Tiya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Tiye.
For the Queen of Amenhotep III, see Tiye.
For the Indian caste, see Ezhava.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tiya
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type Cultural
Criteria i, iv
Reference 12
UNESCO region Africa
Inscription history
Inscription 1980 (4th Session)
Location of Tiya in Ethiopia.

Tiya is a town in south-central Ethiopia. Located in the Gurage Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region south of Addis Ababa, it has a latitude and longitude of 8°26′N 38°37′E / 8.433°N 38.617°E / 8.433; 38.617Coordinates: 8°26′N 38°37′E / 8.433°N 38.617°E / 8.433; 38.617.

Archaeological site

Tiya is best known for its adjacent archeological site, which is distinguished by 36 standing stones or stelae, "32 of which are engraved with enigmatic symbols, notably swords," marking a large, prehistoric burial complex.[1] A German ethnographic expedition had visited the site in April 1935, and had found at one hour's journey to the south of the caravan camp the stone monoliths with sword symbol, which had been seen earlier by Neuville and Père Azaïs.[2] The archeological site was designated a World Heritage Site in 1980.

Other points of interest near Tiya include Melka Awash, the Hera Shetan crater lake, and Agesoke, a place where very tall naturally ordered stoneblocks could be seen.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Tiya has an estimated total population of 3,363 of whom 1,615 are men and 1,748 are women.[3] The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 1,856 of whom 894 were males and 962 were females. Tiya is one of three towns in Soddo woreda.

References

  1. ↑ Matt Philips and Jean-Bernard Carillet, Ethiopia and Eritrea, third edition (n.p.: Lonely Planet, 2006), p. 171
  2. ↑ "Local History in Ethiopia" The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 31 May 2008)
  3. ↑ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4

Further reading

  • Roger Joussaume (editor), Tiya, l'Éthiopie des Mégalithes, du Biface a l'Art Rupestre dans laCorne d'Afrique (Paris: UNESCO/CNS, 1995).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tiya.
Ethiopia
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.