Architecture
Great Pyramid of Giza
Giza, Egypt
Built as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, it was the tallest human-made structure in the world for thousands of years.
Built: c. 2560 BCE · Style: Ancient Egyptian pyramid
Stone, Mud and Rock: Africa's Built Heritage
Pyramids, rock-cut churches, carved obelisks, stone enclosures and a mosque that is replastered by its community every year.
The stops
History
Axum
Tigray, Ethiopia
Capital of the Aksumite kingdom, a trading power on the Red Sea route, known for its towering carved stone obelisks.
Period: c. 1st–7th century CE
Architecture
Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
Eleven churches carved downward into solid rock. Beta Giyorgis is shaped like a cross, and the site remains a living place of pilgrimage.
Built: 12th–13th century · Style: Rock-cut
History
Great Zimbabwe
Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Imposing dry-stone walls mark the capital of a medieval trading society. The modern country took its name from the site.
Period: 11th–15th century
Architecture
Great Mosque of Djenné
Djenné, Mali
The largest mud-brick building in the world is re-plastered each year by the whole community in an annual festival.
Rebuilt: 1907 · Style: Sudano-Sahelian mud brick