5 Unesco Cultural Greats Part 4

From rock-hewn cities to Welsh castles; mountaintop temples to island prisons, we celebrate the UNESCO-listed wonders that make the world a more cultured place WORDS SARAH BAXTER 5 Unesco Cultural Greats Part 4.

1. TSODILO HILLS, BOTSWANA 

WHY?See the highest rock art in the world 

Safari bufs descend on Botswana for its wonderful wildlife. But less lauded is the country’s wealth of rock art. The Tsodilo Hills have been dubbed the ‘Louvre of the Desert’ – over 4,500 paintings are clustered in a small patch of quartzite rocks in the Kalahari, in the country’s north-west. San people view this as the site of first Creation, a place frequented by ancestral spirits, and have daubed the rocks with various figures, animals, shapes and geometric patterns. While some were painted as recently as the 19th century, others are thought to date back more than 20,000 years. GET THERE: Tsodilo is a four-hour4WDtrip from the village of Shakawe, about 370km from Maun.

2. CARAL SUPE, PERU 

WHY?To go back to where it all began 

Fellow Peruvian UNESCO site Machu Picchu might get more of the plaudits and punters, but for historical heft, Caral-Supe wins hands down. This sacred city, once capital of the Norte Chico peoples, is around 5,000 years old, making it the oldest centre of civilisation in the Americas. Its ceremonial pyramids were in use 500 years before the Egyptians built those at Giza. Set on an arid desert terrace above the lush Supe Valley, the extensive site incorporates both public and private buildings, including circular sunken plazas, an amphitheatre and six large pyramidal structures; the largest, the Templo Mayor, measures 150m long and 28m high. GET THERE: Caral-Supe is 200km north of Lima.

3. VALLETTA, MALTA 

WHY?Embrace the European Capital of Culture 

Strategically sited Malta has been ruled by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John. Thus its diminutive capital Valletta, perched on a hill between two natural harbours, is a dense layer cake of monuments – according to UNESCO, ‘one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world’. The best way to get a sense of the fortified city is aboard a dghajsa (traditional boat), then visit the Baroque dazzle of St John’s Co-Cathedral and the opulent Grand Master’s Palace, a centre of power from the 16th century on. On top of that, this year sees Valletta named European Capital of Culture; check out all its upcoming events at valletta2018.org. GET THERE: Valletta is connected to many UK airports; flight time is from around three hours.

4. TIKAL NATIONAL PARK, GUATEMALA 

WHY?For a tiny taste of Maya magnificence 

The Maya ruins at Tikal – and across the Petén region – are vast. What’s more, research this year using LiDAR laser technology, which digitally removes the forest from aerial images, indicates the ruins are far more complex than first thought, revealing previously unknown structures and links between sites that were inhabited for 1,400 years from the 6th century BC. This all adds to the ‘what else could be here?’ frisson as you roam a Maya metropolis of temples, squares and palaces. GET THERE: Tikal is around 75 minutes’ drive from the town of Flores.

5. ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT 

WHY?Celebrate 50 years of salvation 

Rescuing the ancient Nubian temples of Abu Simbel from the rising Nile wasn’t just important for Egypt, it revolutionised the global approach to safeguarding heritage. In 1968, the complex built for Ramses II in around 1260 BC was cut into 2,000 pieces and moved – brick by brick – to higher ground. Now it’s the headline act of a UNESCO site that includes other Nubian Monuments, such as the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae, and a powerful symbol of conservation. GETTHERE: Abu Simbel is280kmsouth of Aswan; 30 minutes by plane, about three hours by bus.

sources: Wanderlust UK , July 2018

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