Discover Nan Madol: The Ruined Coral City
Visiting Nan Madol is one of the highlights of traveling to Pohnpei, the capital “island” of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Nan Madol is located off the South-East coast of Pohnpei and is a series of more than 100 islets that were constructed with walls of basalt and coral boulders. These islets contain the remains of stone palaces, temples, tombs and residential domains built in 1180 AD. Nan Madol is a ruined city that was inhabited by the ancestors of Micronesians who called these basalt ruins Soun Nan-leng, meaning the Reef of Heaven.
Nan Madol as it would have looked like in the past (Source: History – Ancient Aliens: Mysterious Engineering of Nan Madol)
It is one of the oldest archaeological sites in the Pacific and has been inscribed in the List of World Heritage sites in danger due to threats, notably the siltation of waterways that is contributing to the unrestrained growth of mangroves and undermining existing structure of the site.
The entire area of Nan Madol is a World Heritage Site (WHS) and is protected by UNESCO. It is about 18 square kilometers. The WHS is also protected by the State Government of Pohnpei under the Pohnpei Historic and Cultural Preservation Act (2002), administered by the Pohnpei Historic Preservation Office.
A Management Committee comprising the Pohnpei Tourism Office and traditional owners that would create a Nan Madol Historic Preservation Trust with ownership and management under the oversight of the Nahnmwarki Chief, who holds the traditional leadership position in Pohnpei.
Nan Madol is a major tourist attraction that holds significant cultural and historic value. The Pohnpei Tourism Office monitors the site and implements conservation tactics to promote the longevity of the ruined city.
To preserve its culture and promote tourism at the Nan Madol Ruins WHS, the Nan Madol Visitor’s Center was built with funding from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cultural Grant Assistance program.
Nan Madol’s Visitor Centre (Source: http://www.apic.or.jp/english/events/136-eng.html)
Source and Photo Credits:
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
