History

Giza pyramid fields

The pyramids of Giza form part of the wider Memphis necropolis, which extends towards Dahshur. Look beyond the familiar skyline to understand a funerary landscape of tombs, temples and monuments connected to ancient Egypt’s royal history.

Timgad

On the northern slopes of the Aurès, Timgad preserves the layout of a Roman town founded under Trajan. Its intersecting main streets make urban planning visible: a place to look at how routes, public spaces and buildings organised everyday life.

El Jem

El Jem’s third-century amphitheatre gives scale to Tunisia’s Roman heritage. The surviving arcades and the open arena invite a close reading of a building made for large public gatherings, now recognised on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Lalibela

Lalibela’s eleven medieval rock-hewn churches belong to a living place of Ethiopian Christian devotion. Their architecture works with the rock itself; Bete Giyorgis, shown here, makes that relationship particularly clear. Approach the ensemble as religious heritage as well as architecture.

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Stone Town preserves an urban landscape shaped by Swahili coastal trade. Its buildings reflect long exchanges among African, Arab, Indian and European cultures. The waterfront, shown here, offers one entry into that layered city history.

Marrakech

Courtyards, materials and the art of looking closely: a different way into the city.

Algeria

Mediterranean beaches, Sahara desert and ancient monuments

February to October, from Algiers’s normals

Egypt

The Nile, the pharaohs and the Red Sea

Jan–Apr, Oct–Dec

Libya

Sahara desert, ancient monuments and cultures

September to July, from Tripoli’s normals

Morocco

Medinas, Atlas, Atlantic and Sahara

Mar–May, Sept–Nov

Sudan

Ancient pyramids, Sahara desert, the Nile and culture

December to February, from Khartoum’s normals

Tunisia

Mediterranean beaches, Sahara desert and historic cities

September to June, from Tunis’s normals

Benin

Splendid beaches, breathtaking views, safaris, hiking and culture

November to February

Burkina Faso

Wildlife parks, wild hiking, waterfalls and waterfalls

In January, from Ouagadougou’s normals

Cape Verde

Ten volcanic islands off West Africa

Apr–Jun, Nov

Côte d’Ivoire

Magnificent beaches, nature reserves and buzzing cities

December to February, from Abidjan’s normals

Gambia

Superb beaches, nature reserves, river and culture

December to June, from Banjul’s normals

Ghana

Magnificent beaches, tropical forest, buzzing cities and culture

November to March

Guinea-Bissau

Bijagós archipelago, nature reserves and traditions

November to January, from Bissau’s normals

Liberia

Superb beaches, protected tropical forest and nature reserves

December to February, from Monrovia’s normals

Mali

Rivers, desert, forest, waterfalls, nature reserves and culture

December to January, from Bamako’s normals

Mauritania

Magnificent beaches, mountains, Sahara desert and cultures

November to May, from Nouakchott’s normals

Niger

Sahara desert, Niger River, nature reserves and culture

December to January, from Niamey’s normals

Nigeria

Niger Delta, wildlife parks and buzzing cities

November to April, from Abuja’s normals

Senegal

Wild beaches, nature reserves and cultural journey

October to July, from Dakar’s normals

Sierra Leone

Wild beaches, mountains, marine parks and nature reserves

December to April, from Freetown’s normals

Togo

Splendid beaches, villages, hills, nature reserves and culture

November to April

Angola

Paradise beaches, Namib desert and waterfalls

May to February, from Luanda’s normals

Cameroon

Mountains, breathtaking views, paradise beaches and food

December to February, from Yaoundé’s normals

São Tomé & Príncipe

Splendid beaches, tropical forest and wildlife

June to September, from São Tomé’s normals

Burundi

Lake Tanganyika, waterfalls, mountains and meeting the gorillas

June to August, from Gitega’s normals

Comoros

Paradise beaches, marine parks, food and culture

September to November, from Moroni’s normals

Eritrea

Red Sea, paradise beaches and desert

September to June, from Asmara’s normals

Ethiopia

Monuments, volcanoes, mountains, lakes, deserts and culture

October to January, and September

Kenya

Safaris, the Rift, Mount Kenya and the Swahili coast

Jan–Mar, Jul–Oct

Mauritius

Paradise beaches, volcanic islands and rich food

April to November

Mozambique

Paradise beaches, safaris, culture and buzzing cities

May to October

Rwanda

Lake Kivu, volcano, nature reserves, cities and culture

June to September, from Kigali’s normals

Somalia

Gulf of Aden, magnificent beaches, caves, ruins and desert

July to May, from Mogadishu’s normals

Tanzania

Dream beaches, lagoons, safari, mountains and culture

January–February and June–October

Uganda

Tropical forest, lakes, mountains, safaris, cities and culture

June–August and December–February

Zimbabwe

Safari, rivers, Victoria Falls, monuments and culture

May to October

Eswatini

Mountains, traditions, hiking and lush savannah

April to September, from Mbabane’s normals

Lesotho

Skiing, hiking, horse riding, waterfalls, splendid landscapes and culture

April to October, from Maseru’s normals

Namibia

Wild beaches, Namib desert, nature reserves and culture

May to September

South Africa

Breathtaking views, buzzing cities, paradise beaches, safari and culture

March–May and September–November

The ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou

In the province of Ouarzazate, this ksar packs its earthen houses behind walls reinforced by corner towers.

