In Ethiopia, the Konso Cultural Landscape shows how closely landforms and agricultural use can be connected. Extensive dry-stone terraces protect the soil from erosion, retain water, and also form cultivated terraces. Their dual function makes the structure of this cultural landscape particularly clear: the terraces are both protective structures and cultivated land.

Terraces, Highlands, and Forest

In the Gedeo Cultural Landscape, mature trees shape cultivation. They provide shelter for enset, coffee, and other food crops. A comparison with Konso reveals two different forms of land use: there, terraces combine soil protection, water retention, and fields; in Gedeo, mature trees protect food crops. The two cultural landscapes show how differently agriculture can feature in the shaping of a landscape.

Bale Mountains National Park represents another type of landscape: it encompasses Africa’s largest area of afro-alpine habitats above 3,000 meters. Numerous glacial lakes, wetlands, and moorland landscapes are also part of the park. On the southern slopes of the Bale Mountains, the landscape transitions into Harenna Forest. It is Ethiopia’s second-largest tropical moist forest and also includes areas of cloud forest.

In Simien National Park, rugged mountain peaks, deep valleys, and steep precipices shape the terrain. The precipices have height differences of about 1,500 meters. The park is also home to Walia ibex, gelada baboons, and Ethiopian wolves. While afro-alpine habitats, lakes, and wetlands are among Bale’s distinctive features, peaks, valleys, and precipices shape the landscape of Simien.

Monuments, Churches, and Early Evidence

The Gedeo Cultural Landscape is also known for its cultural history: dense clusters of megalithic monuments lie along the ridgelines. The Gedeo venerate them, and their elders care for them. Their location and significance to the Gedeo are closely connected; the monuments are characterized not only by their size but also by their cultural role.

Two architectural features can be distinguished among the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. Biete Medhani Alem has five aisles and is considered the largest monolithic church in the world. Biete Ghiorgis has a cruciform ground plan. One church stands out for its described size, the other for its clear ground-plan shape—two different ways of approaching Lalibela’s architecture.

Archaeological sites offer a different perspective on Ethiopia’s history. Tiya comprises 36 monuments, including 32 carved stelae covered with symbols. Melka Kunture and Balchit preserve archaeological and paleontological evidence attesting to the settlement of the area by hominin groups two million years ago. While the figures for Tiya make the site’s holdings tangible, the evidence from Melka Kunture and Balchit points to very early settlement.

At Harar Jugol, architectural history and different types of houses come together. The walls were built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The city includes traditional, Indian, and hybrid townhouses with distinctive interiors. The long construction period of the fortifications and the variety of houses can thus be viewed as two distinct aspects of this historic place.

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