Heritage with Related Tags
Tsodilo
Tsodilo is known as the "Louvre of the Desert" for its one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world. More than 4,500 rock paintings are preserved in just 10 square kilometres of the Kalahari Desert. The archaeological record in the area chronicles human activity and environmental change over at least 100,000 years. In this harsh environment, local communities consider Tsodilo a place of worship frequented by ancestral spirits.
Masada
Masada is a rugged natural fortress of majestic beauty located in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is a symbol of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction, and the last resistance of Jewish patriots to the Roman army in 73 AD. It is a palace complex built in the classical style of the early Roman Empire by King Herod the Great of Judah (reigned 37-4 BC). The camps, fortifications, and assault ramps surrounding the monument form the most complete Roman siege fortifications still preserved today.
Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev
The four Nabataean towns of Haruza, Mahmshit, Avdat and Shifta, and their associated fortresses and agricultural landscapes in the Negev Desert, lie along the route that connects them to the Mediterranean end of the spices and spice routes. Together, they reflect the spread of a lucrative trade in frankincense and myrrh from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean, which flourished from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD. With their complex irrigation systems, urban buildings, fortresses and remains of caravanserais, they bear witness to the fact that the harsh desert was settled for the purposes of trade and agriculture.
Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley)
Wadi Al-Hitan, the Whale Valley in Egypt's Western Desert, contains priceless fossil remains of the earliest, now extinct whale suborder Archaeoceti. These fossils represent one of the main stories of evolution: the evolution of whales from land animals to marine mammals. This is the most important site in the world showing this stage of evolution. It gives a vivid picture of the form and life of these whales during the transition. The number, concentration and quality of such fossils here are unique, and they are easy to find and located in a beautiful and protected environment. The fossils at Al-Hitan show the youngest Archaeoceti, which are in the final stages of losing their hind limbs. Other fossil material at the site allows one to reconstruct the surrounding environment and ecological conditions at the time.
Lakes of Ounianga
The site includes eighteen connected lakes covering an area of 62,808 hectares in the extremely arid Ennedi region of the Sahara Desert. It forms a beautiful natural landscape with amazing colors and shapes. The salt lakes, hypersaline lakes and freshwater lakes are fed by groundwater and are divided into two groups, 40 kilometers apart. Ounianga Kebir consists of four lakes, the largest of which, Lake Youan, covers an area of 358 hectares and is 27 meters deep. Its high salinity can only sustain algae and some microorganisms. The second group, Ounianga Serir, consists of fourteen lakes separated by sand dunes. Floating reeds cover nearly half of the surface of these lakes, reducing evaporation. Lake Telli has the largest area, 436 hectares, but is less than 10 meters deep. Due to the high quality of the fresh water, some of these lakes are home to aquatic animals, especially fish.
Old Town of Ghadamès
Ghadames, known as the "Pearl of the Desert", is located in an oasis. It is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities and an outstanding example of a traditional settlement. Its residential architecture is characterized by a vertical division of functions: the ground floor is used for storage; another floor is the family residence, with overhanging covered alleys forming an almost underground network of passages; the top floor is an open-air terrace for women.
Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves
This is the largest protected area in Africa, covering approximately 7.7 million hectares, but only one-sixth of the total area is considered protected. The reserve includes the Aïr Volcanic Massif, a small area in the Sahel region that is isolated in terms of climate, flora and fauna, located in the Sahara Desert in Ténéré. The reserve has a rich diversity of landscapes, plant species and wildlife.
Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata
Built in the 11th and 12th centuries to serve caravans crossing the Sahara Desert, these trade and religious centers became focal points of Islamic culture. They have managed to preserve the urban structure that developed between the 12th and 16th centuries. Often, houses with courtyards are crowded with people. Along the narrow streets surrounding a mosque with a square minaret, you can see the traditional lifestyle centered on the nomadic culture of the people of Western Sahara.
Tassili n'Ajjer
The site is located in a geologically significant and bizarre lunar landscape and contains the world's most important collection of prehistoric cave art. More than 15,000 drawings and engravings document climate change, animal migrations and the evolution of human life. The rock formations on the edge of the Sahara Desert date from 6000 BC to the first few centuries of the modern era. The geological formations here are spectacular, with eroded sandstone forming a "rock forest".
Lut Desert
The Lut Desert is located in the south-east of the country. Every year from June to October, this arid subtropical region is buffeted by strong winds that move sediments and cause large-scale wind erosion. As a result, the site presents some of the most spectacular aeolian yardangs (huge rippled ridges). It also contains large areas of stony desert and dune fields. The property is an exceptional example of ongoing geological processes.
Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region
The site consists of three parts: Faldeo Norte del Morro de Arica, Colón 10, and Desembocadura de Camarones, located in the countryside about 100 km south. Together, they bear witness to a culture of maritime hunter-gatherers who inhabited the arid and harsh northern coast of the Atacama Desert in the far north of Chile from about 5450 BC to 890 BC. The site is the oldest known archaeological evidence of artificial mummification, with cemeteries containing both artificial mummies and mummies preserved by environmental conditions. Over time, the Chinchorro people perfected complex funerary practices, systematically dismembering and reassembling the bodies of men, women and children from across the social spectrum to create “artificial” mummies. These mummies have material, sculptural and aesthetic qualities that are presumed to reflect the fundamental role of the deceased in Chinchorro society. Tools made of mineral and plant materials, as well as simple tools made of bone and shell, have been found at the site, which would have allowed for the intensive exploitation of marine resources, providing unique testimony to the complex spirituality of the Chinchorro culture.
Tokayi Forest in the Tigrovaaya Balka Nature Reserve
The site is located in southwestern Tajikistan, between the Vakhsh and Panj rivers. The protected area includes the vast riparian Tokayi ecosystem, the Kashka-Kum desert, the Buritau peak and the Hodja-Kaziyon mountain. The site consists of a series of alluvial floodplain terraces, including the Tokayi riparian forests in the valley, with unique biodiversity. Compared with similar forests in Central Asia, the Tokayi forests in the protected area are the largest and best preserved. It is also the only place in the world where a large area of Asian poplar Tokayi ecosystem is preserved in its original state.
Old Walled City of Shibam
Shibam, a city founded in the 16th century and surrounded by defensive walls, is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning using vertical architectural principles. Its impressive towers rising from the cliffs have earned the city the nickname "Manhattan of the Desert".
Site of Palmyra
Palmyra, an oasis in the Syrian desert northeast of Damascus, contains the remains of a great city and was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century AD, Palmyra's art and architecture stood at the intersection of several civilizations, blending Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.