Ethiopia's UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Ethiopia is a country with one of the richest histories on the African, and a land of contrast and
surprise. It is the land of Fabled Queen of Sheba and home of the Ark of the Covenant. In
Ethiopia some 83 indigenous language are likely to be spoken with some 200 dialects. Due to
this variety of Languages and dialects, the country becomes a rich cultural mosaic or Museum of
various Nations and Nationalities.

Ethiopia is also characterized by abundance of tangible and intangible heritage. Out of the
mammoth cultural and historical heritage, ten are inscribed in the world heritage list. One natural
heritage (Simian Mountains National Park) is also included in the list.

Ethiopia is the only African country having 10 UNESCO Registered tourist attractions.

Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:

1. Lalibela

The Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela were cut out of a living rock during the time of King
Lalibela, who ruled Ethiopia from his capital Roha, now Lalibela. The churches are 11 in
number, located in three groups. The first groups of Churches are, Bete Medhane Alem, Bete
Mariam, Bete Meskel, Bete Dengil, Bete Golgota, and Bete Michael. The second groups of
churches are Bete Gebriel and Rufael, Bete Amanuel, Bete Markorios, connected by a long
underground tunnel, Bete Abba Libanos. The last church is Bete Giorgis, a free standing church
with architectural elegance and perfection.

The churches were curved in the 12th and 13th Centuries. It is believed that the carving of all the
churches took some 24 years. Archaeologists say it would have taken the work of 40,000 work
force to carve these churches, courtyards and caverns out of a living rock.

Described by most travel writers as the eighth Wonder, the churches were registered under the
list of World Heritage Site in 1978.

2. The Simien Mountains National Park

The Simien Mountains National Park is found in Amhara National Regional State North Gondar
administrative Zone.

This National park is 140 kilometers North of Gonder, the 17th and 18th Centuries Capital of
Ethiopia. The park is one of the first sites to be included in the list of World Heritage in 1980.
The park includes one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. With jagged mountain
peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. The highest Peak is Ras
Dashen, the highest mountain in Ethiopia and the fourth in Africa, with an altitude of 4,620
metres, it is also home to some extremely rare animals that are endemic to in Ethiopia such as the
Gelada baboon, the Simien fox and the Walia ibex. There are also varieties of flora in the park
found nowhere, but in Ethiopia.
The park was listed under endangered sites in 1996 as a result of the decline of the number of
Walia Ibex due to human intervention in the park. But the number of these rare species is now in
the rise.

3. Axum Obelisk

The ancient city of Axum is located in Tigray National Regional State. It is about 1,025
kilometers North of Addis Ababa.

The giant stelae, the Axum Zion Church the ruin palaces tombs and many other archeological
findings are all the symbols of the glorious Axumite Civilization signifying this ancient city as a
center of Civilization, religion and Administrative.

The fallen obelisk with a height of 33 metres is the tallest obelisk carved out of a single stone.
The 24 meter high obelisk is still standing and the other one with a height of 27 meters was cut in
to three parts and taken to Rome in 1937 and returned back to Axum in 2005. They are all
regarded as one of the finest examples of engineering from the height of the Axumite Empire.
Due to its historical value, Axum and its archeological sites were included in the List of World
Heritage Sites in 1980.

4. Gondar Fasil Castle Complex

Founded by Emperor Fasiledes, Gondar was the Capital city of Ethiopia in the 17th and 18th
centuries. The Founder of Gondar, Emperor Fasiledes built his Palace in 1632. His successors
built their castles within the Royal Enclosure. Fasil Ghebbi means the Premise of King Fasiledes
in Amharic, the working language of Ethiopia.

The Castles of successive Emperors who ruled the country from Gondar are surrounded by a 900
meters long wall. As a true evidence of an architectural beauty deeply marked by the country’s
ancient civilization, the Royal enclosure (Fasil Ghebbi) was registered by UNESCO as s World
Heritage Site in 1979.

5. The Lower Awash Valley

The Lower Valley of Awash is found in Afar Regional State. This is a site of Paleo-
anthropological research. Tremendous findings are registered in the area contributing a lot in the
search for human origin and evolution. The most spectacular discovery of Lucy,
Australopithecus Afarensis, a 3.2 million years old hominid in 1974, paved the way for more
achievements in the study of human origin. The discoveries registered by the Middle Awash
Research Project, an international, multi disciplinary scientific Study with the objective of
establishing an accurate geological information for elucidating human origins and evolution, has
established the region as one of the world’s most important paleontological sites with the
discovery of the most ancient hominids dating between the time period of 5.3 – 3.9 million years.
The recent achievement with the discovery of Selam, a fossil that is the most complete and
150,000 years older than Lucy, is another testimony for the importance of the region for the
study of human origin. The Lower Valley of Awash was included in the list of World heritage
sites in 1980.

6. The Lower Omo Valley

The Lower valley of Omo is found in South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State.

The discovery of many human and animal fossils and stone tools in the valley has been of
fundamental importance in the study of human evolution.
Omo is a river that is 760 kilometres long that streches from the high lands of West Shoa to Lake
Turkana, one of the Great Rift Valley lakes. The entire Omo river basin is an important
geologically and archaeologically. Several hominid fossils and archaeological localities have
been excavated by French and American teams. The oldest ever found stone tools dates back to
about 2.4 million years ago.
Because of its importance for the understanding of the human evolution the site was listed as a
World Heritage Ste in 1980.The area is also home to people with diverse cultures and natural
beauty with national parks and an amazing flora and fauna.

