BLESSED IS THE SPOT, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified. - Bahá'u'lláh

This simple yet eloquent verse paints a vivid picture of the importance of place in the relationship between humanity, culture, nature, and the divine. It reminds us that places, both man-made and natural - cities, mountains houses, and valleys - have value beyond their physical purpose. It suggests the sacredness of those places and sites in the world around us - whether divinely created or built by man.

The purpose of this book, to laud, appreciate and protect those masterpieces of man and nature that comprise our world heritage, carries with it an understanding that there are places that have a distinctive capacity to take individuals beyond themselves: to awaken, to inspire, and to help them understand their place in society, in nature and before the divine.

The natural sites that comprise our world heritage represent some of the most grand, the most beautiful, and the most inspiring places in the natural world. These sites mirror the divine and serve to remind us of our insignificance. They are holy, in the truest sense of the word.

More than 100 years ago, Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i­ Faith wrote: "Nature in its essence is the embodiment of (God's) Name, the Maker, the Creator...Nature is God's Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world."

Baha'i­s understand that nature is to be respected and protected as part of a divine trust for which humanity is answerable. Many of the World Heritage sites, despite their qualities of majesty and grandeur, are also among the most delicate sites on Earth. In this sense, they serve also to remind us of the fragile nature of the global ecological system. And they are surely a special part of this divine trust.

The human sites and cultural monuments that comprise our world heritage represent a rich cultural mosaic that is a celebration of the myriad peoples on this planet. They reflect the summits of human creation and genius. They are a record of our social and cultural diversity, written in boldface type across the surface of the planet. Many such sites also record, in the art and architecture of pious devotion and towering majesty, the record of humanity's search for a closer relationship with the Creator.

The recognition that such diverse places, both man-made and natural, are part of our common world heritage implies a profound new reality: that we exist today in a world society. That specific sites and places, deemed to be of high value to one culture or one nation, should be valued by all, carries with it an implicit recognition of the oneness of humanity. That humanity has begun to take tentative steps to protect and preserve these sites further demonstrates the growing recognition of humanity's fundamental oneness.

The oneness of humanity is a theme that best reflects the spirit of our age. Recognition and acceptance of this idea determines the rate at which human civilization will advance.

The world, it has been said, has become a global village. The World Heritage sites can be likened to those features of terrain, architecture, and culture that define and bring cohesiveness to a village. A village is defined by its location in relation to a nearby river, valley, or mountain. It is defined by the nature and the culture of the people who live there. In the global village, those features of natural and man-made beauty that represent our common heritage likewise help to define who and what humanity is, giving substance to our collective identity, and locating our place in the universe.

Human society has reached a new stage of maturity. The forces of change in the world today reflect part of an organic process of social evolution leading ultimately and irresistibly to the unification of the human race into a single social order whose boundaries are those of the planet. "The Earth is one country, and mankind its citizens," wrote Bahá'u'lláh.

In the next stage of this evolution, a world federal system, guided by universally agreed upon and enforceable laws, will inevitably emerge, allowing nation states to manage cooperatively the resources - including the treasury of World Heritage sites that sustain our increasingly interdependent and diverse world.

Supported by a consciousness of world citizenship, this system will ultimately address the problems of economic relations and the sustainable use of natural resources from a global perspective, providing for the needs of all peoples. It will of necessity avoid the evils of excessive centralization, respecting the rich diversity of cultures and climates and engaging communities in making the decisions that affect their lives.

Such a new civilization will also mean a broad transformation in the relationships between individuals. An individual's worth to society will no longer be defined by material wealth or status; rather, service to humanity as a whole, instead of to any particular nationality or group, will be the watchwords. Personal trustworthiness and compassion will be among the foundations for such a new order, as will humility before others, before nature, and before God.

Baha'i­ teachings, which are in essential harmony with the spiritual truths that underlie every major world religion, emphasize this understanding of humanity's nobility and the importance of building an ever-advancing and self-sustaining civilization. Baha'i­ teachings also stress the fundamental connections that tie humanity to the natural world, and the concomitant need to respect and protect it.

The masterpieces of man and nature compose part of the treasury on which humanity will of necessity draw to advance its unity. As a record of human attainment and a living testimony to the beauty and grandeur of the natural world, these places comprise a powerful force for the binding together of humanity. The preservation and protection of these sites are a responsibility for all.

The Baha'i­ International Community, an international non-governmental organization that represents and encompasses the millions of members of the Baha'i­ Faith who live in more than 150 countries around the world.