the statue of Parakramabahu I, is a stone sculpture dating back to the 12th century. Its identity is uncertain, although the widely accepted theory is that it is a statue of King Parakramabahu I, who ruled the country 1153 to 1186.

The 11-foot-2-inch-high (3.40 m) statue was carved on a large boulder, the statue depicts a majestic figure with a grave expression, holding a book or yoke in his hands.

This is one of the best stone sculptures belonging to the Polonnaruwa period.

MY-136876

This is an official from Malaysia which i've already received once, sent by my penpal Ailleen but i didn't post it here though.

Bako National Park, established in 1957, is the oldest national park in Sarawak, eastern Malaysia, on the island of Borneo.

Photograph © Darrel N. C. Tsen and Peter Webb (Pitcher Plant)

MY-136876, sent by Kamalia.

Millions of years of erosion of the sandstone have created a coastline of steep cliffs, rocky headlands and stretches of white, sandy bays. Wave erosion at the base of the cliffs has carved many of the rocky headlands into fantastically shaped sea arches and seastacks with colored patterns formed by iron deposition.

Bako is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak. However, it features multiple biomes (including rainforest), abundant wildlife, jungle streams and waterfalls, secluded beaches, and trekking trails. A network of 16 marked walking trails of different lengths allows visitors access. In addition, various beaches are accessible by boat from Kampung Bako or Teluk Assam, as well as a geologically interesting sea stack rock formation. The range of attractions and activities in a compact area have made Bako one of the most popular parks in Sarawak. - in: wikipedia

TW-805290

A very nice card from Taiwan, depicting the Wunwu Temple on the Sun Moon Lake. 

Around 80 years ago, there were two temples on the Sun Moon Lake coast. Japanese government wanted generate electricity, they built dam and made water level raised up. These two temples were torn down and rebuilt as one in present location and Wenwu Temple was finished in 1938.

Photo by Yuyen.

TW-805290, sent by Serena.

After World War II, government spent money to develop tourism industry in Sun Moon Lake, and rebuilt Wenwu Temple again, making it greater, bigger, and more Chinese palace style. There are three separate halls. On the second floor of the front hall is a shrine devoted to the First Ancestor Kaiji and the God of Literature; the central hall is devoted to Guan Gong, the God of War, and the warrior-god Yue Fei; the rear hall is dedicated to Confucius.

Chinese guardian lions are common to be seen in front of temple. One is male and the other is female. When looking at the entrance from outside the building, facing the lions, the male lion with the ball is on the right, and the female with the cub is on the left. The lions are always presented in pairs. In mainland China, there were no lions. They were imported from India. According to tales, our ancestors didn’t know lion well and thought they had spirit power, loved firework, and liked sitting on the ground. Therefore, Chinese guardian lions are regarded as door guardians and some of them sitting beside large censer. - in: http://www.roundtaiwanround.com/post/15769892593/wenwu-temple

CN-828921 & CN-912105

So i left Central Asia and now i'm in China, East Asia, with these two official cards from there, nice ones by the way.

CN-828921 - sent by duoduo070926

This is a beautiful sunset in Zhangjiajie, in the northwestern part of Hunan province in China.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is one of several national parks within the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.  

CN-912105, sent by Mengning.

The Yue Fei Temple is a temple built in honor of Yue Fei, a general of the Southern Song dynasty when the capital of China was in Hangzhou. The temple ground is located near the West Lake, in central Hangzhou.

The temple was first constructed in the during the Song Dynasty in 1221 to commemorate Yue Fei. The site includes Yue Fei's Temple, Loyalty Temple and Yue Fei’s Mausoleum inside. The temple was reconstructed several times in later date. The tombs and the tomb sculptures in the temple all dates from the 12th century, and have been meticulously restored. - in: wikipedia