BULE HORA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
COURSE TITLE: BUILDING HERITAGE
COURSE CODE: ARCH 3062
NAME ID NO
1. ABRHAM WUBISHET RU 0814/12
2. BEREKET DAYA RU /12
3. DANIEL ZEWDU RU /12
4. MEKDES FANTAHUN RU 0713/12
SUBMITTED TO: ARCH. ANATOLI ALEMU
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. PROCEDURES OF APPLICATION, NOMINATING OPERATION UNESCO...................2
II. 1. NOMINATION PROCESS..................................................................................................2
III. 2. SELECTION CRITERIA....................................................................................................3
IV. 2.1. CULTURAL...................................................................................................................4
V. 2.2. NATURAL......................................................................................................................5
VI. 3. ETHIOPIAN HERITAGES THAT APPROVED BY “UNESCO”..................................6
VII. 3.1. INTANGIBLE.......................................................................................................................6
VIII. 3.2 TANGIBLE...........................................................................................................................10
IX. TENTATIVE LIST.....................................................................................................................18
X. REFERENCE.............................................................................................................................19
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PROCEDURES OF APPLICATION, NOMINATING OPERATION UNESCO
1. NOMINATION PROCESS
A country must first identify its significant cultural and natural sites in a document known as the
Tentative List. Next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File, which is
evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation
Union. A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on its Tentative List.
The two international bodies make recommendations to the World Heritage Committee for new
designations. The Committee meets once a year to determine what nominated properties to add
to the World Heritage List; sometimes it defers its decision or requests more information from
the country that nominated the site.
There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one to be included on the list.
1.1. TENTATIVE LIST
The first step a country must take is to make an ‘inventory' of its important natural and cultural
heritage sites located within its boundaries. This ‘inventory' is known as the Tentative List, and
provides a forecast of the properties that a State Party may decide to submit for inscription in the
next five to ten years and which may be updated at any time. It is an important step since
the World Heritage Committee cannot consider a nomination for inscription on the World
Heritage List unless the property has already been included on the State Party's Tentative List.
1.2. THE NOMINATION FILE
By preparing a Tentative List and selecting sites from it, a State Party can plan when to present a
nomination file. The World Heritage Centre offers advice and assistance to the State Party in
preparing this file, which needs to be as exhaustive as possible, making sure the necessary
documentation and maps are included. The nomination is submitted to the World Heritage
Centre for review and to check it is complete. Once a nomination file is complete the World
Heritage Centre sends it to the appropriate Advisory Bodies for evaluation.
1.3. THE ADVISORY BODIES
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A nominated property is independently evaluated by two Advisory Bodies mandated by the
World Heritage Convention: the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which respectively provide
the World Heritage Committee with evaluations of the cultural and natural sites nominated. The
third Advisory Body is the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration
of Cultural Property (ICCROM), an intergovernmental organization which provides the
Committee with expert advice on conservation of cultural sites, as well as on training activities.
1.4. THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE
Once a site has been nominated and evaluated, it is up to the intergovernmental World Heritage
Committee to make the final decision on its inscription. Once a year, the Committee meets to
decide which sites will be inscribed on the World Heritage List. It can also defer its decision and
request further information on sites from the States Parties.
1.5. THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet
at least one out of ten selection criteria. These criteria are explained in the Operational
Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention which, besides the text of
the Convention, is the main working tool on World Heritage. The criteria are regularly revised
by the Committee to reflect the evolution of the World Heritage concept itself.
Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four
natural criteria. With the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines, only one set of ten
criteria exists.
2. SELECTION CRITERIA
Until 2004, there were six sets of criteria for cultural heritage and four for natural heritage. In
2005, UNESCO modified these and now has one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of
"outstanding universal value" and must meet at least one of the ten criteria.
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2.1. CULTURAL
Site No. 252: Taj Mahal, an example of a cultural heritage site
1. To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
2. To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a
cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental
arts, town-planning or landscape design;
3. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a
civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
4. (iv) to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological
ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
5. To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use
which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the
environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible
change;
6. To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with
beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The
Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with
other criteria);
7. To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and
aesthetic importance;
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8. To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the
record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms,
or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
9. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological
processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine
ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
10. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of
biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
2.2.NATURAL
Site No. 156: Serengeti National Park, an example of a natural heritage site
Site No. 274: Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, an example of a mixed heritage site
1. "To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and
aesthetic importance"
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2. "to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the
record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms,
or significant geomorphic or physiographic features"
3. "to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological
processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine
ecosystems and communities of plants and animals"
4. "to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of
biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science or conservation"
3. ETHIOPIAN HERITAGES THAT APPROVED BY “UNESCO”
Ethiopia is amongst the countries that have registered their tangible and intangible heritage under
UNESCOs cultural heritage list. According to Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism,
UNESCO has recognized four intangible and nine tangible Ethiopian (a total of 13) heritages.
3.1.INTANGIBLE
1 MESKEL
Meskel, the commemoration feast of the finding of the True Holy Cross of Christ, was inscribed
in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
Christian’s faithfuls and tourists converge at the capital of Ethiopia on 27th of September or 28th
in a leap year to commemorate the celebration of the Meskel festival. The celebrations begin
with the building of the Damera bonfire at Maskel Square in Addis Ababa — a conical pyre of
poles surrounded by bundles of branches and torches decorated with green grass.
