One of the two largest reservoirs cultural heritage North African cities are preserved in ruins from the ancient era. The remains of the city of Cyrene (Libya), founded by Dorian colonists from the island of Fera (Thira or Santorini) in the 7th century, belong to the monuments of Greco-Hellenic culture. BC. During the Hellenistic period, the city was ruled by the Ptolemies. In the center of the large-scale ruins of Cyrene, an altar, three rows of columns of the Temple of Apollo, statues of Aphrodite and Apollo, an amphitheater rising directly above the cliff are partially preserved. Cyrene is located almost strictly to the south of, and it is no coincidence that this part of Africa was colonized by the Greeks, having received the name Libya from them.
In the western part of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, who came from the eastern coast of the main sea of the ancient era, founded their colonies. The Romans called the inhabitants of these colonies Punami. Monuments of the Phoenician-Punic culture can be seen in the archaeological reserves-cities of Carthage, Dugga, Kerkuan, Sousse and Sabrata.
(), founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century. BC, became the capital of a powerful state, a real rival of pre-imperial Rome. True, from the Punic period of Carthage, only the ruins of port and city structures, as well as the Tophet Hill ("altar"), remained. In the city of Dugga (Tunisia), which also served as the capital of the Libyan-Punic state, the mausoleums of the Punic period have been preserved. The remains of the Punic mausoleum also remind of the first inhabitants of the city-museum of Sabrat (Libya).
Phoenician-Punic tombs are preserved in the vicinity of the city Sousse(Tunisia), which was founded in the IX century. BC. Phoenicians and was named by them Gadrumet. The city reached its heyday during the existence of the Carthaginian state. In terms of wealth, he was second only to Carthage itself. During the third Punic War, Sousse was the headquarters of the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal, who was trying to repel the Roman legions that had landed in North Africa.
Much better preserved are the ruins of the Punic city (Tunisia), which was abandoned by the inhabitants during the first Punic war (mid-3rd century BC) and was not rebuilt by the ancient Romans. The city had a single building plan and was surrounded by a wall. The comfortable mansions in Kerquan had bathtubs, tiled floors, and gutters to drain rainwater from rooftops. The city had pottery workshops, manufactories for the production of purple and glass. There were at least four necropolises outside the city walls.
As a result of the Punic wars, the Romans seized the possessions of the Carthaginian state and built here the military fortress cities of Volubilis, Dzhemila, Timgad and Leptis Magna. Volubilis () from the 1st century. was an outpost of the Roman Empire in northwest Africa. The city flourished in the 5th century, when copper began to be mined here and olive oil... In all the big cities of the empire, following the example of Rome, forums, triumphal arches, theaters, amphitheaters, and baths were built. Residential buildings were equipped with great comfort, were decorated with paintings and mosaics.
(Algeria) has the best preserved Roman ruins in northern Africa. Moreover, Roman city planners adapted the local architecture to the conditions of the mountainous terrain. Ancient buildings seem to "climb" the mountains, while maintaining their architectural merits. It is no coincidence that Dzhemila means "beautiful" in translation.
(Algeria) was founded in 100 by Emperor Trajan to fight the Berbers at a great distance from the Mediterranean Sea. The well-preserved triumphal arch is named in honor of Trajan. The city received a regular layout of a Roman camp with a rectangular grid of streets, becoming an excellent example of Roman urban planning. The main temple of Timgada is dedicated to Jupiter and has the same proportions as the Roman Pantheon.
Roman (Libya) is also perfectly preserved, which flourished in the 1st-3rd centuries. AD At this time, the city was the dazzling capital of the Roman Empire in Africa, shaking visitors with its grandeur. In the middle of the II century. the future Roman emperor Septimius Severus was born here, as reminiscent of the massive triumphal arch. The architectural masterpieces of Leptis Magna include the Forum of Septimius Severus, the Baths of Hadrian, the Market Square and the theater. The baths are connected to the bay of the Mediterranean by an elegant, colonnaded street. In the vicinity of the city there is an amphitheater and a hippodrome.
The cities of Dugga, Sabrata and Cyrene, which were founded earlier, reached their heyday under the Romans. The Romans rebuilt their destroyed Carthage, giving it a typical Roman appearance. In Roman times, (Tunisia) was formed, which included the Capitol, the Arch of Septimius Severus, a forum with a temple, the sanctuary of Juno Celeste, a theater, etc. Most of the monuments of the city of Sabrata (Libya) also belong to the Roman period: two forums, the Temple of Jupiter, the terms, an aqueduct and a theater with a capacity of 5 thousand spectators.
