One of the two largest layers cultural heritage North Africa are cities preserved in ruins from the ancient era. Monuments of Greek-Hellenic culture include the ruins of the city of Cyrene (Libya), founded by Dorian colonists from the island of Thera (Thira or Santorini) in the 7th century. BC. During the Hellenistic period, the city was under the rule of 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, and an amphitheater rising directly above the cliff are partially preserved. Cyrene is located almost strictly south of, and it is no coincidence that it was this part of Africa that was colonized by the Greeks, receiving from them the name Libya.
In the western part of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, immigrants 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 reserve cities of Carthage, Dougga, Kerkuan, Sousse and Sabratha.
(), 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 buildings remained, as well as the Tophet hill (“altar”). In the city of Dougga (Tunisia), which also served as the capital of the Libyan-Punic state, mausoleums of the Punic period have been preserved. The remains of the Punic mausoleum also remind us of the first inhabitants of the museum city of Sabratha (Libya).
Phoenician-Punic tombs are preserved in the vicinity of the city Sus(Tunisia), which was founded in the 9th century. BC. by the Phoenicians and was named by them Hadrumet. The city reached its peak during the period of the Carthaginian Empire. In terms of wealth, it was second only to Carthage itself. During the Third Punic War, Sousse was the headquarters of the famous Carthaginian commander Hannibal, who tried to repel those who had landed in North Africa Roman legions.
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 restored by the ancient Romans. The city had a single development plan and was surrounded by a wall. Comfortable mansions in Kerkuan had bathtubs, mosaic floors and gutters to drain rainwater from the roofs. The city had pottery workshops and factories 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 captured 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 large 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 and decorated with paintings and mosaics.
(Algeria) has the best preserved Roman ruins in northern Africa. Moreover, Roman city planners adapted local architecture to the conditions of the mountainous area. Antique buildings seem to “climb” the mountains, while maintaining their architectural merits. It is no coincidence that Dzhemila means “beautiful.”
(Algeria) was founded in 100 by Emperor Trajan to fight the Berbers at a great distance from Mediterranean Sea. The well-preserved triumphal arch here is named after Trajan. The city received the regular layout of a Roman camp with a rectangular grid of streets, becoming an excellent example of Roman urban planning. The main temple of Timgad is dedicated to Jupiter and has the same proportions as the Roman Pantheon.
Also perfectly preserved is the Roman one (Libya), which flourished in the 1st-3rd centuries. AD At this time, the city was the dazzling capital of the Roman Empire in Africa, stunning visitors with its grandeur. In the middle of the 2nd century. The future Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was born here, as the massive triumphal arch reminds. 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 Mediterranean bay by an elegant street with columns. In the vicinity of the city there is an amphitheater and a hippodrome.
The previously founded cities of Dougga, Sabratha and Cyrene reached their heyday under the Romans. The Romans rebuilt Carthage, which they had destroyed, 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 Sabratha (Libya) also belong to the Roman period: two forums, the temple of Jupiter, baths, an aqueduct and theater that could accommodate 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 one. 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 subsequently proclaimed himself emperor and Africa independent of Rome.
Most of the ancient cities were destroyed and abandoned during the Arab conquest of North Africa. However, this is precisely what allowed them to remain preserved to this day. Monuments of the early Christian and Byzantine periods are not so represented, but they can also be seen in the cities of Tipasa, Timgad, Carthage, Sousse and Sabratha. Early Christian cities include 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 been preserved in the city.
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African monuments represent ancient world, which has been preserved almost perfectly on this continent.
The greatest African monuments are the three great pyramids. They are located near each other in the city of Giza.
Usually tourists come here on an excursion from Cairo, the capital.
The Greatest Monuments of Africa - Pyramids and Tombs
The Pyramid of Cheops
It is believed that the Cheops pyramid was built in the 26th century BC. However modern research scientists lead us to other information: the pyramid is more than 8,000 years old.
Today, Egyptology does not provide new official data, but radiocarbon analysis suggests that the organic compounds remaining inside the pyramid are at least 8,000 years old and this is only data on the remains found, and how much more may be hidden here hidden from modern man.
Pyramid of Khafre
This pyramid is the second largest. And if the Cheops pyramid remained untouched even despite the huge influx of tourists, this pyramid is protected from travel hunters gradually destroying it with their visits.
Pyramid of Mikerin
This pyramid is not of particular interest to tourists, but for Egyptology it is.
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 we cannot but ignore the research into the origins of this place.
However, almost every tourist can see the attraction as part of one of the excursions. The museum displays not only the tomb itself, but also the jewelry found near it.
Sphinx - monolithic statue
It is believed that the Sphinx was erected as part of Pharaoh Khafre, but there is no exact data on this matter.
In addition, scientists are still arguing about the age of the monument. According to one version, it was built long before the pharaohs. But there is no exact information about who built it and in whose honor.
Temples - cultural monuments of Africa
Temple in Luxor
This place is usually very popular with tourists. It was built by Ramesses the third - one of the pharaohs.
