SEVILLE, Spain, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan and Burkina Faso have joined the rank of countries that have World Heritage sites on their soil.

    The Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain became the first site in Kyrgyzstan to be added to the UNESCO

    World Heritage List during the World Heritage Committee's 33rd meeting Friday.

    The mountain stands over the Fergana Valley, close to the Osh city, at a key crossroad on the ancient and famous Silk Road.

    It has five peaks that contain numerous ancient worship places and caves with petroglyphs.

    Sulamain-Too is thought to be the most complete example of a sacred mountain in Central Asia with 17 worship sites still in use and many others in ruins.

    The World Heritage Committee also placed the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System in Iran and South Korea's Royal Tombs from the Joseon Dynasty on the World Heritage List.

    At the same time, the Loropeni ruins in West Africa's Burkina Faso were listed as the country's first-ever World Heritage site. The stone ruins were the walls of a fortress that used to protect gold caravans as they crossed the Sahara desert.

    Meanwhile, the Heritage Committee put a coral reef in Belize and the Los Katios National Park in Colombia on its endangered list.

    The Belize Barrier Reef, which joined the World Heritage List in 1996, is facing damage to its mangrove swamps while the Los Katios park is suffering deforestation.

    The World Heritage Committee is listing new sites from the 37 nominations during its current meeting, which is scheduled to run through June 30.