Contents Opinion • Heritage, a lesson in giving and receiving Charles Carrère Seven writers in a world of wonders • The past is not just made of stone Léon Pressouyre • The soul of Suzhou’s gardens Lu Wenfu • Irrigating time with the Kinderdijk windmills Serge van Duijnhoven • The treasures in Mauritania’s dunes Moussa Ould Ebnou • Guanajuato: fortunes made of silver Rafael Segovia • Dancing anew on the stairways to heaven Alfred A. Yuson • Jemâa-el Fna’s thousand and one nights Juan Goytisolo The World Heritage emblem symbolizes the interdependence of the world’s natural and cultural diversity. While the central square represents the results of human skill and inspiration, the circle celebrates the gifts of nature. The emblem is round, like the world, a symbol of global protection for the heritage of humankind. Seven writers in a world of wonders Dossier concept and coordination by Jasmina Sopova, UNESCO Courier journalist. Maori sculptures in New Zealand. This voyage is a personal one: seven writers share their vision of a small selection of wonders chosen from the 630 cultural and natural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Senegalese poet Charles Carrère sets forth his approach to heritage, as both an inheritance and a gift to be passed on, a fruit of many meetings and exchanges, an expression of memory and hope. As Professor Léon Pressouyre explains, the criteria for selecting world heritage sites have considerably evolved since the adoption in 1972 of an international convention to protect these treasures of humanity, now spread across 118 countries. Our journey begins with the wanderings of Chinese writer Lu Wenfu in the gardens of Suzhou. Serge van Duijnhoven recalls his childhood near the Kinderdijk windmills, forever threatened by the sea. Mauritanian writer Moussa Ould Ebnou describes how his country’s 12th and 13th century cities are inexorably being reclaimed by the desert sands. Rafael Segovia of Mexico testifies to the unwavering tenacity of Guanajuato, a town that surged from the belly of the mountain in the 15th century with the discovery of silver and gold mines. In the Philippines, Alfred A. Yuson admires the rare complicity forged between nature and the indigenous tribes who have patiently sculpted the rice terraces of Luzon Island over the past 2,000 years. And finally, Juan Goytisolo brings life to the notion of oral heritage by inviting us to Morocco to hear the legendary storytellers of Jemâa-el-Fna square, in Marrakesh.