African Cultural Arts Program

A

Algeria

Timgad

Large Roman ruin and museum with exceptional ancient mosaic
From UNESCO World Heritage:
Timgad (ancient Thamugadi or Thamugadis, founded by Trajan in CE 100) was built on the slopes of the Aurès Mountains (south of Constantine, and southeast of Batna) as a city for soldiers who gained citizenship by fighting for Rome. The ruins of the city, known as the Numidian Pompeii, are extensive and, with the exception of a 7th-century basilica, date from the 2nd century and include the remains of an arch, known as the arch of Trajan, a forum, a library, and a theater having a seating capacity of nearly 4000. Baths with paved and mosaic floors have been found in a perfect state of preservation and numerous large private dwellings have been uncovered.

Angola

Benin

Royal Palaces of Abomey

UNESCO World Heritage site
UNESCO classroom information
From 1625 to 1900, 12 kings succeeded one another at the head of the powerful Kingdom of Abomey. With the exception of King Akaba, who had his own separate enclosure, they all had their palaces built within the same cob-wall area, in keeping with previous palaces as regards the use of space and materials. The royal palaces of Abomey are a unique reminder of this vanished kingdom and its intricate, historical bas relief earthen sculptures and art.

Discover Benin: An information page compiled by the Beninese Government

B

Botswana

Tsodilo

UNESCO World Heritage site
World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
With one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world, Tsodilo has been called the Louvre of the Desert. Over 4,500 paintings are preserved in an area of only 10 sq. km of the Kalahari Desert. The archaeological record of the area gives a chronological account of human activities and environmental changes over at least 100,000 years. Local communities in this hostile environment respect Tsodilo as a place of worship frequented by ancestral spirits.

Tourism of Botswana: A comprehensive website created by the Botswana Department of Tourism

Burkina Faso

An information page compiled by the US Embassy of Burkina Faso

Burundi

An information page compiled by the Burundi Embassy to the US

C

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad (Tchad)

An information page complied by the Tchad Embassy to the US

Comoros

Congo-Brazzaville

Consular Information compiled by the US State Dept.

Congo-Kinshasa

Consular Information compiled by the US State Dept.

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Man

Man entry on Geographia
This western city is the centre of the Dan people, one of the most interesting tribal cultures of western Africa, known for their traditional masks and stilt dances. Man, the focal point of a region of particular natural beauty, is surrounded by thick forest and mountains (including Mount Toura and Mount Tonkoui, the two highest in the nation) and contains the striking rock formations of La Dent, a popular hiking destination. It is also an important market town with a population of aproximately 150,000 and a nearby airport.

ECOWAS (Econoomic Community of West African States) page for Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

D

Djibouti

E

Egypt

Official site of the Egypt tourism authority

Equatorial Guinea

Visiting Equatorial Guinea An information resource of travel to EG compiled by the EG government

Eritrea

Consular Information page compiled by the US State Dept.

Ethiopia

Lalibela (Rock-hewn churches)

A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Lalibela entry at Wikipedia
World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Lalibela, a town in mountainous northern Ethiopia, is considered one of the nation's most holy cities, second only to Aksum, and an important place of Ethiopian Christianity, a pilgrimage center containing 11 medieval monolithic cave churches (including the famous Bete Giyorgis). Built in the 13th century during the reign of Saint Lalibela (of the Zagwe Dynasty), this New Jerusalem was a response to the capture of Jerusalem by Muslims, with many of its historic buildings takings both names and layouts from its model city.

A comprehensive listing of Ethiopian sites of interest compiled by the Ethiopian Embassy to the US

G

Gabon

Guide du Tourisme/Travel Diary: A comprehensive, fun, and interesting Flash site compiled by the Gabonese government which offers extensive information regarding travel, tourism, culture, and arts for potential visitors of Gabon.