7. Tiya Standing Stelae

Tiya is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Gurage Zone Soddo wereda of the Southern Nations,
Nationalities, and Peoples Region south of Addis Ababa, the town has a latitude and longitude of 8°26′N
38°37′E Coordinates: 8°26′N 38°37′E.

Tiya is best known for its adjacent archeological site, which is distinguished by 36 standing stones or
stelae, "32 of which are engraved with enigmatic symbols, notably swords," marking a large, prehistoric
burial complex. The carved monoliths vary in size from 1meter to 5 meters. There is a group of 33
stelaes with another group of 3 stelaes a short distance in between. They are the remains of an
ancient Ethiopian culture and have been interpreted as a funerary significance.

Tiya is found 90 kilometers South of Addis Ababa. They are believed to be a mark of the large
prehistoric burial complex. This archeological site was listed as World Heritage Site in 1980.
8. Harar Jugol walled City
Harar was a major commercial and centre of Islamic learning. It is a walled city. The wall was
built during the ime of Emir Nur Ibn Mujahid successor of Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi also
known as Ahmad Gragn (the Left Handed) who conquered the Christian highlands in the 16th
century.
The wall was constructed to protect the city as its people from possible attacks. It is a 3.5
kilometer long wall with a height of nearly 4 meters. It has five gates and the wall is still intact
and is a symbol of the town. The presence of 99 mosques made harar to be considered as the
Fourth Holiest City in Islam next to Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Harar is a symbol of
tolerance and peaceful co-existence of peoples and religions.

In recognition of its cultural heritage, the Historic City of Harrar (Jugol) was registered by
UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2006.

9. Konso Cultural landscape

Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55km 2 arid properties of stone walled terraces and fortified

settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular example of a living

cultural tradition stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 years) adapted to its dry hostile
environment. The landscape demonstrates the shared values, social cohesion and engineering
knowledge of its communities. The site also features anthropomorphic wooden statues - grouped
to represent respected members of their communities and particularly heroic events - which are
an exceptional living testimony to funerary traditions that are on the verge of disappearing.
Stone steles in the towns express a complex system of marking the passing of generations of
leaders. It is live demonstration of heritage which has a dramatic and impressing landscape
design, engineering and natural conservation. The landscape and the hills are contoured with the
dry stone walls, which at places reach up to 5 meters in height. The cultural spaces inside the
walled towns have as many as 17 moras. Konso Cultural landscape becomes world heritage site
in 2011.
10. Meskal Holyday (the founding of true cross)
A number of festivals are celebrated throughout the year in Ethiopia. During celebrations of festivals best
clothes are worn, food and drink are plentiful, musicians play and people dance and sing. Ethiopians dress
quite beautiful clothes during festivals. Most Orthodox Church ceremonies are unique and impressive
among these Meskel is the major one.

Meskel celebration commemorates the Founding of the True Cross in the 4 th Centuty by Empress Helena,
mother of Constantine the Great, who discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. Its
Ethiopian feast is on September 27, six months after the discovery of the True Cross. The piece of a True
Cross was brought to Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Dawit. King Dawit died accidentally on his
way, however. Then, his son Emperor Zara Yakob received the responsibility and began to search a
suitable place for the Cross and finally put it on Amba Gishen, a cross like mountain. The Monastry of
Gishen Debre Kerbie also houses a large volume book, which records the story of the True Cross of
Christ and how it was acquired. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of Gimade
Meskel(piece of true Cross )on October 1(Meskerem 21E.C), particularly at the Monastry of Gishen
Debre Kerbie.

Meskel is annually celebrated by religious dancing, feasting, singind and lighting a massive bonfire
according to the tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is known as ‘Demera’. The focus of the
ceremony is a bonfire topped with an image of a cross, to which flowers are tied. The celebration of
‘Meskel’ signifies the presence of the True Cross at the mountain of Gishen and symbolizes the events
carried out by Empress Helena.

The Meskel celebration is eagerly awaited and warmly celebrated in the Southern Ethiopia especially in
Wolaita and Guraghe and some other areas of the region with the consideration of the festival as the
coming of New Year. The celebration of Meskel festival in Addis Ababa is also very impressive and
attended by a very large number of people inside and outside the country including ambassadors and
other diplomats.
 Self-Check 2 Written Test

Directions:
1. How many heritages do Ethiopia contributed as a world heritage site?
2. Define heritage identification?
3. What the difference between heritage interpretation and identification?
Note: Satisfactory rating - __ points Unsatisfactory - below __ points

You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers.

Answer Sheet 2 Score = ___________

Rating: ____________

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Short Answer Questions

1. Ethiopia has Contributed 10 world heritage sites for the world heritage site
list.
2. . Heritage Interpretation is an explanation or establishment of the
meaning or significance of heritage
;
3. Heritage Interpretation is an explanation or establishment of the
meaning or significance of heritage and Heritage identification is
knowing or understanding property that is or can be inherited; an
inheritance, or something that is passed down from preceding
generations; a tradition