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2 IRREECHAA
The Gada System, which is the social, political and cultural reflection of the traditional Oromo
people, was registered in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity in October 2016.
The Oromo Thanks Giving Fesival — Irreechaa takes place during October all over Oromia,
Ethiopia. Irreechaa means a celebration where people get together and perform their prayers and
thanks giving to God.
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3 FICHEE-CHAMBALAALLA
The third UNESCO registered intangible heritage -Fichee-Chambalaalla is a New Year festival
celebrated among the Sidama people in Ethiopia around in July. It was registered by UNESCO in
2015.
Fiche is an anniversary celebrated by the Sidama people as a New Year event. According to
socio-cultural heritages handed down by forefathers through generations to descendants (current
generation), Sidama New Year (Fiche Chamballala) anniversary has been celebrated for more
than 2000 years.
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4 TIMKET, ETHIOPIAN EPIPHANY
The festival of Timiket or Epiphany to commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River is
celebrated across Ethiopia on January 19th or 20th in leap year. This festival is best known for its
ritual reenactment of baptism.
The colorful Ethiopian Epiphany, has become the fourth for Ethiopia in the list of UNESCO
intangible cultural heritage lists in December, 2019. The festival has multiple cultural and
religious phases.
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3.2 TANGIBLE
5 ROCK HEWN CHURCHES, LALIBELA
Dubbed as the New Jerusalem, this is one of the most breathtaking Ethiopian sites included in
this list of World tangible Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1978. Located in the Amhara Region,
this site boasts of 11 monolithic cave churches that were built in the 13th century.
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6. FASIL GHEBBI, (INSCRIBED IN UNESCO 1979)
This property included in the list of unesco world tangible heritage sites in ethiopia consists of
eight component sites. The main site is the fasil ghebbi palace compound. Meanwhile, the other
seven sites are located within the city of gondar. These sites include a monastery, church,
thermal area, bath, and a palace.
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7. AKSUM (1980)
The ruins of this ancient city were recognized in 1980 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site due
to its cultural importance. In fact, this city marked as the heart of ancient Ethiopia that also
reflects the power of the kingdom at that time. There are several ruins in the ancient city that
include royal tombs, ancient castle ruins, monolithic obelisks, and giant stelae.
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8. THE VALLEY OF THE RIVER AWASH
This site is a perfect example of human evolution since the conception of humankind history.
And it was registered under UNESCO”S tangible heritage list in 1980. The biggest discovery on
the site took place in 1974 when 52 skeletal fragments allowed the reconstruction of the famous
Lucy. The oldest of the remains on the site date back to more than 4 million years ago.
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9. THE VALLEY OF THE RIVER OMO
This prehistoric site is also under the list of unescos tangible heritages list since 1980. Several
fossils remains were discovered on this site near lake turkana. The most notable fossil discovered
here is the homo gracilis. It was fundamental in the study of human history and evolution.
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10. SIMIEN NATIONAL PARK
This national park comprises the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. It is the only natural site in the
list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia. It recognized by UNESCO in 1978. It was
recognized for being the refuge for many endangered species living including the Walia ibex and
Ethiopian wolf.
11. TIYA (1980)
The Soddo region in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is home to over 160 archaeological sites. However,
Tiya is considered as the most important of these sites. It has 36 monuments with 32 carved
stelae marked with symbols. Many of these symbols were not known and researchers are trying
to decipher what these symbols meant.
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12. HARAR JUGOL, (INSCRIBED IN 2006)
This historic and fortified town is located amidst a plateau with deep gorges. The fortified town
is also surrounded by savannah and deserts.. It is also believed to be the holiest city for Islam due
to the rich collection of important Islam monuments notably
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13. KONSO CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
This is another Ethiopian cultural site on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites which was
registered in 2011. It is an arid property of stone-walled terraces and fortified settlements. This
cultural tradition has been around for over 21 generations (over 400 years) in Ethiopia.
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TENTATIVE LIST
In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of
tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List
are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. As of 2021, Ethiopia
recorded seven sites on its tentative list. The sites, along with the year they were included on the
tentative list are:
1. BALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (2008)
2. DIRRE SHEIK HUSSEIN RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SITE (2011)
3. HOLQA SOF OMAR: NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (SOF OMAR:
CAVES OF MYSTERY) (2011)
4. SACRED LANDSCAPES OF TIGRAY (2018)
5. MELKA KUNTURE AND BACHILT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE (2020)
6. GEDEO CULTURAL LANDSCAPE (2020)
7. CULTURAL HERITAGE OF YEHA (2020)
The end
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REFERENCE
1. "World Heritage Emblem". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the
original on 1 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
2. "Ethiopia's largest ethnic group celebrate Thanksgiving festival". trtworld.com.
3. "The World Heritage Convention". UNESCO. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
4. "Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
5. "Simien National Park – Threats to the Site (1996)". UNESCO. Retrieved 11
September 2011.
6. "Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
7. "Konso Cultural Landscape". UNESCO. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
8. "Report of the Rapporteur". UNESCO. October 9, 1978. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
9. ^ "Aksum". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
10. ^ "Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
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