Portugal's University of Coimbra gained a place in World Heritage List on Saturday during the 37th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) here.

It is the 15th Portugal sites being inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Speaking after the inscription, Francisco Javier Gutierrez, Vice-Chair of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee, on behalf of the entire committee, congratulated Portugal on the inscription of the cultural site on the World Heritage List.

Established in 1290, it is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world, the oldest university in Portugal and one of its largest higher education and research institutions.

Portugal nominated the site for the World Heritage List in 2004.

According to the UNESCO's document, situated on a hill overlooking the city, the University of Coimbra comprises a cluster of buildings dedicated to the production and dissemination of knowledge, which has grown and evolved over more than seven centuries, and which unquestionably constitutes its own noble and well-defined urban area within the city of Coimbra.

The university would be recognized as a prestigious institution outside Portugal, whilst also becoming the centre for the training of the elite for all the territories under Portuguese administration, it said.

The 37th WHC session, taking place in Phnom Penh, will close in Angkor on June 27. Some 17 out of 30 candidate properties around the globe are likely to be added to the UNESCO's World Heritage List during the session.