List of World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia

Aksum

Fasil Ghebbi

Harar

Konso

Awash

Omo

Lalibela

Simien

Tiya

Locations of World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.^[1] Ethiopia ratified the convention as one of the first countries on July 6, 1977, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.^[2]

Sites in Ethiopia were first inscribed on the list at the 2nd Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Washington, D.C. in 1978. At that session, two sites were added: the Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela and Simien National Park.^[3] As of July 2014, Ethiopia has nine total sites inscribed on the list. Of these, one site, Simien National Park, is of natural type, and the others are cultural sites.^[2]

World Heritage Sites

The table lists information about each World Heritage Site:

Name: as listed by the World Heritage Committee

Location: city and region of site

Area: size of property and buffer zone

UNESCO data: the site's reference number; the year the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List; the criteria it was listed under: criteria i through vi are cultural, while vii through x are natural; (the column sorts by year added to the list)

Description: brief description of the site

Name	Image	Location	Area ha (acre)	UNESCO data	Description
Aksum		Tigray !Tigray Region 14°7′48.684″N 38°43′6.996″E / 14.13019000°N 38.71861000°E / 14.13019000; 38.71861000 (Aksum)	0 !—	1980 !15; 1980; i, iv	The ruins of the city of Aksum, dating from the 1st to the 13th century, mark the heart of ancient Ethiopia and what was the "most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia". It includes monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs, and ruins of former castles.[4]
Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region		Amhara !Amhara Region 12°36′24.912″N 37°27′58.212″E / 12.60692000°N 37.46617000°E / 12.60692000; 37.46617000 (Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region)	0 !—	1979 !19; 1979; ii, iii	The fortress was the residence of the Ethiopian emperors during the 16th and 17th century. The city remains, which feature buildings with Hindu and Arab influences, were later remodelled with Baroque-style architecture by Jesuit missionaries.[5]
Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town		Harari !Harari Region 9°18′32″N 42°8′16″E / 9.30889°N 42.13778°E / 9.30889; 42.13778 (Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town)	7005480000000000000♠48 (120)	2006 !1189; 2006; iv, v	The city is on a plateau and surrounded by gorges and savanna. It contains 82 mosques, 102 shrines, and unique interior design in the townhouses. Harar is said to be the fourth-holiest city of Islam.[6]
Konso Cultural Landscape		Southern Nations !Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region 5°18′0″N 37°24′0″E / 5.30000°N 37.40000°E / 5.30000; 37.40000 (Konso Cultural Landscape)	7008140000000000000♠14,000 (35,000)	2011 !1333; 2011; iii, v	The site features 55 kilometres (34 mi) of stonewalled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia.[7]
Lower Valley of the Awash		Afar !Afar Region 11°6′0.216″N 40°34′45.804″E / 11.10006000°N 40.57939000°E / 11.10006000; 40.57939000 (Lower Valley of the Awash)	0 !—	1980|10; 1980; ii, iii, iv}}	Palaentological findings from at least four million years ago, such as Lucy, give evidence of human evolution.[8]
Lower Valley of the Omo		Southern Nations !Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region 4°48′0″N 35°58′0″E / 4.80000°N 35.96667°E / 4.80000; 35.96667 (Lower Valley of the Omo)	0 !—	1980 !17; 1980; iii, iv	The prehistoric site near Lake Turkana is the location of many fossil findings, such as Homo gracilis.[9]
Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela		Amhara !Amhara Region 12°1′45.66″N 39°2′25.512″E / 12.0293500°N 39.04042000°E / 12.0293500; 39.04042000 (Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela)	0 !—	1978|18; 1978; i, ii, iii]}	The site contains eleven medieval cave churches from the 13th century.[10]
Simien National Park		Amhara !Amhara Region 13°11′0″N 38°4′0″E / 13.18333°N 38.06667°E / 13.18333; 38.06667 (Simien National Park)	7008220000000000000♠22,000 (54,000)	1978 !9; 1978; vii, x	The eroded Ethiopian plateau comprises jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys, and sharp precipices dropping about 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[11] The decrease of the Walia Ibex, bushbuck, and bushpig populations, as well as an increase of the human population in the park prompted the World Heritage Committee to place it on their List of World Heritage in Danger in 1996.[12]
Tiya		Southern Nations !Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region 8°26′5.676″N 38°36′43.56″E / 8.43491000°N 38.6121000°E / 8.43491000; 38.6121000 (Tiya)	0 !—	1980 !12; 1980; i, iv	The archaeological site contains 36 monuments, which includes 32 carved stelae covered with symbols hard to decrypt.[13]

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.^[14] As of 2014, Ethiopia recorded five sites on its tentative list. The sites, along with the year they were included on the tentative list are:^[2]

1. Bale Mountains National Park (2008)
2. Dirre Sheik Hussein Religious, Cultural and Historical Site (2011)
3. Holqa Sof Omar: Natural and Cultural Heritage (Sof Omar: Caves of Mystery) (2011)
4. Gedeo Mixed Cultural and Natural Landscape (2012)
5. Melka Kunture and Bachilt Archaeological Site (2012)

References

World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia
Aksum Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town Lower Valley of the Awash Lower Valley of the Omo Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela Simien National Park Tiya

Lists of World Heritage Sites
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