As Historic Environment Scotland tells us: “World Heritage Sites are cultural and/or natural sites of ‘Outstanding Universal Value’, which are important across countries and generations.”
Around the globe, some famous examples are the Taj Mahal, Galápagos Islands, or the Great Wall of China, but Scotland - despite being a much smaller country - still sits proudly on this distinguished list.
The Antonine Wall gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008. It was constructed by the Roman Empire roughly 2,000 years ago back in AD 142 under the order of Emperor Antoninus Pius. The wall was completed 12 years later and at some point saw as many as 7,000 Roman soldiers based on its premises around the region that we now refer to as the Central Belt of Scotland. You can find the wall between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth, historically it represents the northernmost barrier between the Roman Empire and Britain, while Hadrian’s Wall (found in northern England) represents the southern barrier. Photo: orientalizing via Flickr / Map via WikiCommons
The Forth Bridge is Scotland’s latest UNESCO World Heritage site, it was recognised as one in 2015 on the bridge’s 125th anniversary. Located roughly nine miles west of Edinburgh City Centre, the Forth Bridge is one of most recognised Scottish landmarks as its one of Britain’s first major steel structures which also represented a milestone as we developed our railway infrastructure. It was built by Sir John Fowler and Benjamin Baker between 1883 to 1890 when it officially opened. Standing tall with red circular piers 150 metres high, the bridge is in no way short on praise and was even voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in 2016. Photo: Peter Carruthers via Canva Pro