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Makgadikgadi Cultural Landscape (#)

Les noms des biens figurent dans la langue dans laquelle les Etats parties les ont soumis.

Botswana (Afrique)
Date de soumission : 21/07/1999
Critères: (ii)(iii)(vi)
Catégorie : Culturel
Soumis par : National museum, Monuments and Art Gallery, Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs
Coordonnées GPS: 20 53 740 S / 25 49 426 E Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Boteti. Sub-district.
Ref.: 1338

Thèmes

  • Paysages culturels

Description

Lekhubu Island (or Gaing-o to the local people) is a granite outcrop situated in the south-western corner or the Sua Pan in The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in the Boteti Sub-district. It covers an area of about 60 hectares, and harbours impressive baobab and star-chestnut trees, a mysterious stone wall (first noted in the 1930s) and ritual stone piles associated with initiation ceremonies. It is a holy site for the local Basarwa (San) who frequently visit it to pray. However, because of its natural setting and the heritage it possesses, it receives a diverse number of visitors including organized commercial/educational tour groups, fun drivers (especially adventure seekers like motorcyclists), ritualists and other visitors. It is basically a remote wilderness with its own unique character : - a site of historical interest in an unusual and attractive location which was once an enormous lake. In the south-eastern corner of the Lekhubu there is a semi circular wall cutting off the island from the granite promontory. The wall stands to the height of a metre. There are other features within the wall design of which the outstanding are loopholes along the line of the wall. There are rectangular apertures created by long flat stones placed as frames for the loopholes. The wall encloses an area of around 100 metres in diameter. Undiagonostic pottery and fragments of ostrich egg – shell can be seen. From the archaeological point of view, the loopholes associates this wall with later Zimbabwe's tradition sites around the 17th, century. Only 15km to the north of this site is another archaeological leopard kopje settlement, which also has a long surrounding wall.