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50 Beautiful Places to Visit in Africa

Explore 50 cities, interesting places, and unusual things to do in Africa. Don't miss out on these must-see cities: Marrakech, Cairo, and Luxor.

Here is a compilation of the most breathtaking destinations you must explore.

Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech

Historical landmark in Marrakesh, Morocco
wikipedia / Lviatour / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: ساحة جامع الفنا

Historical landmark in Marrakesh, Morocco. Jemaa el-Fnaa is a square and market place in Marrakesh's medina quarter. It remains the main square of Marrakesh, used by locals and tourists.[1]

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Best places to visit in:MarrakechMorocco

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Museum in Cairo, Egypt
wikipedia / Bs0u10e01 / CC BY 3.0

Also known as: المتحف المصري

Museum in Cairo, Egypt. The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or the Cairo Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display and the remainder in storerooms. Built in 1901 by the Italian construction company, Garozzo-Zaffarani, to a design by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon, the edifice is one of the largest museums in the region. As of March 2019, the museum was open to the public. In 2022, the museum is due to be superseded by the newer and larger Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza.[2]

Address: Midan El Tahrir, 11511 Cairo (وسط البلد)

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Best places to visit in:CairoEgypt

Karnak, Luxor

Temple in Luxor, Egypt
wikipedia / Ahmed Bahloul Khier Galal / CC BY-SA 4.0

Also known as: معبد الكرنك

Temple in Luxor, Egypt. The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes, and in 1979 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the city. The Karnak complex gives its name to the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometres north of Luxor.[3]

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Best places to visit in:LuxorEgypt

Medinet Habu, Luxor

Historical place in Egypt
Dreamstime.com / Efesenko / RF

Also known as: معبد رمسيس الثالث

Ancient temple and tomb of Ramesses III. Medinet Habu is an 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. Although other structures are located within the area, the location is today associated almost exclusively with the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III.[4]

Address: Al Bairat, Luxor

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Best places to visit in:LuxorEgypt

Khan el-Khalili, Cairo

Bazar in Cairo, Egypt
wikipedia / Heba otefy / CC BY-SA 4.0

Also known as: خان الخليلي

Major bazaar selling souvenirs and crafts. Khan el-Khalili is a famous bazaar and souq in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs. The name Khan el-Khalili historically referred to a single building in the area; today it refers to the entire shopping district.[5]

Address: Gohar Al Kaed, El-gamaleya, Qism El-gamaleya, Cairo, Cairo (القاهرة الإسلامية)

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Best places to visit in:CairoEgypt

Luxor Temple, Luxor

Egyptian temple in Luxor, Egypt
wikipedia / Olaf Tausch / CC BY 3.0

Also known as: معبد الأقصر

Egyptian temple in Luxor, Egypt. The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was known as ipet resyt, "the southern sanctuary". It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty, and Alexander. Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. During the Roman period a chapel inside the Luxor Temple originally dedicated to the goddess Mut was transformed into a Tetrarchy cult chapel and later into a church.

Along with the other archeological sites in Thebes, the Luxor Temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.[6]

Address: Corniche El Nil St. Luxor, 23512 Luxor

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Best places to visit in:LuxorEgypt

Great Sphinx of Giza, Cairo

Monument in Egypt
wikipedia / MusikAnimal / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: أبو الهول

Monolithic Ancient Egyptian monument. The Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza, Great Sphinx or just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre.

Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of limestone blocks. It measures 73 m (240 ft) long from paw to tail, 20 m (66 ft) high from the base to the top of the head and 19 m (62 ft) wide at its rear haunches. Its nose was broken off for unknown reasons between the 3rd and 10th centuries AD.

