Friday, October 30, 2009

New countries & new unesco whs

I was anxiously wanting for these 2 cards and they arrived when i was out.
These are from 2 new countries and 2 new unesco world heritage sites. They are from Mauritania and Zimbabwe :D
Thanks a lot to Sherri.

This is the Great Mosque in Oualata, "a small oasis town in south east Mauritania that was important in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as the southern terminus of trans-Saharan trade.
Oualata originally formed part of the Ghana Empire and grew wealthy through trade. At the beginning of the thirteenth century Oualata replaced Aoudaghost as the principal southern terminus for the trans-Saharan trade and developed into an important commercial and religious centre. By the fourteenth century the city had become part of the Mali Empire.
Today, Oualata is home to a manuscript museum, and is known for its highly decorative vernacular architecture. It is also a World Heritage Site." - in: wikipedia

"Khami is a ruined city in southern Africa, in what is now western and central Zimbabwe. It was once the capital of the Kingdom of Butua. It is located 22 kilometers west of the modern city of Bulawayo, capital of the province of Matabeleland North. Its ruins are now a national monument in Zimbabwe. Khami is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1986.
The town appears to have been founded at the time of the disappearance of the state at Great Zimbabwe, it grew between 1450 and 1650.
The site of Khami reveals seven built-up areas occupied by the royal family with open areas in the valley occupied by the commoners. The ruins include a royal enclosure or Hill Complex, which had to be on higher ground than other buildings, stone walls and hut platforms, and also a Christian cross believed to have been placed by a contemporary missionary." - in
: wikipedia

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