Today it is reliably known that the temple symbolized the antecedents of the new future of ancient Egypt.
The structure looks like a building with one entrance, consists of stone, and 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 due to 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 to Wishes - Scarab Beetle
The monument is located in the Karnak Temple. It is believed that if you walk around the monument several times, any wish will come true.
Whether this is true or not, no one knows for sure, but the place is sacred in any case. Why scarab?
It was believed that scarabs have a secret magical power, so a monument was erected in their honor.
Today in the temple you can buy bracelets, rings, earrings and amulets in the form of scarabs decorated with precious stones.
There are also ones in Africa that are still preserved.
Tourists coming to Africa travel throughout the continent, but Christian places can be found mainly in the northern part of the continent.
Monument - "Renaissance of Africa"
Most big monument Africa, which is set in the capital of Senegal, Dakar.
It was opened in 2010 in honor of 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 include it in the Guinness Book of Records.
Despite the poverty, President Abdoula Wad built it for $27 million.
The most interesting and mysterious fact is that the monument was not built with donated money or funds from sponsors. The entire amount was allocated from the state budget.
The people were against such a monument in Africa, because there are more important problems, but no one listened to them.
The sculpture represents a man with a child in his arm and a woman standing next to him. This, according to sculptor Pierre Goudiab, is a symbol of deliverance from European colonialists.
36 of these will be listed as Outstanding Natural Heritage Value. As you would expect, there is a wide variety of flora and fauna in each of them. Unfortunately, some of them have also been included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage in danger, most often due to poaching.
Photo #1.
Victoria Falls became a World Heritage Site in 1989. This waterfall is approximately twice the height of Niagara Falls and more than twice the width of Horseshoe Falls.
Photo #2. 
Photo #3. 
Photo #4. 
The Niger National Park covers an area of 220,000 hectares. UNESCO listed it in 1996 as a park located in the transition zone between savannah and open forest and is part of important characteristics ecosystems of West African forests. In the photograph, young giraffes rest in the shade, a rare sight even in Niger, West Africa.
Photo #5. 
Kahuzi-Biega National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its gorilla population has dropped to 600 individuals.
Photo #6. 
Gelada's photo shows baboons grazing in Simien. Simien National Park became a World Heritage Site in 1978, includes: high Mountain peaks, deep valleys and steep cliffs that have cliffs of 1500 meters, as well as Ras Dashyan being the highest point in Ethiopia.
Photo #7. 
Kilimanjaro National Park, with the most high mountain in Africa in the background. Registered by UNESCO in 1987.
Photo #8. 
Wildlife in Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal, Africa. UNESCO designated the 913,000 hectare park as a World Heritage Site in 1981. “The national park is famous for its natural beauty. The Senegalese government counts 20 species of amphibians, 60 species of fish, and 38 species of reptiles (four of which are turtles) in the park. Also 80 species of mammals.
Photo #9. 
Aerial photography of a herd of elephants crossing the Garamba National Park, which has a total area of 500,000 hectares. “One of Africa's oldest national parks, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
Photo #10. 
Virunga National Park covers 800,000 hectares with swamps, savannas, snowfields and lava lakes of the Nyiragongo volcano, the largest in the world. It was designated an African World Heritage Site in Danger in 1979 due to the Rwandan war, increasing numbers of refugees, poaching, the departure of park staff, and forest depletion.
Photo #11. 
Lion in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. It is one of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This vast savanna covers 1,476,300 hectares and is world famous for its annual migrations of animals in search of water and pasture. Two million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles, and all their predators make it “one of the most spectacular natural spectacles in the world.
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105. World Heritage Sites in Africa
Africa had 115 World Heritage sites in 2008, or 12.8% of the world's total. According to this indicator, it was inferior not only to foreign Europe and foreign Asia, but also Latin America, however, in terms of the number of countries in which they are identified (33), it ranks second. In terms of the number of World Heritage sites on the continent, Tunisia and Morocco (8 each), Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa (7 each), and Tanzania (6) stand out.
Africa is also dominated by objects cultural heritage, of which there are 75. It is most expedient to distribute them into the following four eras: 1) ancient, 2) Ancient Egypt, 3) antiquity in North Africa and 4) the Middle Ages and modern times.
Ancient era is represented here by four archaeological sites located on the territory of Ethiopia and Libya.
Heritage civilizations of ancient egypt on 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 necropolises surrounding it. Its core is the three “Great Pyramids” on the Cairo outskirts of Giza. Secondly, these are the remains of the second capital of Egypt - the city of Thebes, which was the capital during the eras 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. Actually, this is where the compilation of the List of World Heritage Sites began.
Ancient Heritage of North Africa represented by objects located in all countries of this subregion. They can be divided 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 (Sabratha, Leptis- Magna), in Morocco (Volubilis).