It was built in Roman times amphitheater in El Jem e (Tunisia). This amphitheater is the largest in northern Africa and is often compared to the Roman amphitheater. During performances, the amphitheater could accommodate up to 37 thousand spectators. And it was built in the 3rd century. proconsul of the Roman province of Africa, who later proclaimed himself emperor, and Africa - independent from Rome.
Most of the ancient cities were destroyed and abandoned during the Arab conquest of North Africa. However, this is what allowed them to stand in a preserved form to this day. Monuments of the early Christian and Byzantine periods are not so much represented, but they can also be seen in the cities of Tipasa, Timgad, Carthage, Sus and Sabrata. Among the early Christian cities is Tipasa (Algeria), founded on three hills by the Phoenicians as a trading settlement on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The population of Tipasa adopted Christianity already in the 3rd century, and several early Christian basilicas have survived in the city.
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In the western and central parts of Africa, we have identified two tourist mesoregions, which are parts of the Central and South Africa... The West African tourist mesoregion includes nine countries (Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria), the Central African tourist mesoregion - seven countries (Cameroon, CAR, Equatorial Guinea, Gabo , Congo, Angola). Both tourist mesoregions are characterized by natural and cultural exoticism, while West Africa also has World Cultural Heritage sites.
West Africa is characterized by an amazing intertwining of three cultures based on Islam, Christianity and local traditional beliefs. Central Africa is distinguished by the dominance of local traditional culture with an insular character of Christian (Catholic and Protestant) culture. In West and Central Africa, the peoples of the Niger-Congo group (including the Bantu) of the Niger-Kordofan family predominate. This group also includes the Fulbe and Wolof peoples living in the far west of Africa - in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Since the XIV century. the name of a large geographic region of Africa, Guinea, is well known. The most likely hypothesis is that this name is a distortion of the Berber iguawen ("dumb") - as the Berbers called their southern black neighbors who did not understand their language. Currently, this name is borne by two states of West Africa: the Republic of Guinea (245.9 thousand sq. Km, 9.8 million people in 2008) and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (36.1 thousand sq. Km, 1.5 million people in 2008).
Republic of Sierra Leone(71.7 thousand sq. Km, 6.3 million people in 2008), which proclaimed independence in 1961, retains the name that appeared in the 15th century. Portuguese sailors called the country Sierra da Lioa ("lioness's ridge") because of the resemblance of one of the local mountains to a lying lioness. Later the name was distorted in Sierra Leone ("lion's mountains").
Republic of Liberia covers an area of 97.8 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 3.3 million people. In 1822, a colony of liberated American Negroes was founded in the United States on lands acquired in Africa and named Lieber (from the Latin liber "free, independent"). In 1847 the Republic of Liberia was proclaimed.
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire covers an area of 322.5 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 20.2 million. In the XVI-XVII centuries. Portuguese sailors gave one of the sections of the coast of the Gulf of Guinea the name Coast Ivory for his wealth of this valuable commodity. At the end of the XIX century. the French colony founded here was named Cote d'Ivoire ("ivory coast"). The state, which gained independence in 1960, retained the same name. However, other states used translated forms of this name, and in the Russian language a variant was adopted - Ivory Coast. Since 1985, the name of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire has been transcribed.
Republic of Ghana(238.5 thousand sq. Km, 23.4 million people in 2008) after the declaration of independence in 1957, it took the name of the state that existed here from the 4th to the 13th centuries. One of the titles of the ruler of the state was ghana ("military leader"). According to this title, the main city of the state was named, and then the whole country. In colonial times, this territory was called the Gold Coast. It was given back in the 15th century. the Portuguese, who exported from here the gold mined in the neighboring lands.
Togolese Republic covers an area of 56.8 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 5.9 million people. The name of the country Togo means in translation from the Ewe language "the area on the other side of the lagoon." The German colony, founded here in 1884, began to bear this name.
Republic of Benin(112.7 thousand sq. Km, 8.5 million people in 2008) took its modern name in 1975 in honor of the feudal kingdom Edo-Bini (from the ethnonyms Edo and Bini), which existed in the XII-XIX cc. Initially, the republic, which proclaimed independence in 1960, bore the name Dahomey, known since the 17th century, the origin of which has not been established.
