The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee on Thursday inscribed 16 sites on the World Heritage List, including one new site and two extensions from China.

The committee unanimously agreed to inscribe the capital cities and tombs of the ancient Koguryo Kingdom of China onto the heritage list, according to a press release issued on Thursday night at the ongoing 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee.

The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang of China's northeast Liaoning Province was included in the list as an extension to the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which was already inscribed on the list in 1987, the press release said.

Another extension of China, which includes three tombs in China's northeast Liaoning Province, would add an additional 338.34 hectares of protected area to the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties already inscribed on the list in 2000.

Meanwhile, the Committee also approved the first World Heritage site of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The Complex of Koguryo Tombs of the DPRK, the World Heritage cultural site, includes 63 individual graves, which were dated back to nearly 2,300 years ago, the press release said.

Other 11 new cultural sites inscribed on the list at Thursday's session included Madriu-Claror-Perafita Valley of Andorra, Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens of Australia, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park of India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station of India, Pasargadae of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan, Um er-Rasas (Kastron Mefa'a) of Jordan, Petroglyphs within the Archaeological landscape of Tamgaly of Kazakhstan, Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape of Mongolia, the Vega Archipelago of Norway and the Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent of the Russian Feration.

In addition, India's two Great Chola Temples of the 11th and 12th centuries were added to the 11th century Brihadisvara temple of Thanjavur, inscribed in 1987 on Thursday.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2004)