Heritage with Related Tags
Mbanza Kongo, Vestiges of the Capital of the former Kingdom of Kongo
Located on a plateau at 570 meters above sea level, the town of Mbanza Kongo was the political and spiritual capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, one of the largest states in southern Africa from the 14th to the 19th century. The historic area developed around the royal palace, customary courts and sacred trees, as well as royal funeral sites. When the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century, they added stone buildings built according to European methods and constructed with local materials to the existing urban agglomeration. Mbanza Kongo, more than anywhere else in sub-Saharan Africa, reflects the profound changes brought about by the introduction of Christianity and the Portuguese presence in Central Africa.
Archaeological Site of Ani
The site is located on a secluded plateau in northeastern Turkey, overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. The medieval city is a mix of residential, religious and military buildings typical of medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and Muslim dynasties. The city flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries AD, when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian Bagratid Kingdom and benefited from its control over a branch of the Silk Road. Later, under Byzantine, Seljuk and Georgian rule, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for caravans. The Mongol invasion and a devastating earthquake in 1319 marked the beginning of the city's decline. The site provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of nearly all the different architectural innovations in the region between the 7th and 13th centuries AD.
Historic City of Toledo
Toledo has a history of more than 2,000 years, having been a Roman municipality, the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom, a fortress of the Emirate of Cordoba, an outpost of the Christian Kingdom in its battles with the Moors, and in the 16th century a temporary supreme power center under Charles V. Its masterpieces are the product of heterogeneous civilizations, with the presence of the three major religions of the time - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - as the main factor.