Federal Republic of Nigeria(923.8 thousand sq. Km, 146.3 million people in 2008) got its name from the Niger River, which flows through the territory of the state in its lower reaches. At the same time, the word blacks comes from Spanish and Portuguese (negro - "black"), and has become a common name for African peoples living south of the Sahara.
Republic of Cameroon(475.4 thousand sq. Km, 18.5 million people in 2008) got its name from the hydronym. In the 1480s. Portuguese sailors landed at the mouth of the Vuri River, where they found
lived a large number of shrimp and therefore named the river Rio dos Camarones - "river of shrimp".
Its name Central African Republic(622.4 thousand sq. Km, 4.4 million people in 2008) received thanks to its geographic location in the center of the African continent. In colonial times, being a possession, this land was named Ubangi-Shari (until 1958) after the names of two local rivers flowing into the Congo River and Lake Chad.
Republic of Equatorial Guinea(28.1 thousand sq. Km, 616 thousand people in 2008) bears this name since independence in 1968. Prior to that, it was a possession and called Spanish Guinea. The territory of the state is part of the geographic region of Guinea and, at the same time, its insular part is crossed by the equator.
Gabonese Republic covers an area of 267.7 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 1.5 million people. The name Gabon is of Portuguese origin. Portuguese sailors in 1472 named one of the local bays and the river that flows into it Gabao ("cloak"). This name is associated both with the shape of the bay and with the river flowing under the canopy of dense thickets. Later, this name in the form of Gabon came to be applied to the entire territory.
Democratic Republic of the Congo(capital - Kinshasa) covers an area of 2 million 345 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 66.5 million people. The Republic of the Congo (capital - Brazzaville) covers an area of 342.0 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 3.9 million people. The name Congo, which is used by two republics in Central Africa at once, comes from the river flowing through both states. The lower reaches of this river is inhabited by the Congo people (Bakongo). There is also a second name for the river - Zaire, which means “ big river". This name of the river was used from 1971 to 1997 in the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo (with its capital in Kinshasa), at that time the Republic of Zaire, and in colonial times - the Belgian Congo (Kinshasa then bore the name Leopoldville). Congo, with its capital in Brazzaville, was called the French Congo until independence in 1960.
Name Republic of Angola(1 million 246.7 thousand sq. Km, 12.5 million people in 2008) comes from the state that existed on its territory in the XV-XVII centuries. and named after his supreme ruler Ngola. The Portuguese, who invaded in the 16th century, began to call their colony Angola.
In total, 18 sites are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List within West and Central Africa, of which only 6 are cultural monuments.
A World Heritage Site is a cultural or natural site that is judged as having outstanding universal value. UNESCO has designated 119 World Heritage Sites in 39 countries in Africa. In Africa, there are 76 cultural, 39 natural and 4 mixed sites. Currently, there are eight African rock art sites listed as World Heritage sites; these sites are featured below. In 2008, TARA entered into a memorandum of understanding with UNESCO for the protection and promotion of African rock art.
Tassili n 'Ajjer, Algeria 1982
The rock art of the Tassili n 'Ajjer consists of paintings and rock engravings (preserved on a high, eroded plateau in the central Sahara Desert). The plateau is a spectacular lunar landscape of great geological interest. The art depicts herds of cattle and large wild animals (such as giraffes or elephants indicative of a time when the Sahara was humid and vibrant with human activities like hunting and dancing).
Tadrart Acacus, Libya 1983
The Tadrart Acacus mountains contain thousands of cave paintings and engravings in different styles some dating from 12,000BP. Five different art phases are distinctive: naturalistic (Large Wild Fauna), Round Head, Pastoral, Horse, and Camel Periods. This art is a reflection of striking changes in climate and in flora and fauna. The paintings also provide a glimpse into different lifestyles of human societies that succeeded each other over time.
uKhahlamba / Drakensberg, South Africa 2000
The Drakensberg is South Africa's highest and most dramatic mountain range; it contains some of the most fascinating natural and archaeological areas in the sub continent. The mountain's numerous rock painting sites present a significant component of cultural heritage left behind by San / Bushman people who lived there until the late 19th Century. The paintings are outstanding in quality and diversity of subject, and in their depiction of animals and humans.
