BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhuanet) -- UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, has added 13 new sites to its ever expanding World Heritage list. As of 2008 there were 878 such sites around the globe considered to be of cultural or natural importance.

    Among the newly designated sites are mosques, ancient carvings and caves that are sited on the slopes of the Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s first listing on UNESCO's collection of heritage sites.

    Britain also won favor with the organization for the Pontcysyllte aqueduct and canal in north-eastern Wales which was described as a "feat of civil engineering of the Industrial Revolution."

    Italy's Dolomites in the Italian Alps were among the natural sites designated and were cited as being "some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere."

    However, UNESCO also removed one heritage site from its extensive list. Germany ran foul of the organizations strict criteria. Following the construction of a four lane bridge in the Dresden Elbe Valley, the listing was removed as it was deemed to have spoiled the view.

    It is only the second time UNESCO has removed a property from the World Heritage List. The last instance was in 2007 when a decision was made to drop Oman's Arabian oryx sanctuary from the list when officials reduced the size of the protected area by 90 percent.    But Germany did win a new place on the list after the Wadden Sea coastline was nominated. The wetland area which hugs the coast of Germany and the Netherlands, is rich in wildlife and is described by UNESCO as one of the world's last, large-scale intertial ecosystems.

    Pedro Rosabal of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which advises UNESCO on heritage nature sites, said, "The number of fish, shellfish and birds the system supports is simply staggering."

    The only site from the Middle East added to the list this year was Iran's hydraulic system at Shushtar. Described as "a masterpiece of creative genius" it can be traced back to Darius the Great in the fifth century BC.

    Northern China's Mount Wutai, a sacred Buddhist site known for its five flat peaks and a landscape with 53 monasteries, also made it onto the cultural heritage list.

    Three locations around the world were added to the so-called "danger list." Among them was the barrier reef reserve system in Belize, partly due to excessive development. Colombian Los Katios National Park, which is threatened by deforestation, was also determined to be at risk.     

   (Agencies)