Assam's 700-Year-Old 'Moidams' Eye Spot on UNESCO World Heritage List

Next week, the 700-year-old 'Moidams', the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty from Assam, will be considered for nomination to the World Heritage List during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in New Delhi.

If the nomination is successful, it will become the first cultural site from India's northeastern region to be included on the prestigious list.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 46th session of the WHC, which is being held in India for the first time. The event, hosted at Bharat Mandapam from July 21 to 31, will gather culture ministers, representatives, and stakeholders from around the world to discuss the preservation of shared cultural, natural, and mixed heritage.

The nomination dossier for the Moidams was submitted over a decade ago and is currently on UNESCO's tentative list, the first step towards becoming a World Heritage Site. The Moidams are among 28 sites proposed for inscription on the list, categorized into natural, mixed, and cultural sites.

The 'Moidams' are unique burial mounds used by the Tai-Ahom dynasty, characterised by pyramid-like structures.

Additionally, the committee will review the state of conservation of the 124 sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List, 57 of which are also on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

To date, the World Heritage Committee has inscribed 1,199 sites across 168 countries. India boasts 44 sites on the list.

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