Tsodilo, Botswana 2001
The rock art site of Tsodilo Hills is a major geological landmark in the northwestern Kalahari Desert. The amazing quality and quantity of rock art, contained in a relatively small area, has earned the site the title of the “Louvre of the Desert”. The site is characterized by a wide variety of paintings on exposed rocks made mainly by Khoe pastoralists. “White-painting Shelter” has been periodically inhabited over 100,000 years, early Iron-Age villages and prehistoric mines set Tsodilo apart from other Southern African sites.
Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe 2003
The rock art sites of Matobo Hills occur in profusion in shelters located in massive granite inselbergs and “whale-backs”, (common rock formations in southern Africa). The paintings provide vivid pictures of later Stone Age peoples' conceptions of reality: San / Bushmen ancestors who were absorbed in Zimbabwe by Bantu speaking agriculturalists.
Chongoni, Malawi 2006
The Chongini rock art site is located within a cluster of forested granite hills on the high altitude plateau of central Malawi. The rock art consists almost entirely of schematic, white paintings (making it visually different from the more naturalistic, red hunter-gatherer images) in male and female initiation (as well as rain-making and funeral rites of Chewa agriculturalists).
Kondoa, Tanzania 2006
Most of the Kondoa rock art sites are located on or near the Maasai escarpment (that marks the western edge of the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania). The sites are a series of rock shelters and boulders containing paintings mainly depicting elongated people, animals, hunting scenes, and abstract markings. Tanzania also has World Heritage Sites that are not rock art sites including: the Cultural Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara (1981); Stone Town of Zanzibar (2000); Kilimanjaro National Park (1987); Selous Game Reserve (1982); Serengeti National Park (1981); and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (1978).
Twyfelfontein, Namibia 2007
The Twyfelfontein rock art site has one of the largest concentrations of rock engravings in southern Africa. Most of these represent rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, antelope, birds, and animal footprints. The site features an extensive record of ritual practices of huntergatherer communities in this part of southern Africa over at least two millennia.
Monuments of Africa represent ancient world, which is almost perfectly preserved on this continent.
The greatest African monuments are the three great pyramids. They are located close to each other in the city of Giza.
Usually tourists come here for an excursion from Cairo, the capital.
Africa's Greatest Monuments - Pyramids and Tombs
The Pyramid of Cheops
It is believed that the pyramid of Cheops was erected in the 26th century BC. However, modern research by scientists leads us to other information: the pyramid is more than 8000 years old.
Today, Egyptology does not name new official data, but radiocarbon analysis suggests that the organic compounds remaining inside the pyramid are at least 8000 years old and this is only data on the remains found, and how much more can be hidden here from modern man.
Pyramid of Khafre
This pyramid is the second largest. And if the pyramid of Cheops remained intact even despite the huge influx of tourists, but this pyramid is protected from travel hunters who gradually destroy it with their visits.
Pyramid of Mikerin
This pyramid is not of particular interest for tourists, but for Egyptology - yes.
True, it is the smallest among the three pyramids - its height is 66 meters.
Tutankhamun's tomb
This place was found recently, about a hundred years ago. And today he cannot but ignore the study of the origin of this place.
However, almost every tourist can look at the attraction as part of one of the excursions. The museum presents not only the tomb itself, but also the jewelry found near it.
Sphinx - monolithic statue
It is believed that the Sphinx was elevated to the part of Pharaoh Khafre, but there is no exact data on this score.
In addition, scientists are still arguing about the age of the monument. According to one version, it was built long before the pharaohs. But who and in whose honor it was built - there is no exact information.
Temples - cultural monuments of Africa
Temple in Luxor
This place is usually very popular with tourists. It was built by Ramses the third - one of the pharaohs.
Today it is reliably known that the temple symbolized the precursor of the new future of ancient Egypt.
The structure looks like a building with one entrance, consists of stone, figures of people - ancient Egyptians - are carved on its walls.
Temple of Hatshepsut
When a tourist enters the capital, he sees this monument in the form of a chapel, when he leaves, he also sees it, only the other side.
Once upon a time in this African country there were many problems against the background of the inconsistency of historical data from some sources to others.
As a result, in the form of reconciliation, a monument to the contradictions of history was built, after the construction of which the problem of disputes was partially resolved.
Monument of desires - scarab beetle
There is a monument in the Karnak temple. It is believed that if you walk around the monument several times in a circle, any wish will come true.
Whether it is true or not, no one knows for sure, but the place is sacred anyway. Why Scarab?