Gambia

Stone Circles of Senegambia

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Located on transboundary property of Senegal and Gambia, the stone circles site is unrivalled in terms of size, consistency, and complexity by any site of its kind. Consisting of four large groups (Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch) with an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide along some 350 km of the River Gambia, the stone circles represent a vast sacred landscape created over more than 1500 years (3rd century BCE to 16th century CE) by a prosperous, highly organized, and lasting society. The 93 circles contain between 8 - 14 aproximately seven-ton pillars averaging two meters in height quarried with iron tools, skillfully finished into virtually cylindrical or polygonal shapes, and set into circles 4 - 6 meters in diameter near the burial mound area.

Visit the Gambia: The official site of the Gambia tourism authority, an infomative guide to tourism sites and everyday living in the Gambia.

Ghana

An extensive photo gallery of interesting sites and activities in Ghana by district includes: Adinkra and Kente cloth-making; Kejetia, Koforidua, Aburi, and Bolga markets; Aburi Botanical Gardens; Umbrella Rock; Akaah, Begoro, Boti, Tagbo, and Wli Falls; Tongo Rocks; and ancestral caves at Lipke.

The official site of Ghana tourism: A comprehensive guide to everything you'd want to know and everything you'd want to see in Ghana.

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Information site compiled by the Luxembourg Consulate of Guinea-Bissau

K

Kenya

Lamu Old Town

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Lamu Old Town is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, retaining its traditional functions. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant centre for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures.

Magical KenyaThe official site of the Kenya Tourism Board

The official site of the Kenya Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife

L

Lesotho

The tourism section of the Lesotho government portal

Liberia

The site of the US Embassy of Liberia: Consular information, requirements, and general information

Libya

Cyrene

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
A colony of the Greeks of Thera, Cyrene (founded in the 7th century BC by Greek settlers led by Battus I) was one of the principal cities in the Hellenic world. It was Romanized and remained a great capital until the earthquake of 365. A thousand years of history is written into its ruins, which have been famous since the 18th century. Artifacts from Cyrene are housed in a museum in nearby Banghazi, Libya.

Leptis Magna

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Lepcis Magna (Leptis Magna) is an ancient city along the Mediterranean Sea, located near the modern-day city of Al Khums in Libya. The city began as a trading port for the ancient people of Phoenicia around 1000 BCE, became part of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis, and was enlarged and embellished by Emperor Lucius Septimus Severus with buildings of the Roman style including imposing public monuments, harbour, market-place, storehouses, shops and residential districts. These Roman structures, well preserved under sand for centuries, have made the city an important area for archaeological study since the 1920s. Lepcis Magna was also known as the birthplace of Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus (146-211).

Archaeological excavations in Lepcis Magna have unearthed several layers of ruins that show various periods of occupation at the site. Underneath the remains of a large theater built in the 1st century CE is a cemetery probably dating from the 4th or 3rd century BCE. Particularly well-preserved are 2nd- and early 3rd-century Roman buildings that include the elaborate Hadrianic Baths as well the remains of the forum and basilica erected during the era of Severus. The 3rd-century Hunting Baths, named for a fresco, are also in remarkable condition. More recent discoveries have included a Roman house with an extensive underground water system that provides new glimpses into the everyday life of residents.

Libyan Tourism: Site of the General Board of Tourism and Traditional Industries of Libya

M

Madagascar

Consulate of Madagascar

Visit Madagascar: A comprehensive site with videos and travel information.

Malawi

The Malawi Tourism Guide: A helpful and informative site compiled by members of the Malawi travel & tourism industry

Mali

Timbuktu

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments are today under threat from desertification.

Tomb of Askia

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
The dramatic 17 meter pyramidal structure of the Tomb of Askia was built by Askia Mohamed, the Emperor of Songhai, in 1495 in his capital Gao. It bears testimony to the power and riches of the Empire that flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries through its control of the trans Saharan trade, notably in salt and gold, and is a fine example of the monumental mud-building traditions of the West African Sahel.

Travel and Tourism section of the site of the Mali Embassy to the US

Mauritania

Official site of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the US

Mauritius

Discover Mauritius: An informative Flash site compiled by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority

Morocco

Medina of Fez

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Founded in the 9th century and home to the oldest university in the world, Fez reached its height in the 13th–14th centuries under the Marinids, when it replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the kingdom. The urban fabric and the principal monuments in the medina — madrasas, fondouks, palaces, residences, mosques and fountains — date from this period. Although the political capital of Morocco was transferred to Rabat in 1912, Fez has retained its status as the country's cultural and spiritual centre.

