Browse the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices

The Committee meets annually to evaluate nominations proposed by States Parties to the 2003 Convention and decide whether or not to inscribe those cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage on the Convention’s Lists.

By clicking on the inscribed elements below, you can discover the nominations, photos and videos, together with Committee decisions and evidence of community consent.

Full text search: The system will search the exact expression entered (i.e. ‘sustainable development’), except if you separate the terms by a comma so that the motor search one or the other expression or the two (i.e. ‘foodways, culinary practices’).

Year:

Country:

More criteria

List:

Term:

all

multinational

national

Elements potentially related to World Heritage sites whc

Files considered good examples by the Committee

primary concept(s) only

Results : 224 elements corresponding to 97 countries

2018¹⁷ – 2017¹² – 2016¹⁶ – 2015¹¹ – 2014¹⁴ – 2013⁹ – 2012¹¹ – 2011¹⁹ – 2010²¹ – 2009⁴² – 2008⁵²

2018
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, three male rites of passage of the Maasai community	Kenya
Shadow play	Syrian Arab Republic
Suri Jagek (observing the sun), traditional meteorological and astronomical practice based on the observation of the sun, moon and stars in reference to the local topography	Pakistan
Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere), traditional group dances of Nakhchivan	Azerbaijan
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
As-Samer in Jordan	Jordan
Dondang Sayang	Malaysia
Festivity of Las Parrandas in the centre of Cuba	Cuba
Khon, masked dance drama in Thailand	Thailand
La Romería (the pilgrimage): ritual cycle of 'La llevada' (the carrying) of the Virgin of Zapopan	Mexico
Međimurska popevka, a folksong from Međimurje	Croatia
Mooba dance of the Lenje ethnic group of Central Province of Zambia	Zambia
Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountain	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Reggae music of Jamaica	Jamaica
Ritual and festive expressions of the Congo culture	Panama
Rūkada Nātya, traditional string puppet drama in Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka
Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle	Serbia
Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders	Kazakhstan
2017
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Al Azi, art of performing praise, pride and fortitude poetry	United Arab Emirates
Colombian-Venezuelan llano work songs	Colombia – Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District	Botswana
Mongolian traditional practices of worshipping the sacred sites	Mongolia
Taskiwin, martial dance of the western High Atlas	Morocco
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Khaen music of the Lao people	Lao People's Democratic Republic
Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancing	Turkmenistan
Punto	Cuba
Rebetiko	Greece
Sega tambour of Rodrigues Island	Mauritius
The art of Bài Chòi in Central Viet Nam	Viet Nam
Xoan singing of Phú Thọ province, Viet Nam	Viet Nam
2016
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Chapei Dang Veng	Cambodia
Cossack’s songs of Dnipropetrovsk Region	Ukraine
Ma'di bowl lyre music and dance	Uganda
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Almezmar, drumming and dancing with sticks	Saudi Arabia
Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-Gawai	Mauritius
Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo	Ethiopia
Music and dance of the merengue in the Dominican Republic	Dominican Republic
Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz	Afghanistan – Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Iraq – Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan – Pakistan – Tajikistan – Turkmenistan – Turkey
Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms	Viet Nam
Puppetry in Slovakia and Czechia	Slovakia – Czechia
Rumba in Cuba, a festive combination of music and dances and all the practices associated	Cuba
Škofja Loka passion play	Slovenia
Winegrowers’ Festival in Vevey	Switzerland
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices
Community project of safeguarding the living culture of Rovinj/Rovigno: the Batana Ecomuseum	Croatia
Festival of folklore in Koprivshtitsa: a system of practices for heritage presentation and transmission	Bulgaria
Safeguarding of the folk music heritage by the Kodály concept	Hungary
2015
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Coaxing ritual for camels	Mongolia
Glasoechko, male two-part singing in Dolni Polog	North Macedonia
Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoples	Uganda
Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena region	Colombia
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Aitysh/Aitys, art of improvisation	Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan
Alardah Alnajdiyah, dance, drumming and poetry in Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia
Bagpipe culture	Slovakia
Epic art of Gorogly	Turkmenistan
Lad’s dances in Romania	Romania
Marimba music, traditional chants and dances from the Colombia South Pacific region and Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador	Colombia – Ecuador
Sbuâ, annual pilgrimage to the zawiya of Sidi El Hadj Belkacem in Gourara	Algeria
2014
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya	Kenya
Male-child cleansing ceremony of the Lango of central northern Uganda	Uganda
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Al-Ayyala, a traditional performing art of the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates	Oman – United Arab Emirates
Al-Zajal, recited or sung poetry	Lebanon
Arirang folk song in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea	Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Baile Chino	Chile
Capoeira circle	Brazil
Coming forth of the masks and puppets in Markala	Mali
Mongolian knuckle-bone shooting	Mongolia
Ritual and ceremonies of Sebeïba in the oasis of Djanet, Algeria	Algeria
Ritual dance of the royal drum	Burundi
Slava, celebration of family saint patron’s day	Serbia
Tchopa, sacrificial dance of the Lhomwe people of southern Malawi	Malawi
Traditional Mauritian Sega	Mauritius
2013
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method	Georgia
Annual pilgrimage to the mausoleum of Sidi ‘Abd el-Qader Ben Mohammed (Sidi Cheikh)	Algeria
Art of Đờn ca tài tử music and song in southern Viet Nam	Viet Nam
Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structures	Italy
Commemoration feast of the finding of the True Holy Cross of Christ	Ethiopia
La Parranda de San Pedro de Guarenas y Guatire	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Music of Terchová	Slovakia
Practices and knowledge linked to the Imzad of the Tuareg communities of Algeria, Mali and Niger	Algeria – Mali – Niger
Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur	India
2012
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda	Uganda
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Al ‘azi, elegy, processional march and poetry	Oman
Al-Taghrooda, traditional Bedouin chanted poetry in the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman	United Arab Emirates – Oman
Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of Korea	Republic of Korea
Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India	India
Fest-Noz, festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional dances of Brittany	France
Fiesta of the patios in Cordova	Spain
Klapa multipart singing of Dalmatia, southern Croatia	Croatia
Performance of the Armenian epic of 'Daredevils of Sassoun' or 'David of Sassoun'	Armenia
Qālišuyān rituals of Mašhad-e Ardehāl in Kāšān	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices
Strategy for training coming generations of Fujian puppetry practitioners	China
2011
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Eshuva, Harákmbut sung prayers of Peru’s Huachipaire people	Peru
Folk long song performance technique of Limbe performances - circular breathing	Mongolia
Hezhen Yimakan storytelling	China
Moorish epic T’heydinn	Mauritania
Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-telling	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Saman dance	Indonesia
Secret society of the Kôrêdugaw, the rite of wisdom in Mali	Mali
Yaokwa, the Enawene Nawe people's ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic order	Brazil
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Bećarac singing and playing from Eastern Croatia	Croatia
Chinese shadow puppetry	China
Fado, urban popular song of Portugal	Portugal
Mariachi, string music, song and trumpet	Mexico
Nijemo Kolo, silent circle dance of the Dalmatian hinterland	Croatia
Ride of the Kings in the south-east of the Czech Republic	Czechia
Sada Shin Noh, sacred dancing at Sada shrine, Shimane	Japan
Traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of Yuruparí	Colombia
Tsiattista poetic duelling	Cyprus
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices
Fandango's Living Museum	Brazil
Táncház method: a Hungarian model for the transmission of intangible cultural heritage	Hungary
2010
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Meshrep	China
Ojkanje singing	Croatia
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Aalst carnival	Belgium
Al-Bar’ah, music and dance of Oman Dhofari valleys	Oman
Chant of the Sybil on Majorca	Spain
Flamenco	Spain
Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestra	Republic of Korea
Hopping procession of Echternach	Luxembourg
Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan	India
Kumiodori, traditional Okinawan musical theatre	Japan
Mongolian traditional art of Khöömei	Mongolia
Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala	India
Music of the Bakhshis of Khorasan	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Parachicos in the traditional January feast of Chiapa de Corzo	Mexico
Peking opera	China
Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépecha	Mexico
Ritual dramatic art of Ta‘zīye	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Semah, Alevi-Bektaşi ritual	Turkey
Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songs	Lithuania
Traditional Sohbet meetings	Turkey
2009
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Ca trù singing	Viet Nam
Cantu in paghjella, a secular and liturgical oral tradition of Corsica	France
Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian traditional folk dance	Mongolia
Mongol Tuuli, Mongolian epic	Mongolia
Qiang New Year festival	China
Suiti cultural space	Latvia
Traditional music of the Tsuur	Mongolia
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Akiu no Taue Odori	Japan
Annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant from the Kastav area	Croatia
Art of Azerbaijani Ashiq	Azerbaijan
Âşıklık (minstrelsy) tradition	Turkey
Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom	Hungary
Chakkirako	Japan
Cheoyongmu	Republic of Korea
Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade	China
Daimokutate	Japan
Doina	Romania
Dragon Boat festival	China
Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik	Croatia
Gagaku	Japan
Ganggangsullae	Republic of Korea
Gesar epic tradition	China
Grand song of the Dong ethnic group	China
Hayachine Kagura	Japan
Hua’er	China
Ijele masquerade	Nigeria
Katta Ashula	Uzbekistan
Maloya	France
Manas	China
Mongolian art of singing, Khoomei	China
Nanyin	China
Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs	Viet Nam
Radif of Iranian music	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India	India
Seto Leelo, Seto polyphonic singing tradition	Estonia
Tango	Argentina – Uruguay
Tibetan opera	China
Traditional Ainu dance	Japan
Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale	Croatia
Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble	China
Yeongsanjae	Republic of Korea
Yueju opera	China
2008
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Ahellil of Gourara	Algeria
Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epic	Egypt
Albanian folk iso-polyphony	Albania
Art of Akyns, Kyrgyz epic tellers	Kyrgyzstan
Azerbaijani Mugham	Azerbaijan
Baltic song and dance celebrations	Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania
Baul songs	Bangladesh
Bistritsa Babi, archaic polyphony, dances and rituals from the Shoplouk region	Bulgaria
Căluş ritual	Romania
Canto a tenore, Sardinian pastoral songs	Italy
Chopi Timbila	Mozambique
Cultural space and oral culture of the Semeiskie	Russian Federation
Cultural space of Boysun District	Uzbekistan
Cultural space of the Bedu in Petra and Wadi Rum	Jordan
Cultural space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella	Dominican Republic
Darangen epic of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao	Philippines
Duduk and its music	Armenia
Fujara and its music	Slovakia
Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana community	Côte d'Ivoire
Georgian polyphonic singing	Georgia
Hudhud chants of the Ifugao	Philippines
Ifa divination system	Nigeria
Iraqi Maqam	Iraq
Kabuki theatre	Japan
Kankurang, Manding initiatory rite	Gambia – Senegal
Kihnu cultural space	Estonia
Kun Qu opera	China
La Tumba Francesa	Cuba
Lakalaka, dances and sung speeches of Tonga	Tonga
Mak Yong theatre	Malaysia
Maroon heritage of Moore Town	Jamaica
Mbende Jerusarema dance	Zimbabwe
Mevlevi Sema ceremony	Turkey
Moussem of Tan-Tan	Morocco
Mystery play of Elche	Spain
Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatre	Japan
Nôgaku theatre	Japan
Olonkho, Yakut heroic epos	Russian Federation
Oral heritage of Gelede	Benin – Nigeria – Togo
Pansori epic chant	Republic of Korea
Polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa	Central African Republic
Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana	India
Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia	Brazil
Shashmaqom music	Uzbekistan – Tajikistan
Slovácko Verbuňk, recruit dances	Czechia
Song of Sana’a	Yemen
Tradition of Vedic chanting	India
Traditional music of the Morin Khuur	Mongolia
Urtiin Duu, traditional folk long song	China – Mongolia
Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang	China
Vimbuza healing dance	Malawi
Wayang puppet theatre	Indonesia