Efforts underway to Get Oldest Gedeo Megalithic Stelae Registered under UNESCO

Addis Ababa (ENA) December 26/2022 Efforts are underway to get more than 6,000 Megalithic Stelae registered as World Heritage Sites, according to Authority for Research and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage.

According to reports, there are more than 6,000 Megalithic stelae in Gedeo landscape in Southern part of Ethiopia. It is indicated that these stelae are the oldest in East Africa.  

Accordingly, efforts are well underway to get the more than 6,000 Megalithic Stelae registered as World Heritage Site by the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Following the visit to Gedeo natural and cultural heritages together with media experts, Deputy Director General at the Authority for Research and Conservation of the Cultural Heritage Hiwot Hailu said our forefathers have kept the Gedeo cultural landscape heritage using indigenous knowledge for generations to learn from it.  

Citing that the Gedeo Landscape heritage is one of the showcases of Ethiopia’s ancient civilizations, she said the heritage is being used as a great input for researchers.

The protected forest in the Gedeo landscape is an exemplary for green legacy programs, she indicated.

Recall that the Gedeo experience provides a unique opportunity for the understanding of human environment relationship that is maintained through indigenous institutions, values and practices.