The Medina of Fez, the historic city center of Old Fez in Morocco, is closed to cars and can be explored only by foot, bike, or mule. (Medina is the Arabic word for town, but is now used in Morocco to refer to the original part of any Moroccan town that developed before the country became a French protectorate in 1912.) Today Medina remains unchanged except for buttressing added for structural support, is comprised of 187 quarters, each of which must by law contain a mosque, Qur‘anic school (madrasa), bakery, fountain, and hammam (Turkish bath), and is home to a wide array of artisans. The best-known monuments in the Medina are the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss (9th century, rebuilt 13th century), which contains the tomb of the founder of the city; the Karaouyine Mosque (founded in 859, enlarged until the 13th century); the Bou Inania Medersa, a lodging house for students built in 1355; and the Andalous Mosque (founded in 860, enlarged 1200).

Meknes

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became a capital under Sultan Moulay Ismaïl (1672–1727), the founder of the Alawite dynasty. The sultan turned it into a impressive city in Spanish-Moorish style, surrounded by high walls with great doors, where the harmonious blending of the Islamic and European styles of the 17th-century Maghreb are still evident today. The city, called the Moroccan Versailles, contains the sultan's palace and grounds and a large marketplace; it is surrounded by a triple tier of walls.

Volubilis

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
The Mauritanian capital, founded in the 3rd century BCE, became an important outpost of the Roman Empire and was graced with many fine buildings. Extensive remains of these survive in the archaeological site, located in a fertile agricultural area. Volubilis was later briefly to become the capital of Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty, who is buried at nearby Moulay Idriss.

Visit Morocco: The official site of the Moroccan National Tourism Office

Mozambique

US Embassy of the Republic of Mozambique

N

Namibia

Fish River Canyon

Namibian.org Fish River Canyon page
The Fish River Canyon in Namibia, reputedly the second largest in the world, probably formed about 500 million years ago, not only created by water erosion, but also through the collapse of the valley bottom due to movements in the earth's crust. It is part of a nature conservation park and offers remarkable views to visitors.

Twyfelfontein rock art site

UNESCO World Heritage site
Bradshaw Foundation
Twyfelfontein has one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs, i.e. rock carvings, in Africa. Over 2,000 figures have been documented to date. Most of these well-preserved carvings represent rhinoceroses, elephants, ostriches, and giraffes, as well as drawings of human and animal footprints. The property also includes six painted rock shelters with motifs of human figures in red ochre. The objects excavated from two parts of the property, including stone artefacts, ostrich eggshell beads, and schist pendants, dated from the Late Stone Age. Representations of humans, or of flying birds, are rare and it has been suggested that the figures were produced to illustrate the ritual transformation of humans into animals. The most celebrated example is the Lion Man a lion with five toes on each paw. The imagery suggests the rock art was linked to the belief system of hunter-gatherers who dominated the area until the arrival of pastoralists around 1000 CE. The site forms a coherent, extensive and high quality record of ritual practices relating to hunter-gatherer communities in this part of southern Africa over at least 2,000 years; and, eloquently illustrates the links between the ritual and economic practices of hunter-gatherers.

Official site of the Namibia Touism Board: A comprehensive collection of interesting and helpful information

Niger

The official site of the Niger Ministry of Tourism: A comprehensive and informative site covering travel information, interesting sites, arts, culture, fetsivals, and everyday living in Niger.

Nigeria

Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation: An interesting and informative site with extensive information about travel, history, culture, arts, festivals, news, and life in Nigeria.

R

Rwanda

Discover a New African Dawn: A useful travel and cultural information site.

S

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

São Tomé and Príncipe

Paradise on Earth: The official site of São Tomé and Príncipe tourism

Senegal

Stone Circles of Senegambia

Cayar & The Pink Lake: An active and colorful fishing and beach area near a natrurally pink lake known for its unusual color created by the lake bed, which is covered by a thick crust of salt.

