Tuesday, July 08, 2008

George Town and Melaka - new sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List





Eight new sites, from the Straits of Malacca (Melaka), to Papua New Guinea and San Marino, added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orgnization's (UNESCO) World Heritage List.

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added the new cultural sites to UNESCO's World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 July. UNESCO said in a statement that with these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.


Melaka and George Town, historic sites of the Straits of Malacca.

Melaka and George Town have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multiultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible.

With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the ealy 16th century.



Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century.

UNESCO said that these two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Syed imran,
Salam and regards from old friend.

Saya ingin tahu sama ada nasi kandar termasuk juga pada senarai heritej UNESCO.
Saya bertanya demikian, kerana semasa berada di England dan Jerman, baru balik ke negara ini semalam, kawan-kawan kulit putih yang beberapa kali melawat Penang, berkata, to them Penang Indian curry rice is the best and should be included as a tourist product.

Unknown said...

Dear Old Friend,

Sad to say that nasi kandar is not part and parcel of the heritage.

By the way, nasi kandar is no more Penang's specialty. One can find the so called nasi kandar restaurants in every town - from Perlis to Johor. Penangites will tell you that those are not nasi kandar but simply nasi mamak. Even in Penang, most if not all mamak restaurants are considered as nasi kandar restaurants. The original nasi kandar is long gone. Even the Craven Restaurant in Ampang claims to be the oldest nasi kandar joint. Penangites are well aware that the original Craven A restaurant situated at the junction of Datuk Keramat Road-Macalister Road-Penang Road-Magazine Road or Simpang Enam was never a nasi kandar restaurant. It is simply a mamak restaurant and well known for its "Bihun Singapura".

Nasi kandar is just a plate of rice mix with beef or fish curry with either brinjal or lady finger and green chilly. Thats all.