UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Ethiopia’s immense cultural, historical, festivals, paleontological and natural wealth are reflected in its registered of Ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the most of any country in Africa. Eight of these ten sites are cultural, one festival of Meskel and one the Simien Mountains National Park is natural. Six other sites in Ethiopia are currently under consideration by UNESCO as Tentative World Heritage Sites.

Site Name

Location/

region

Registration Year

Kind

Short Description

Axum/ Aksum

Tigray

1980

Cultural

Founded more than 3,000 years ago, the ancient capital of Aksum - surrounded by towering obelisks and ruined palaces dating back to its heyday - was once home to the Queen of Sheba and is now reputedly the last resting place of the Biblical Ark of the Covenant.

Gonder/ Fasil Castle compound

Amhara

1979

Cultural

The Fasil Ghebbi at Gondar - dubbed the Camelot of Africa - is renowned for its fairytale castles and intricately decorated churches built during imperial Ethiopia’s 17th century prime. The fortress was the residence of the Ethiopian emperors. The city remains, which feature buildings with Hindu and Arab influences, were later remodeled with Baroque-style architecture by Jesuit missionaries.

Harar Jugol Wall ,

Harari Region

2006

Cultural

The walled citadel historical wall city of Harar Jugol is the fourth-holiest city in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, and its 48 hectares are crammed with an incredible 82 mosques and 438 other shrines.

Konso Landscape & Waga sculpture

SNNP

2011

Cultural

The most striking feature of Konso Cultural Landscape is its warren-like terraced hilltop villages and anthropomorphic wooden grave-markers known as waka.

Lower Valley of Awash River Paleontological Site

SNNPR

1980

Cultural

The Lower Valley of the Awash River is one of Africa’s most important paleontological sites, having yielded numerous important hominid fossilsincluding3.2-million-year old Australopithecus afarensis female nicknamed name famous Lucy

Lower Valley of Omo- Paleontological Site

SNNPR

1980

Cultural

The Lower Valley of the Omo River is another important, but difficult-to-explore paleontological site located in the SNNP region, having yielded Australopithecus and Homo fossils dating back 2.4 million years.

Meskel Festival

 

2013

Festival

Meskel festival Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity inscribed Meskel commemoration feast of the finding of the True Holy Cross of Christ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Rock churches of Lalibela

Amhara

1978

Cultural

The mediaeval complex of rock-hewn churches of Lalibela is sub-Saharan Africa's most breathtaking historical site, comprising as it does eleven rock churches and two chapels excavated in the 12th century.

Tiya

SNNPR

1980

Cultural

A short drive south of the capital Addis Ababa, Tiya is an archeological site comprising 36 engraved megaliths or stelae erected in mediaeval time 12th -14th century as to mark a mysterious burial complex of unknown cultural affiliations.

Simien Mountains National Park

 

Amhara

1978

Natural

Ethiopia’s only Natural World Heritage Site, Simien Mountains National Park is renowned for its spectacular montage scenery & presence of endemic animals such as Walia ibex and gelada baboon.

 

Tentative List

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage list are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. Ethiopia recorded six sites on its tentative list. The tentative lists are

  • Bale Mountains National Park (2008)
  • Dirre Sheik Hussein Religious, Cultural and Historical Site (2011)
  • Holqa Sof Omar: Natural and Cultural Heritage (Sof Omar: Caves of Mystery) (2011)
  • Gedeo Mixed Cultural and Natural Landscape (2012)
  • Melka Kunture and Bachilt Archaeological Site (2012)
  • Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo people, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2016)

For Further reading regarding Ethiopian UNESCO registered site please click the link below

http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/et