Scarabs were believed to have a secret magic power, therefore, a monument was erected in their honor.
Today in the temple you can buy bracelets, rings, earrings and amulets in the form of scarabs, adorned with precious stones.
In Africa, there are some that have survived to this day.
Tourists coming to Africa travel here throughout the continent, but Christian sites can be found mainly in the northern part of the continent.
Monument - "African Renaissance"
The largest monument in Africa, which is installed in the capital of Senegal, Dakar.
It was opened in 2010 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Senegal's independence.
The monument is made of bronze foxes, the thickness of which is about 3 cm. The height of this structure is 49 meters.
This monument is very large, so it was even decided to enter it into the Guinness Book of Records.
Despite being in poverty, President Abdul Wad built it for $ 27 million.
The most interesting and mysterious fact is that the monument was not built with donated money or sponsorship funds. The entire amount was allocated from the state budget.
The people were against such a monument in Africa, because there are problems and more important, but no one listened to them.
The sculpture represents a man with a child on his arm and next to standing woman... This, according to the sculptor Pierre Goudiab, is a symbol of getting rid of the European colonialists.
105. World Heritage Sites in Africa
In Africa, there were 115 World Heritage Sites in 2008, or 12.8% of the total in the world. According to this indicator, she was inferior not only overseas Europe and overseas Asia, but also Latin America, however, by the number of countries in which they are highlighted (33), it ranks second. By the number of World Heritage sites on the continent, Tunisia and Morocco (8 each), Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa (7 each), Tanzania (6) stand out.
Africa is also dominated by objects cultural heritage, of which there are 75. It is most expedient to distribute them according to the following four eras: 1) the most ancient, 2) Ancient Egypt, 3) antiquity in North Africa and 4) the Middle Ages and modern times.
The oldest era represented here by four archaeological sites located in Ethiopia and Libya.
Heritage civilization of ancient egypt in the UNESCO list is reflected in three world famous historical and architectural monuments. Firstly, this is the area of the city of Memphis, which was the capital of the country during the era of the Old Kingdom, with the surrounding necropolises. Its core is three "Great Pyramids" on the outskirts of Cairo Giza. Secondly, these are the remains of the second capital of Egypt - the city of Thebes, which was the capital in the era of the Middle and New Kingdoms. This complex includes the temples of Karnak and Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs were buried. Thirdly, these are the monuments of Nubia from Abu Simbel to Philae, dating back to the era of the New Kingdom. Most of them had to be moved to another location during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. In fact, this was the beginning of the compilation of the List of World Heritage Sites.
Ancient heritage of North Africa represented by objects located in all countries of this subregion. They can be subdivided into Phoenician (Carthage and Kerkuan in Tunisia), ancient Greek (Cyrene in Libya) and ancient Roman, which include the ruins of cities in Algeria (Tipasa, Timgad, Dzhemila), in Tunisia (Dugga), in Libya (Sabrata, Leptis- Magna), in Morocco (Volubilis).
Cultural heritage sites eras of the middle ages and new time the most numerous. Among them are objects of Arab-Muslim culture in North Africa (Fig. 165). The most famous are the numerous Muslim monuments of Cairo in Egypt, Tunisia and Kairouan in Tunisia, Algeria and the Mzab (Gardai) oasis in Algeria, Marrakesh and Fez in Morocco. Another group is formed by the Christian monuments of Ethiopia - Aksum, Gondar, Lalibela. And in sub-Saharan Africa, two more groups of objects stand out. One of them refers to West Africa and reflects the cultural heritage of the medieval civilizations of this part of the continent (for example, Timbuktu and Jenne in Mali) or the heritage of the colonial era with its slave trade (Mount Island in Senegal, Elmina in Ghana). Another group of objects belongs to Southeast Africa (Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique). The most famous of them is Great Zimbabwe.
Rice. 165. Objects of Arab-Muslim culture in North Africa
Objects natural heritage in Africa 36. It is mainly National parks and reserves, including such famous ones as the Serengeti, Ngoro Ngoro and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Rwenzori in Uganda, Mount Kenya in Kenya, Virunga, Garamba and Okapi in DR Congo, Nikolo Koba in Senegal, and the Dragon Mountains in South Africa.
There are also facilities in Algeria, Mali and South Africa cultural and natural heritage. The most famous of them is the Algerian Tassilin-Ajer with rock paintings of the ancient inhabitants of the Sahara.