Sacred Sites International

09/07/2026

This is a 10-minute video of the sacred Nora ceremony recognized as Intangible Culture by UNESCO in 2021. It is a centuries-old form of dance theatre and improvisational singing usually based on stories about the Buddha or legendary heroes.

UNESCO: Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of ...

09/07/2026

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan (or Phra Mahathat monastery) is in Thailand. It has been a Buddhist Center since the 8th century C.E. and it is still a very active Buddhist site. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2026. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage because of its Intangible History for the Nora Ceremony (2021) and for the annual Sacred 'Hae Pha Khun That' Ceremony where stupas are wrapped in sacred cloth.

09/01/2026

This is a newly inscribed site on the UNESCO World Heritage List: The Cemetery Complexes of the Xiongnu Royalty, Mongolia. The tombs date from the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. These eurasian peoples were mainly nomadic and their burial sites demonstrate a highly organized and complexly engineered manner of burying their dead.

The recreation of a noble tomb and associated tapestries and carpets are from the Chinggis Khan National Museum.

The photo with the aerial view was taken by G. Eregzen. The deep view of an excavation in progress was taken by N. Erdene-Orchir.

08/31/2026

This is Katsuragi Hitokonushi Shinto Shrine located 17-miles south of Nara in Gose City. It is dedicated to Ichigon-san who only hears prayers that use one word...in fact, small wooden prayer plaques -ema - look to be longer than one word.

There are also sacred rocks marked with ropes. Also, a famous 1200-year-old Ginko Tree that is a "Breast Shrine" -see the formations that look like hanging breasts - where women go to pray for lactation and breast health. In the broader sense these are places devoted to fertility.

08/29/2026

Here is the latest on the California legislation that would give California Indians more of a say over land and water rights.

The first California tribal member to serve in the state Legislature is pushing a bill that would give Indigenous people more say over their ancestral lands. But a surge of opposition has emerged.

08/29/2026

These are temples at Nara, Japan. It was the Japanese capital in the 8th century C.E. It has 5 Buddhist Temples and a Shinto shrine and an associative culture landscape which is part of all Shinto shrines. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

08/27/2026

Today is World Lakes Day. This is a photo of a sacred lake in the province of Rieti, Italy. It is called Lake of Cutilia or Lago di Paterno. It was sacred in antiquity as a place inhabited by an Oracle to the Sabines. It is considered to be an omphalos or sacred center of Italy.

08/25/2026

UNESCO declared Mount Olympus a World Heritage Site in 2026. It is both a natural site as the tallest mountain in Greece and a cultural site for its significance as the home of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses as well as the Muses and Graces.

08/23/2026

This is the largest megalithic passage grave in Japan. Located in Nara, it was the tomb of Soga no Umaka (c.559-626 CE) and originally was covered by a mound. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1935 and elevated to a Special Historic Site in 1954.

08/22/2026

We're also concerned about some sacred cottonwood trees imperiled by the Border Wall. They hold deep sacred, spiritual, and cultural significance for many indigenous peoples in the region, including the Tohono O'odham (Tona Atam) and Yaqui (Yoeme) nations, who are the original stewards of the San Rafael Valley.

A 200-year-old "grandmother" cottonwood tree stands directly on the U.S.–Mexico border in Lochiel, Arizona, where activists have maintained an ongoing tree-sit protest to block federal contractors from clearing it for a planned 30-foot double border wall.

Out of a small historic grove, three trees were felled in late July 2026, leaving this final towering cottonwood protected by continuous human occupation on both sides of the international boundary.

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