From yoga to the Mediterranean diet, eight places to sample the ‘intangible cultural heritage’ Unesco celebrates
- The wonders of our world are not always monumental or geological, as fans of Singapore’s hawker food or Hong Kong milk tea can attest
- For an esoteric global journey, visit these places to sample some unique products and practices
With 38 successful nominations, China heads a roll-call of practices, expressions, skills and knowledge that Unesco recognises in two categories: the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Acupuncture (China) makes the cut, as does the tradition of building human towers (Catalonia, Spain). The tango (Argentina and Uruguay) is inscribed on the list along with reggae (Jamaica) and batik (Indonesia). Current applications include a bid by Singapore to add its hawker culture to the list. Here are some other less-than-physical wonders of the world that have impressed the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
The Cultural Space of Jemaa el-Fna Square, Marrakech, Morocco
A public square might seem an odd inclusion in a list of intangible cultural assets, especially when any number of (tangible) plazas and piazzas appear in Unesco’s main list of World Heritage Sites, but Jemaa el-Fna lives by its own rules. No two days are alike in the sprawling marketplace at the heart of Marrakech: acrobats thrill, snake charmers mesmerise and carpet sellers kitted out like a cross between Aladdin and Jack Sparrow have worked out that if tourists don’t buy a rug, they will probably pay for a souvenir photo.
Fortune-tellers foresee sudden wealth and on cue, a man with a pack of playing cards invites you to join a band of shady-looking characters in “a game you can’t possibly lose”. In fact, there are so many ways you will be sweet-talked, cajoled and conned into parting with your dirhams, it’s remarkable that Unesco gave the Moroccan madhouse its seal of approval.
Whistled languages
Silbo Gomero is a whistled language used to communicate across the precipitous valleys and deep ravines of La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, at distances of up to 3km. Advances in technology meant the ancient form of communication, which has a vocabulary of more than 4,000 words, was at risk of dying out until it was made a compulsory subject on the island’s school curriculum in 1999.