The Fez medina and the Chouara tanneries

Founded between 789 and 808 as the Idrisid capital, Fes el Bali is a large car-free area of about 300 hectares, a World Heritage Site since 1981.

The medina of Essaouira

Built in the mid-18th century on the principles of European military architecture, the former Mogador has been a World Heritage Site since 2001.

The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx

The Giza plateau holds the Great Pyramid, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx.

The Karnak temple at Luxor

Temples, pylons and chapels: Karnak was the main place of worship of the Theban Triad, headed by the god Amun.

The Valley of the Kings

For nearly 500 years under the New Kingdom, rock-cut tombs were dug here for pharaohs and powerful nobles.

The temples of Abu Simbel

Carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC under Ramesses II, the two temples were moved in their entirety in 1968 to escape the waters of Lake Nasser.

The temple of Philae at Aswan

Threatened by the Aswan dam, the temple of Philae was dismantled and rebuilt on the nearby islet of Agilkia, 12.40 m higher.

Alexandria’s harbour and the Citadel of Qaitbay

At the entrance of Alexandria’s eastern harbour, on the former Pharos Island, Sultan Qaitbay had his citadel built from 1477 to 1479.

Lamu Old Town

Founded in the 14th century, Lamu is Kenya’s oldest continually inhabited town.

Fort Jesus in Mombasa

Built from 1593 to 1596 to guard Mombasa’s Old Port, Fort Jesus was the only fort the Portuguese maintained on the Swahili coast.

Gorée Island

Two kilometres off the port of Dakar, Gorée is an 18.2-hectare island and a major place of memory of the Atlantic slave trade.

The island of Saint-Louis

Near the mouth of the Senegal River, 320 km north of Dakar, Saint-Louis was the capital of the colony of Senegal from 1673 to 1902.

Stone Town, Zanzibar’s old town

Zanzibar’s old town is a maze of narrow alleys lined with houses, shops, bazaars and mosques, famed for their carved wooden doors.

Robben Island

In Table Bay, 11 km from Cape Town, the island has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.

Cidade Velha, Cape Verde’s first town

Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders, Cidade Velha is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital, the first European colonial settlement in the tropics.

The Pedra de Lume salt ponds

On the east coast of Sal, the Pedra de Lume salt ponds lie in the crater of an extinct volcano and have been worked since the late 18th century.

The site of Carthage

The ancient city was destroyed in 146 BC by Rome, after a siege of nearly three years in the Third Punic War.

The Medina of Tunis

Founded in 698 around the Zitouna Mosque, the Medina of Tunis holds some 700 monuments: palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains.

The amphitheatre of El Jem

Built around AD 238 in ancient Thysdrus, the El Jem amphitheatre held an estimated 35,000 spectators.

The site of Dougga

For UNESCO, which listed it in 1997, Dougga is “the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa”.

Kairouan and its Great Mosque

Founded around 670 under the Umayyads, Kairouan became a major centre of Sunni Islamic scholarship.

Le Morne Brabant

At the island’s south-western tip, the Le Morne peninsula carries a 556 m basalt monolith.

Aapravasi Ghat in Port Louis

From 1849 to 1923, half a million Indian indentured labourers passed through this Port Louis immigration depot on their way to plantations across the British Empire.

The royal hill of Ambohimanga

About 24 km north-east of Antananarivo, the fortified hill of Ambohimanga is the best-preserved monument of the precolonial Merina Kingdom.

The rock engravings of Twyfelfontein

In the Kunene Region, this site inhabited for 6,000 years holds at least 2,500 rock engravings, one of Africa’s largest concentrations.

The ghost town of Kolmanskop

10 km inland from Lüderitz, Kolmanskop was a rich mining village born of a diamond find in 1908.

The seals of Cape Cross

On the Skeleton Coast, Cape Cross is a seal reserve, the Cape Cross Seal Reserve.

Kigali, the capital

Rwanda’s capital and largest city, Kigali spreads over rolling hills linked by steep slopes near the country’s centre.

The Ethnographic Museum in Huye

Formerly the National Museum of Rwanda, the Ethnographic Museum in Butare (Huye) opened in 1989, built with Belgian help.

The royal palace of Nyanza

In Nyanza, the King’s Palace Museum stands in the former palace complex of King Mutara III Rudahigwa, seat of Rwanda’s kings.

Freedom Park, Lagos

In downtown Lagos Island, Freedom Park stands on the site of the former Broad Street Prison.

Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove

On the banks of the Osun river just outside Osogbo, this centuries-old sacred grove is among the last of the Yoruba sacred forests.

Sukur Cultural Landscape

In the Mandara Mountains, on a hill above the village of Sukur, this is Africa’s first cultural landscape on the World Heritage List, inscribed in 1999.

Olumo Rock, Abeokuta

In the heart of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Olumo Rock rises to 137 m above sea level.