Isandra

The Caves and Cliffs of Isandra are located in the Betsileo cultural region of Madagascar, roughly 30 km to the northwest of the regional capital of Fianarantsoa.

Site Description

The site consists of a large granite North-South cliff face, which has been eroded over millions of years. Through landslides, granite blocks pile up at the base of the cliffs and create open spaces or "caves".[1] During the 17th and 18th Centuries, due to the defensive possibilities created by the caves and heavy rocks, inhabitants occupied many of the caves and fortified them with walls of stone and mortar.[1]

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Madagascar on November 14, 1997 in the Mixed (Cultural + Natural) category.[1]

Notes
  1. Falaise et grottes de l'Isandra - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

References

Falaise et grottes de l'Isandra - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved 2009-03-02.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.