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Tsodilo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tsodilo* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| State Party |  Botswana |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, vi |
| Reference | 1021 |
| Region† | Africa |
| Inscription History | |
| Inscription | 2001 (25th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Tsodilo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northwestern Botswana. It was inscribed in 2001 due to its unique religious and spiritual significance to local peoples, as well as its unique record of human settlement over several millennia. It contains over 4,500 rock paintings in an area of approximately 10 km² within the Kalahari Desert.
There are four main hills. The highest is 1400 metres AMSL and located at . The four hills are commonly described as the "Male", this is the highest, the "Female", "Child" and an un-named knoll.
There is a managed campsite between the two largest hills. It is near the most famous of the San paintings at the site, the Laurens van der Post Panel.
These hills are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the San peoples of the Kalahari. It is believed that the caves and caverns of the "Female" hill are the resting places of the deceased and various gods who rule the world from here. The most sacred place is near the top of the "Male" hill, where it is said that the First Spirit knelt and prayed after creating the world. The San believe that you may still see the impression of the First Spirits' knees in the rock.[1]
Most of the San rock paintings are found on the "Female" hill, the most famous being the "Whale" painting, "Two Rhinos" and the "Lion" on the Eastern face of the "Father". There are numerous other paintings, but relatively few on the outlying hills. Indeed there are so many paintings in obscure places that it is very unlikely they have all been discovered or documented.
There are recently installed trails and signs but the paintings are difficult to find without a knowledgeable guide.
The hills can be reached via a good graded dirt road and are about 40km from Shakawe. There is also an airstrip.
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