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Thembang Fortified Village
Comparison with other similar properties
Thembang can be compared to the following World Heritage and Tentative List Sites:
Asante Traditional buildings, Ghana World. Heritage Site, Criteria: v
The Asante Traditional Buildings of Ghana are inscribed as the last material remains of the great Asante civilization, which reached its peak in 18th Century CE. While these buildings also depict vernacular architecture practices of that period, this is an archaeological site unlike Thembang which is living, over a thousand years old and yet maintains Authenticity in its traditional building systems.
Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes, Senegal. World Heritage Site, Criteria: iii, v, vi
The Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes of Senegal are outstanding witnesses to the cultural specificity and interaction between the local population of different regions manifest on their agro-pastoral, social, ritual and spiritual practices, and represent original response to the natural environmental constraints so as to use wisely the limited resources of the area. While Thembang shares similar aspects of cultural specificity and original response to natural environmental factors, the situation is not restrictive here but abundant and requires a human response that calls for conservative approach rather than exploitative, which is what Thembang demonstrates.
Viñales Valley, Cuba. World Heritage Site, Criteria: iv
The Vinales Valley is an outstanding agrarian landscape in which traditional methods of agriculture have remain unchanged for several centuries. The region also preserves a rich vernacular tradition in its architecture, crafts and music. Similar in many ways, Thembag is a much smaller area, only a settlement that demonstrates centuries old traditions of the Monpa tribe. It is also not an agrarian landscape but a tribal culture.
Old villages of Hollókő (Hungary) and its surrounding. World Heritage Site, criteria: v
The old villages of Hollókő, Hungary are already inscribed as World Heritage and the new proposal is to make it a trans-boundary nomination by including Rimtea and surroundings from Romania. The property is an exceptional example of a deliberately preserved traditional human settlement representative of a culture that has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. These villages, which developed mainly during the 17th and 18th centuries, are a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century. Thembang is also a rural settlement from a different part of the world with a distinct rural life that is also untouched from the adverse effects of globalization but not deliberately preserved. It retains its centuries old traditions and buildings only on the conviction and social practices of the Monpa tribe.
Dzongs: the centre of temporal and religious authorities (Punakha Dzong, Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Paro Dzong, Trongsa Dzong and Dagana Dzong), Bhutan. Tentative List, Criteria: iii, iv
The Dzongs of Bhutan are a much more evolved form of the Dzong and served as the principal seats of Buddhist schools. These were developed as strategic footholds for gaining influence of particular Buddhist schools and controlling over the region under the power of the schools. Thembang is a simple rural settlement demonstrating vernacular building traditions and intangible cultural practices, making it a different typology altogether. However, Thembang is older than the Dzongs of Bhutan and could be one of the pioneering efforts that influenced the development of the bigger Dzongs in the region.
Nationally, Thembang is partially comparable with numerous rural settlements spread across the Himalayas that demonstrate vernacular architectural traditions. However, the peculiar geographic location, diverse cultural influences, historicity of Thembang and the presence of a Dzong are unique and unlike any other settlement.