Sabida Inspects Chiang Mai for World Heritage Listing

MGR Online•Politics•2d ago

Reader Briefing

Minister of Culture Sabida Thaiseth visited Chiang Mai to inspect the readiness of sites proposed for UNESCO World Heritage listing before an ICOMOS evaluation.

•Minister of Culture Sabida Thaiseth inspected sites in Chiang Mai on July 18 to prepare for the ICOMOS technical evaluation scheduled for August 3-8, 2026.
•The proposed site is named 'Monuments, Sites and Cultural Landscape of Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna'.
•Thailand submitted the Nomination Dossier to the World Heritage Centre in Paris, France, on February 1, 2026.
•The proposal is expected to be considered by the World Heritage Committee during its annual general meeting in 2027.

Overview

•Sabida Thaiseth visited locations including Tha Phae Gate, Chang Phueak Gate, Chiang Mai Gate, Suan Dok Gate, and Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan to monitor readiness.
•The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will conduct a Technical Evaluation Mission from August 3-8, 2026.
•The Cabinet approved the registration documents on January 13, 2026, and the official nomination was submitted to Paris on February 1, 2026.
•The site has been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 2015.
•The nomination is based on two criteria: Buddhist influence exchanges (ii) and Lanna civilization representation from the 19th-20th Buddhist centuries (iii).
•The proposed area consists of three main groups: city walls/moats/gates, Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, and Wat Chet Yod.
•ICOMOS will discuss and request additional information from the Thai side before submitting a report to the World Heritage Committee.
•The World Heritage Committee is expected to consider the proposal in June-July 2027.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on MGR Online (Thai Version)View in Google Translate

Source: MGR Online (Original)

View Original Article

Key Quotes

Sabida Thaiseth

"Pushing Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna, to become a World Heritage site is not just about registering ancient monuments, but confirming the value of Lanna civilization to humanity."

การผลักดันเชียงใหม่ นครหลวงล้านนา สู่การเป็นแหล่งมรดกโลก จะไม่ใช่เพียงการเสนอขึ้นทะเบียนโบราณสถาน แต่เป็นการยืนยันคุณค่าของอารยธรรมล้านนาที่มีความสำคัญต่อมวลมนุษยชาติ

Key Entities

Person

Sabida Thaiseth(ซาบีดา ไทยเศรษฐ์)ℹ️

Minister of Culture who inspected the readiness of Chiang Mai for World Heritage listing.

Prasop Riangngoen(ประสพ เรียงเงิน)

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture.

Rattapon Naradison(รัฐพล นราดิศร)

Governor of Chiang Mai Province.

Khanittha Chotikawanich(ขนิษฐา โชติกวณิชย์)

Deputy Director-General of the Fine Arts Department.

Chinnawut Wilayalai(ชินณวุฒิ วิลยาลัย)

Deputy Director-General of the Fine Arts Department.

Potjanat Panyasin(พจนาถ ปัญญาศิลป์)

Deputy Director-General of the Department of Religious Affairs.

Issara Riwatrakulpaiboon(อิสระ ริ้วตระกูลไพบูลย์)

Deputy Director of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture.

Organization

Ministry of Culture(กระทรวงวัฒนธรรม)ℹ️

The government ministry overseeing the World Heritage registration process.

ICOMOS(สภาการโบราณสถานระหว่างประเทศ)ℹ️

The advisory body to the World Heritage Committee responsible for technical evaluations.

UNESCO(องค์การยูเนสโก)ℹ️

The organization that maintains the World Heritage List and Tentative List.

Cabinet(คณะรัฐมนตรี)

The government body that approved the World Heritage registration documents.

Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization(องค์การบริหารส่วนจังหวัดเชียงใหม่)

The organization assigned to prepare the nomination documents for the site.

Fine Arts Department(กรมศิลปากร)ℹ️

The agency providing support and guidance for the site management.

Regional Office of Fine Arts 7 Chiang Mai(สำนักศิลปากรที่ 7 เชียงใหม่)

The specific regional office supporting the World Heritage registration in Chiang Mai.

Department of Religious Affairs(กรมการศาสนา)

A government department involved in the site inspection.

Office of Contemporary Art and Culture(สำนักงานศิลปวัฒนธรรมร่วมสมัย)

A government office involved in the site inspection.

Place

Chiang Mai(เชียงใหม่)ℹ️

The province where the proposed World Heritage sites are located.

Paris, French Republic(ปารีส สาธารณรัฐฝรั่งเศส)

The location of the World Heritage Centre where the nomination dossier was submitted.

Monuments, Sites and Cultural Landscape of Chiang Mai, Capital of Lanna(อนุสรณ์สถาน แหล่งต่าง ๆ และภูมิทัศน์วัฒนธรรมของเชียงใหม่ นครหลวงล้านนา)

The specific cultural landscape and site proposed for UNESCO World Heritage registration.