UNESCO has received a formal proposal to designate the ancient zinc-mining settlements of the Udaipur Highlands as a World Heritage Priority Site. New archaeological surveys have mapped a network of hundreds of vertical mining shafts and smelting furnaces dating back to the 4th century BCE, confirming the region as the world’s oldest industrial-scale zinc production center.
The nomination emphasizes the advanced chemical engineering used by ancient Indian miners to distill zinc, a process not replicated in Europe until the 18th century. The site remains a testament to the scientific and industrial prowess of the Sanatan civilization during the Mauryan and post-Mauryan eras.