Casamance: Casamance offers a landscape of lush forests, rice paddies, mangrove and kapok trees, and beach resorts.

Eastern Senegal: The Bedik, Bassari, and Tenda people of the Kedougou area proudly retain their customs, costumes, and ornaments. Their villages are perched on top of green hills, near waterfalls, in the middle of breathtaking landscapes.

Senegal Tourism: The main page of the Senegal Tourism Office in NY

Seychelles

Aldabra Atoll

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
The atoll is comprised of four large coral islands which enclose a shallow lagoon; the group of islands is itself surrounded by a coral reef. Due to difficulties of access and the atoll's isolation, Aldabra has been protected from human influence and thus retains some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population.

Seychelles Tourism: The official destination site of the Seychelles Islands compiled by the Seychelles Tourism Board

Sierra Leone

Welcome to Sierra Leone: The official site of the Sierra Leone Tourism Board

Somalia

Consular Infromation sheet of the US State Dept.

South Africa

Fossil Hominid Sites

Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs
World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
The Taung Skull Fossil Site, part of the extension, is the place where in 1924 the celebrated Taung Skull — a specimen of the species Australopithecus africanus — was found. Makapan Valley, also in the site, features in its many archaeological caves traces of human occupation and evolution dating back some 3.3 million years. The area contains essential elements that define the origin and evolution of humankind. Fossils found there have enabled the identification of several specimens of early hominids, more particularly specimens of Paranthropus, dating back between 4.5 million and 2.5 million years as well as evidence of the domestication of fire 1.8 million to 1 million years ago.

Welcome to South Africa: An extensive and comprehensive guide to South Africa with travel, cultural, arts, history and much more information in an array of categories

Sudan

Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
These five archaeological sites, stretching over more than 60 km in the Nile valley, are testimony to the Napatan (900 to 270 BCE) and Meroitic (270 BCE to 350 CE) cultures, of the second kingdom of Kush. Tombs, with and without pyramids, temples, living complexes and palaces, are to be found on the site. Since Antiquity, the hill of Gebel Barkal has been strongly associated with religious traditions and folklore. The largest temples are still considered by the local people as sacred places.

Swaziland

Welcome to The Kingdom: The official site of the Swaziland Tourism Authority

T

Tanzania

Kondoa Rock Art Sites

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Kondoa Rock Art Sites, on the eastern slopes of the Masai escarpment bordering the Great Rift Valley are natural rock shelters, overhanging slabs of sedimentary rocks fragmented by rift faults, whose vertical planes have been used for rock paintings over at least two millennia. The spectacular collection of images from over 150 shelters over 2,336 km², many with high artistic value, displays sequences that provide a unique testimony to the changing socio-economic base of the area from hunter-gatherer to agro-pastoralist societies, and the beliefs and ideas associated with them.

The Official site of the Tanzania Tourist Board: General tourism infromation, including and unusual and interesting city-by-city guide to Tanzania life and culture.

Togo

The official site of the Togolese Office of Tourism (in French with links to information in English)

Tunisia

Amphitheatre of El Jem

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
The impressive ruins of the largest colosseum in North Africa, a huge amphitheatre which could hold up to 35,000 spectators, are found in the small village of El Jem. This 3rd-century monument illustrates the grandeur and extent of Imperial Rome. Today El Jem, or Thysdrus as it was known in Roman times, in Tunisia is famous for containing one of the largest Amphitheatres anywhere in the Roman world but what many people don't realise is that this was the third amphitheatre built in the town. The two earlier ones were built some distance away, at first only about 5 to 6,000 people could be entertained when the top of a small hill was hollowed out as an arena but after it was rebuilt this number rose to 7 or 8,000 people.

