World Monuments Watch 2022

The 2022 Watch spotlights 25 heritage sites of extraordinary significance, facing pressing challenges, and where World Monuments Fund’s partnership with local communities has the potential to make a meaningful difference.

World Monuments Watch 2022

25 Monuments

  • Abydos, Egypt

    Abydos

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  • Mobile, Alabama, United States

    Africatown

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  • Lisbon, Portugal

    Alcântara and Rocha do Conde d'Óbidos Maritime Stations (Almada Negreiros Murals)

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  • Near Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

    Asante Traditional Buildings

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  • Benghazi, Libya

    Benghazi Historic City Center

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  • Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia

    Cultural Landscape of the Bunong People

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  • Timișoara, Romania

    Fabric Synagogue of Timișoara

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  • Fujian, China

    Fortified Manors of Yongtai

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  • Brownsville, Texas, United States

    Garcia Pasture

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  • Lebanon

    Heritage Buildings of Beirut

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  • Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

    Hitis (Water Fountains) of the Kathmandu Valley

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  • Lymington, United Kingdom

    Hurst Castle

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  • Kinchela, Australia

    Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home

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  • Maldives

    Koagannu Mosques and Cemetery

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  • Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

    La Maison du Peuple, Ouagadougou

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  • Indian Church Village, Belize

    Lamanai

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  • Brazil

    Monte Alegre State Park

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  • Bagerhat, Bangladesh

    Mosque City of Bagerhat

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  • Sudan

    Nuri

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  • Yemen

    Soqotra Archipelago

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  • Indonesia

    Sumba Island

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  • San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico

    Teotihuacan

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  • Kolkata, India

    Tiretta Bazaar

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  • Lahore, Pakistan

    Tomb of Jahangir

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  • Miraflores District, Peru

    Yanacancha-Huaquis Cultural Landscape

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About the 2022 Watch

The 2022 open call resulted in more than 225 nominations that underwent extensive internal and external review by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and an independent panel of international heritage experts responsible for the final selection.

Representing 24 countries and spanning nearly 12,000 years of history, the 2022 Watch encompasses a broad range of examples of how global challenges manifest and intersect at heritage sites, providing opportunities to improve the lives of communities as they adapt for the future. 

Global Challenges

Climate Change

As global warming continues to intensify, innovative methods as well as reinforcement of traditional knowledge are necessary to mitigate its impact on heritage places and help communities adapt.

Underrepresentation

Inequities in heritage result in oversight and neglect of many significant places.  Greater efforts should be made to amplify narratives that tell a more textured, just and complete story of humanity.

Imbalanced Tourism

Both overtourism and lack of visitation endanger heritage places and often sideline or disrupt local communities and their way of life. Sustainable tourism strategies are needed to recalibrate the impact of tourism and ensure just outcome for local communities.

Crisis Recovery

Armed conflict, natural disaster, and other types of destruction can cause irreparable damage to heritage places and communities. Community-led preservation efforts can participate in building resilience and regenerating the social fabric in places affected by crisis.

Hitis that are still giving water, 2021.
An extensive system of historic water distribution points and underground channels needs maintenance to ensure that local communities have reliable access to clean water. (Hitis of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)
Hitis that are still giving water, 2021.
An extensive system of historic water distribution points and underground channels needs maintenance to ensure that local communities have reliable access to clean water. (Hitis of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)
54 teotihuacan shutterstock 1650126379
More inclusive tourism planning and visitor management at an iconic archaeological park can help address economic challenges facing surrounding communities. (Teotihuacan, Mexico)
54 teotihuacan shutterstock 1650126379
More inclusive tourism planning and visitor management at an iconic archaeological park can help address economic challenges facing surrounding communities. (Teotihuacan, Mexico)
2f ouagadougou maison du peuple
An important landmark and unique example of African modernism in Burkina Faso requires rehabilitation to enhance public life and foster civic pride. (Maison du Peuple, Burkina Faso)
2f ouagadougou maison du peuple
An important landmark and unique example of African modernism in Burkina Faso requires rehabilitation to enhance public life and foster civic pride. (Maison du Peuple, Burkina Faso)

Watch Days for the 2022 Cycle

Watch Days are a fundamental part of the World Monuments Fund Watch program. These public events bring communities together to celebrate the impact of preservation at select Watch sites.

The 25 Watch sites that were a part of our 2022 Watch program celebrated Watch Days in a variety of ways. From exhibitions to public talks, these events rallied locals and visitors alike around irreplaceable heritage places.

RO_Fabric Synagogue_2024 Watch Day
The 2024 Watch Day at the Fabric Synagogue in Romania included a walking tour of the historic site.
RO_Fabric Synagogue_2024 Watch Day
The 2024 Watch Day at the Fabric Synagogue in Romania included a walking tour of the historic site.

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