World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia

There are many fantastic places in the world, a lot of them in Ethiopia. Out of all these places, nine are found on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Three are pending a decision. These cultural and natural heritage sites are truly unique. Have a look!

There are many places in the world that are unique. A lot of these are on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. These places need to be protected for future generations. What makes these places exceptional is their universal appeal. As UNESCO themselves say: "World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located."

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The city of Aksum was for a long time the center of the political scene in Ethiopia. This is where the emperors ruled. There are many ancient ruins, some of them dating back as far as the first century A.D. Here one can see monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles. Still today Aksum is an important place of worship for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

GONDAR

This city was the seat of the emperor during the 16th and 17th century. It is surrounded by a 900 meters long wall and has a number of interesting buildings to visit. One can clearly see the influence of other people, most notably the Nubian, Arabic and Baroque styles. There are different palaces (like the one on the picture), a banqueting hall, stables and churches. It's a unique way of being part of history.

World Heritage Site

The Omo river in the southern parts of Ethiopia has long been the place for different cultures. In fact, many fossils have been found here from pre-historic times. Scientists think this has been the crossroad for different people through the ages. Although most of the historical parts of the valley are in the remote places, developments for petroleum and water energy are now threatening this site.

The Omo valley is also home to many cultures today. Here you can read more about the interesting Hamer people.

This is really a fascinating architectural site. Lalibela is more or less only inhabited by Ethiopian Orthodox people. There are 11 churches, hewn out from the rock. These monolithic cave churches are thought to have been built during the 12th and 13th century during the reign of Emperor Lalibela. It's an important place for pilgrimage, second only to Aksum. In fact, the layout of the city is a symbolic representation of Jerusalem.

Buy picture of Church of Bet Giyorgis at Allposters.com

In the Soddo region, not so far south of Addis Ababa, there are about 160 sites where archeologists have found these interesting monuments and stelae. There are a total of 36 monuments, including 32 stelae. The stelae are carved with symbols, many of them sword looking. Scientists don't really know much about the people who have erected these stones or what the inscriptions mean. It seems to have been a historical burial place.

Natural Heritage Site

Located in the northern part of Ethiopia, east of Gondar, the Semien mountains are a wild and beautiful place. Here you can see tall mountains and deep valleys, sometimes precipices dropping 1 500 m. A number of rare and indigenous animals can be found in these mountains, like the Gelada baboon Walia Ibex and Simien fox. There is a National Park where one can lodge and hike.

Unesco World Heritage Sites

On the stony slopes of the Konso Highlands, these stone walled terraces and fortified settlements have been in use for hundreds of years. In the area one can also see the wooden statues that the people traditionally carved in honor of the dead, for their funeral. There are even stones carved in a very special way to mark the passing of generations of leaders.

World Heritage Site

This is a fortified historic town in the north east part of Ethiopia. It's an old Muslim city, built between the 13th and 16th centuries. It has 82 mosques and 102 shrines and is said to be the fourth holiest city of Islam. Many feel, though, that it's the townhouses that are really the most important part of the cultural heritage. They have a special interior design which is unique.

This is the home of very important palaeontological sites, where several remains and fossils have been found. The most famous one is probably the skeleton called Lucy, which was discovered in 1974. It is on display in the museum in Addis Ababa.

Picture of the Awash River, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Ethiopia

If you want to read about these sites on UNESCO's own webpage, here are the links and year of inscription:

Aksum (1980)

Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region (1979)

Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town (2006)

Konso Cultural Landscape (2011)

Lower Valley of the Awash (1980)

Lower Valley of the Omo (1980)

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (1978)

Tiya (1980)

Simien National Park (1978)