Site of Carthage

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Carthage (Latin Carthago) was a great city of antiquity, founded by Phoenicians in the 9th century BCE on the northern coast of Africa, near modern Tunis as a trading post. The earliest artifacts unearthed by archaeologists at the site date from 800 BCE. The city was known to its Punic or Phoenician inhabitants as the new city, probably to distinguish it from Utica, the old city. From the 6th century onwards, it developed into a great trading empire covering much of the Mediterranean and was home to a brilliant civilization. In the course of the long Punic wars, Carthage occupied territories belonging to Rome, which finally destroyed its rival in 146 B.C. A second — Roman — Carthage was then established on the ruins of the first.

Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Kerkouane, a Punic city in northeastern Tunisia, was probably abandoned during the First Punic War (c. 250 BCE) and as a result was not rebuilt by the Romans, its remains constituting the only example of a Phoenicio-Punic city to have survived. Excavations have revealed ruins from the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. Around the site houses, many of which still show their walls and the coloured clay on the facades, were built to a standard plan in accordance with a sophisticated notion of town planning, with is often still visible. The houses were built to a standard plan in accordance with a sophisticated notion of town planning.

Dougga/Thugga

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Before the Roman annexation of Numidia, the town of Thugga, built on an elevated site overlooking a fertile plain, was the capital of an important Libyco-Punic state. It flourished under Roman and Byzantine rule, but declined in the Islamic period. The impressive ruins that are visible today give some idea of the resources of a small Roman town on the fringes of the empire.

Travel & Tourism Guide to Tunisia: The offficial site of the Tunisian National Tourism Office, an extensive guide to travel and life within Tunisia.

U

Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
Located in south-western Uganda, at the junction of the plain and mountain forests, Bwindi Park is known for its exceptional biodiversity, with more than 160 species of trees, over 100 species of ferns, and many types of birds, butterflies and endangered species.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

World Cultural Heritage by Ann Mette Heindorff
The Rwenzori Mountains National Park comprises the main part of the Rwenzori mountain chain, which includes Africa's third highest peak (Mount Margherita: 5,109 m) and is the natural habitat of endangered species and unusual flora. The region's glaciers, waterfalls and lakes make it one of Africa's most beautiful alpine areas.

Visit Uganda: The official site of the Uganda Tourism Board with a comprehensive collection of information about travel within Uganda, culture, dowloadable brochures, tours, news and tips.

Z

Zambia

Zambia Monuments: List compiled by Zambia Tourism includes information regarding the following sites:

Chirundu Fossil Forest: Just off the main Lusaka Chirundu road, not far from Chirundu are fossil trees belonging to the Karoo period and are about 50,000 years old.

Ancient Rock & Cave Painting Sites
· Nachikufu Cave: This cave in Mpika depicts some of the most interesting rock paintings in the country and is the site of a field museum exhibiting a fascinating sequence from the Stone Age in Northern Zambia some 18,000 years ago to the recent Iron Age.
· Mkomo Rock Shelter: To the north of the Great East Road, sixty four kilometers west of Chipata. Rock paintings date back to the Iron Age
· Nsefu Cave and Rock Painting: Near Kanona, the main cave contains evidence of occupation during the Stone Age and the paintings are the most extensive to be seen at any single site in Zambia.
· Nsalu Cave & Rock Painting: This semi-circular cave, cut into Nsalu hills contains some of the best examples of Africa’s schematic rock paintings. It stretches about 20 metres wide, 20 metres deep and eight metres high. Excavations carried out in the 1940s showed the site was first occupied by middle Stone Age people although the majority of remains discovered relate to the hunting people of the late Stone Age and date back from about 12000 years ago to 1000 CE.

Zambia Tourism: An extensive and beautiful site compiled by the Zambia National Tourist Board.

Zimbabwe

Matobo Hills

UNESCO World Heritage site
The Matobo Hills area exhibits a profusion of distinctive rock landforms and balancing rocks rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe. The large boulders provide abundant natural shelters and have been associated with human occupation from the early Stone Age right through to early historical times, and intermittently since. Matobo Hills also have one of the highest concentrations of rock art in Southern Africa. The rich evidence from archaeology and from the rock paintings at Matobo provide a very full picture of the lives of foraging societies in the Stone Age and the way agricultural societies came to replace them.

The official site of the Embassy of Zimbabwe in the US