This news comes one day after the acceptance of the file for the Gedeo Cultural Landscape, located in the Southern Nations and Peoples’ Region, known for its historical monuments, memorials, inscriptions in caves and traditionally managed forests, and manifestations of ancient civilization.
The two announcements came during the forty-fifth expanded session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which will meet until September 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Gedeo Cultural Landscape Register has become the 100th inscription in Africa and the 10th in Ethiopia, while the Bale Mountains National Park has been registered as the second largest natural heritage site in the country and the 11th of its kind in the world.
According to the source, this latest addition means that Addis Ababa now has the largest number of properties declared by UNESCO World Heritage in Africa, surpassing South Africa which has 10.
Bale Mountains National Park is located 400 kilometers southeast of the capital, and contains amazing and diverse landscapes, as the Saneti Afromontane Plateau stands out at an altitude of more than four thousand meters above sea level, and includes the highest peak in the southern highlands of Ethiopia.
This undulating plateau features numerous lakes and glacial swamps and is surrounded by hills and soaring volcanic peaks. The southern slope is covered by lush and practically unexplored Harina forest.
Memory/NMR