Detourmap
Archaeological & historic sites in Africa
587 archaeological & historic sites in Africa, spread across 38 countries. The best known is Cairo in Egypt. The 96 best known are below; the rest are on the map.
- In Africa
- 587
- Countries
- 38
- Share of world
- 4%
- Little known
- 372 of 587
-
2.Great Pyramid of Giza
Archaeological · 26th century BC · Iconic
Oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis; one of the seven ancient wonders of the world
-
7.Egyptian pyramids
Archaeological · Iconic
Ancient masonry structures constructed by ancient Egyptians
-
10.Great Zimbabwe
Archaeological · Iconic
Ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo, was once the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the cou…
-
11.Cyrene
Archaeological · 7th century BC · Iconic
Ancient Greek and Roman city near present-day Shahhat, Libya
-
14.Meroë
Archaeological · 25th century BC · Renowned
Ancient city along the eastern bank of the Nile River in Northern Sudan
-
15.Karnak Temple Complex
Archaeological · 19th century BC · Renowned
Ancient Egyptian temple complex
-
16.Abu Mena
Archaeological · Renowned
Town, monastery complex and Christian pilgrimage center in Late Antique Egypt. WHS#90
-
20.Tadrart Acacus
Archaeological · Renowned
Mountain range in the desert of the Ghat District in western Libya
-
29.Pyramid of Menkaure
Archaeological · 26th century BC · Renowned
Smallest of the three main Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
-
30.Temple of Edfu
Archaeological · Renowned
Ancient Egyptian temple, located on the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, Upper Egypt
-
43.Roman amphitheatre of El Jem
Archaeological · 3rd century · Renowned
Carthagian amphitheatre in Tunisia
-
44.Hermopolis
Archaeological · Renowned
Major city in antiquity and village in Minya Governorate, Egypt
-
48.Senegambian stone circles
Archaeological · Renowned
Concentration of megalithic stone circles in Senegal and the Gambia
-
51.Pi-Ramesses
Archaeological · 13th century BC · Notable
The capital city of the ancient Egyptian 19th dynasty.
-
62.Big Hole
Archaeological · 19th century · Notable
Open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa
-
63.Pyramid of Neferirkare
Archaeological · Notable
Second pyramid to be built at the necropolis site of Abusir
-
69.Sijilmasa
Archaeological · 8th century · Notable
Medieval Moroccan city, previously the center of Tafilalt (also known from it as Sijilmasa during this period)
-
75.Medinet Habu
Archaeological · Notable
Archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt
-
90.Pyramid of Amenemhat III
Archaeological · Notable
Smooth-sided pyramid; The Black Pyramid was built by King Amenemhat III during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. It is one of the five remaining pyramids of the ori…
Archaeological & historic sites in Africa, by country
Every country here with at least one. Those with a page of their own link through.
- Egypt263
- Tunisia65
- Algeria44
- Libya28
- South Africa27
- Sudan25
- Morocco24
- Namibia14
- Niger14
- Kenya9
- Democratic Republic of the Congo8
- Tanzania8
- Ethiopia6
- Nigeria5
- Somalia5
- Mali4
- Zimbabwe4
- Angola3
- Botswana3
- Ghana3
- Madagascar3
- Zambia3
- Burkina Faso2
- Eswatini2
- Mauritania2
- Benin1
- Cameroon1
- Equatorial Guinea1
- Eritrea1
- Gabon1
- Guinea1
- Lesotho1
- Malawi1
- Mozambique1
- Senegal1
- Togo1
- Uganda1
- Western Sahara1
Archaeological & historic sites elsewhere
Questions about this page
What are the best known archaeological & historic sites in Africa?
Cairo in Egypt leads the list. Capital city of Egypt.
Which country in Africa has the most?
Egypt (263), Tunisia (65) and Algeria (44). That ranks how much Wikidata records, not what exists on the ground.
How much of the world is that?
587 of the 14,002 archaeological & historic sites on this atlas, so 4%. The rest are on the worldwide page.
Where does this information come from?
Every place is drawn from Wikidata (CC0), with photographs from Wikimedia Commons and a link to its English Wikipedia article. Selection is deterministic: a place is here because Wikidata files it under one of the classes this atlas carries and it has coordinates, a photo and an article. Nothing is written or chosen by an AI, and the ranking is simply how many Wikipedia language editions cover a place.