Cultural heritage sites Middle Ages And new times most numerous. Among them, one can highlight objects of Arab-Muslim culture in North Africa (Fig. 165). The most famous are the numerous Muslim monuments of Cairo in Egypt, Tunis and Kairouan in Tunisia, Algeria and the oasis of Mzab (Ghardaya) in Algeria, Marrakesh and Fez in Morocco. Another group is formed by the Christian monuments of Ethiopia - Axum, Gondar, Lalibela. And in sub-Saharan Africa, two more groups of objects stand out. One of them relates to West Africa and reflects the cultural heritage of the medieval civilizations of this part of the continent (for example, Timbuktu and Djenné in Mali) or the legacy of the colonial era with its slave trade (More 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. This 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 the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nikolo-Koba in Senegal, and the Drakensberg 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 Tassilien-Ajjer with rock paintings of the ancient inhabitants of the Sahara.
In Western and central parts In Africa, we have identified two tourist mesoregions, which are parts of the macroregion Central and Southern 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, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DR Congo , 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 a surprising interweaving of three cultures based on Islam, Christianity and local traditional beliefs. Central Africa is distinguished by the dominance of local traditional culture with the island nature of Christian (Catholic and Protestant) culture. In Western and Central Africa, the peoples of the Niger-Congo group (including Bantu) of the Niger-Kordofan family predominate. This group also includes the Fulani and Wolof peoples living in the far west of Africa - in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Since the 14th century The name of a large geographical region of Africa is known: Guinea. The most likely hypothesis is that this name is a corruption of the Berber iguawen (“dumb”) - this is how the Berbers called their southern black neighbors who did not understand their language. Currently, two states bear this name. West Africa: 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 declared independence in 1961, retains the name that appeared in the 15th century. Portuguese navigators called the country Sierra da Lioa (“ridge of the lioness”) for the resemblance of one of the local mountains to a lying lioness. The name was later corrupted into Sierra Leone ("lion mountains").
Republic of Liberia occupies an area of 97.8 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 3.3 million people. In 1822, in the United States, a colony of freed American blacks was founded on lands acquired in Africa and called it Liber (from the Latin liber “free, independent”). In 1847, the Republic of Liberia was proclaimed.
Republic of Cote d'Ivoire occupies an area of 322.5 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 20.2 million people. In the XVI-XVII centuries. Portuguese navigators gave one of the sections of the coast of the Gulf of Guinea the name Coast Ivory for his wealth in this valuable commodity. IN late XIX V. The French colony founded here received the name Côte d’Ivoire (“ivory coast”). The state that gained independence in 1960 retained the same name. However, other states used translated forms of this name, and the Russian version 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 gana (“military commander”). From this title he received his name main city states, and then the whole country. During colonial times, this territory was called the Gold Coast. It was given back in the 15th century. the Portuguese, who exported from here gold mined in neighboring lands.
Togolese Republic occupies 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 “the area on the other side of the lagoon” in the Ewe language. 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) accepted its modern name in 1975 in honor of the feudal kingdom of Edo-Bini (from the ethnonyms Edo and Bini), which existed in the 12th-19th centuries. Initially, the republic, which declared independence in 1960, bore the name Dahomey, known since the 17th century, the origin of which is not established.
Federal Republic of Nigeria(923.8 thousand sq. km, 146.3 million people in 2008) received its name from the Niger River, which flows through the territory of the state in its lower reaches. Moreover, the word negroes comes from Spanish and Portuguese languages(negro – “black”), and it became common name 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 navigators landed at the mouth of the Vuri River, where they discovered
lived a large number of shrimp and therefore called the river Rio dos Camarones - “river of shrimp”.
Your name Central African Republic(622.4 thousand sq. km, 4.4 million people in 2008) received thanks to its geographical location in the center of the African continent. During colonial times, as a possession, this land bore the name 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) carries given name since independence in 1968. Before that, it was a possession and was called Spanish Guinea. The territory of the state is part of the geographical region of Guinea and, at the same time, its island part is intersected by the equator.
Gabonese Republic occupies 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 navigators in 1472 named one of the local bays and the river flowing into it Gabao (“cloak”). This name is associated both with the shape of the bay and with the river, which flowed under the canopy of dense thickets. Later this name, in the form Gabon, came to be applied to the entire territory.
Democratic Republic of the Congo(capital - Kinshasa) occupies an area of 2 million 345 thousand square meters. km, the population in 2008 was 66.5 million people. The Republic of Congo (capital - Brazzaville) occupies 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, comes from the river that flows through both states. The Kongo (Bakongo) people live in the lower reaches of this river. There is also a second name for the river – Zaire, which means “big river”. This river name was used from 1971 to 1997 in modern Democratic Republic Congo (with its capital in Kinshasa), at that time called the Republic of Zaire, and in colonial times - the Belgian Congo (Kinshasa was then called Leopoldville). Congo, with its capital in Brazzaville, was called French Congo before gaining 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 15th-17th centuries. and called by the name of its supreme ruler Ngola. The Portuguese, who invaded in the 16th century, began to call their colony Angola.
In total, within Western and Central Africa, 18 sites are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, of which only 6 are cultural monuments.
