0281, 3263 BULGARIA (Shumen) - Madara Rider (UNESCO WHS)

0281 - Madara Rider (1)

Posted on 18.07.2012, 23.11.2019
Because of the richness of archaeological monuments discovered in this zone,  Madara, a village in northeastern Bulgaria, which lies at the western foot of the Madara plateau, is called "the Bulgarian Troy". The Madara National Historical and Archaeological Reserve, located near to the village, includes Neolithic and Eneolithic findings, a Thracian settlement, Ancient Roman villa and fortress from the 2nd-5th century, medieval Bulgarian palace, pagan sanctuaries, Christian churches and monasteries, fortresses from the First Bulgarian Empire, and a cave monastery from the 12th–14th century. Most importantly, Madara is the location of the famous Madara Rider, an early medieval rock relief carved by the Bulgars, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979.

3263 - Madara Rider (2)

Madara Rider, the only monumental stone bas-relief in Europe, dated to about 710 AD, is hewn into sheer cliffs at a height of 23m, and presents a horseman who has speared a lion, with an eagle flying in front and a dog running after him, the carving being surrounded by three inscriptions in Greek, which are a short chronicle of the Bulgarian-Byzantine relations in those times. The image is obvious a scene of triumph, incarnating the grandeur of the Bulgars ruler and the power of the Bulgar state. If the bas-relief was carved during the rule of the Bulgar Khan Tervel (r. 700–721), and is probably a portrayal of the khan himself, a part of the inscriptions (of which content can be found here) were made later, describing events  that occurred during the reigns of Krum (803–814), Omurtag (r. 814–831), and Malamir (r. 831–836).

2873 ETHIOPIA (Oromia) - Holqa Sof Omar: Natural and Cultural Heritage (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

With a 16km length, Sof Omar Caves is one of the most spectacular and extensive underground caverns in the world. It is situated to the east of Robe, in the Bale Zone, through which the Weyib River (Gestro River) flows. Here the river vanishes into this giant underground world with its arched portals, high eroded ceilings, and deep, vaulted echoing chambers. The approach to the caves is made through the tiny village of Sof Omar, perched on the cliffs above the Weib River.

2635, 2636, 2690 FRANCE (Occitania) - Tautavel

2635 Images from Tautavel

Posted on 23.06.2016, 19.08.2016
Located in the Southern France, in the valley of Verdouble, at 26km from Perpignan, Tautavel is a commune which appeared for the first time in a document written in 1011. Heritage of Tautavel is very rich, the main landmarks being Arago Cave and museum of prehistory, but also the church of Saint-Genis and his furniture, the chapel of Saintes-Puelles, the remains of the castle, the Torre del far and Visigoth sarcophagi. It is also home to The European Centre for Prehistoric Research (CERP).

2636 Arago Cave

The commune is famous due to the Tautavel Man (Homo erectus tautavelensis), a proposed subspecies of the hominid Homo erectus, the 450,000-year-old fossil remains of whom were discovered in the Arago Cave. Excavations began in 1964, with the first notable discovery occurring in 1969. Occupied from 600,000 to 400,000 B.P., the cave is of the earliest known from the middle Pleistocene to archaeology of the Pyrenees.

2690 Homo erectus tautavelensis (Arago XLIV)

The skeletal remains of two individual hominids have been found in the cave: a female older than 40 (Arago II), and a male aged no more than 20 (Arago XXI and Arago XLVII). Recovered stone tools originate from within a 5km radius of the cave, while animal bones suggest the inhabitants could travel up to 33km for food. No signs of fire, ash, charcoal, burned stone, or clay is documented in the cave which seems to suggest the art of fire is a recent discovery.

2549 UNITED STATES (Missouri) - Fantastic Caverns

Fantastic Caverns is a show cave located in Springfield, the only cave in North America to offer a completely ride-through tour (in a Jeep-drawn tram). It was discovered by John Knox in 1862,  but he kept its existence quiet until 1867, because he didn't want the cave to be exploited by the Union or Confederate governments as a possible source of saltpeter (used for making gunpowder).

2327 FRANCE (Occitania) - Grottes de Trabuc

The Grottes de Trabuc (Caves of Trabuc), located not far from the hamlet of Mas Soubeyran, constitute of the largest coherent network of underground cavities in the Cevennes. To date, these system cavities and underground galleries have been researched to a length of more than 7km. As a special attraction are the "Hundred Thousand Soldiers." These are tiny stalactites, standing side by side so close that they look like an army of soldier figurines.

2104 UNITED STATES (Missouri) - Mark Twain Cave

Located near Hannibal, Mark Twain Cave is the oldest operating show cave in the state, giving tours continuously since 1886. It plays an important role in the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and is named in honor of the Hannibal native. While it's possible that Native Americans may have been aware of the cave, its documentation claims its discovery in the winter of 1819-1820 by a local hunter, Jack Simms.

1634, 1682 NETHERLANDS (Aruba) - The caves in Arikok National Park

1634 Aruba - The Fontein Cave in Arikok National Park

Of the several caves of Aruba, three Aruban caves are well known, seen in deep crevices on the windward face of the island. All three of the caves (Guadirikiri Cave, Fontein Cave and Huliba Cave) are located in the Arikok National Park. Nocturnal bats nestle in all these caves. Located near Boca Prins, on the northern part of the island, the Fontein Cave is well known for its native Arawak drawings on the wall. The cave is accessible from an "escarpment of a terrace of coral limestone" and has a width of 3m and a height of 2metres. The entrance hall, which is open for visitors, is 4m in height and extends to a depth of 50m.

1682 Aruba - The Guadirikiri Cave in Arikok National Park

The Guadirikiri Cave (also known as Quadiriki Caves) has 150m in length and is notable for its two large dome-shaped chambers which are illuminated with sunlight through holes in the ceiling. In order to preserve the natural habitat of the cave for the bats to breed, the three one of the caves is barred for visitors. A folk tale relates to a daughter of an Indian chief who fell in love and was imprisoned in the cave as her paramour was not acceptable to her father. Her beloved one was imprisoned nearby, in Huliba Cave (Tunnel of Love), but both lovers managed to meet underground. Both reportedly died in the cave and their spirit vanished into heaven through the holes in the roof of the cave.

0591 PHILIPPINES (Southwestern Tagalog Region) - Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park (UNESCO WHS)

Located on the northern coast of the island of Palawan, this park offers a spectacular limestone karst landscape, the main attraction being St. Pauls Underground River Cave - a more than 24km long cave, which contains an 8.2-km-long underground section of Cabayugan River, which was the world's longest underground river until 2007, when was discovered another one longest in Yucatán Peninsula. The river winds through the cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea, and is navigable with a boat up to 4km in from the sea.

0530 SLOVENIA (Inner Carniola) - Postojna Cave - part of Classic Karst (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

With a length of 20,570m, Postojna Cave, located in Inner Carniola, în Slovenia, is one of the world's largest karst monuments, and one of the best known. Created by the Pivka, a lost river which has only 27km in length, this fantastic web of tunnels, passages, galleries and halls was first described in the 17th century even by Valvasor, one of the main precursors of modern historiography in present-day Slovenia.