Melka Kunture and Balchit Archaeological and Paleontological site registered on UNESCO World Heritage list

Addis Ababa, July 26, 2024 (FBC) – During the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee taking place from July 21-31, 2024 in New Delhi, India, Ethiopia’s Melka Kunture and Balchit Archeological and Paleontological Site has been registered on the prestigious World Heritage List.

Located 50kms South of Addis Ababa, the Melka Kunture and Balchit Archeological and Paleontological site features human and animal remains features stone tools dating back to 2.5 million years.

Melka Kunture is part of a gently undulating landscape of the Upper Awash Valley, in the highlands of Ethiopia, 2000m above sea level. All over the Upper Pliocene and the Pleistocene, tectonic activities led to the deepening of the demi-graben depression were the meandering paleo-Awash deposited alluvia.

Archaeological excavations allowed for the recovery of the prehistoric heritage and of related scientific information. More than 80 archaeological layers have been identified during 50 years of archaeological research; 30 of them have been extensively excavated over surfaces ranging from 50m² to 250m².

Tens of thousands of lithic tools, faunal and sometime human remains (Homo erectus sensu lato and archaic Homo sapiens) have been discovered in Melka Kunture. Many more are preserved in an area of more than 100 km², and wait for future research and for future generations of scholars.

Melka Kunture and Balchit has become Ethiopia’s 12th site inscribed on the World Heritage List, joining other notable locations like the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the Simien National Park, and the Konso Cultural Landscape.