The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognisable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).[7]

Address: Al Ahram, Cairo

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Best places to visit in:CairoEgypt

Majorelle Garden, Marrakech

Museum in Marrakesh, Morocco
wikipedia / Viault / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: حديقة ماجوريل

Garden with exotic plants and fountains. The Majorelle Garden is a two and half acre botanical garden and artist's landscape garden in Marrakech, Morocco. It was created by the French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle over almost forty years, starting in 1923, and features a Cubist villa designed by the French architect, Paul Sinoir in the 1930s. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife from 1923 until their divorce in the 1950s. In the 1980s, the property was purchased by the fashion designers, Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé who worked to restore it. Today, the garden and villa complex is open to the public. The villa houses the Berber Museum and in 2017 the Yves Saint Laurent Museum opened nearby.[8]

Address: Rue Yves St Laurent, 40090 Marrakech

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Best places to visit in:MarrakechMorocco

Kutubiyya Mosque, Marrakech

Mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco
wikipedia / Parsifall / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: جامع الكتبية

12th-century mosque with a garden. The Kutubiyya Mosque or Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco. The mosque's name is also variably rendered as Jami' al-Kutubiyah, Kutubiya Mosque, Kutubiyyin Mosque, and Mosque of the Booksellers. It is located in the southwest medina quarter of Marrakesh, near the famous public place of Jemaa el-Fna, and is flanked by large gardens.

The mosque was founded in 1147 by the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min right after he conquered Marrakesh from the Almoravids. A second version of the mosque was entirely rebuilt by Abd al-Mu'min around 1158, with Ya'qub al-Mansur possibly finalizing construction of the minaret around 1195. This second mosque is the structure that stands today. It is considered a classic and important example of Almohad architecture and of Moroccan mosque architecture generally. The minaret tower, 77 metres (253 ft) in height, is decorated with varying geometric arch motifs and topped by a spire and metal orbs. It likely inspired other buildings such as the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat, which were built shortly after in the same era. The minaret is also considered an important landmark and symbol of Marrakesh.[9]

Address: Rue lbn Khaldoun, Marrakech

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Best places to visit in:MarrakechMorocco

Bardo National Museum, Tunis

Museum in Tunisia
wikipedia / Giorces / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: المتحف الوطني بباردو

Museum of Tunisian heritage and Carthage. The Bardo National Museum is a museum of Tunis, Tunisia, located in the suburbs of Le Bardo.

It is one of the most important museums in the Mediterranean region and the second museum of the African continent after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo by richness of its collections. It traces the history of Tunisia over several millennia and across several civilizations through a wide variety of archaeological pieces.

Housed in an old beylical palace since 1888, it has been the setting for the exhibition of many major works discovered since the beginning of archaeological research in the country. Originally called Alaoui Museum (Arabic: المتحف العلوي, romanized: al-Matḥaf al-ʿAlawī), named after the reigning bey at the time, it takes its current name of Bardo Museum after the independence of the country even if the denomination is attested before that date.

The museum houses one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world, thanks to excavations at the beginning of 20th century in various archaeological sites in the country including Carthage, Hadrumetum, Dougga and Utica. Generally, the mosaics of Bardo, such as the Virgil Mosaic, represent a unique source for research on everyday life in Roman Africa. From the Roman era, the museum also contains a rich collection of marble statues representing the deities and the Roman emperors found on different sites including those of Carthage and Thuburbo Majus.

The museum also houses pieces discovered during the excavations of Libyco-Punic sites including Carthage, although the National Museum of Carthage is the primary museum of the Carthage archaeological site. The essential pieces of this department are grimacing masks, terracotta statues and stelae of major interest for Semitic epigraphy, and the stele of the priest and the child. The museum also houses Greek works discovered especially in the excavations of the shipwreck of Mahdia, whose emblematic piece remains the bust of Aphrodite in marble, gnawed by the sea.

The Islamic Department contains, in addition to famous works such as the Blue Qur'an of Kairouan, a collection of ceramics from the Maghreb and Anatolia.

In order to increase the reception capacity and optimize the presentation of the collections, the museum is the subject of a vast operation which was to be completed initially in 2011 but was not finished until 2012 due to the Tunisian Revolution. The work concerns the increase of the exhibition surfaces by adding new buildings and redeploying the collections. The project aims to make the museum a major pole for a quality cultural development, so that the visitor can appreciate the artistic pieces deposited.

On March 18, 2015, an Islamist terrorist group attacked the museum and took tourists hostage in the building. The attack, which killed 22 people including 21 foreign tourists, was claimed by ISIS.[10]

Address: Le Bardo, 2079 Tunis

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Best places to visit in:TunisTunisia

Maximum Security Prison, Cape Town

Maximum Security Prison
wikipedia / Moheen Reeyad / CC BY-SA 4.0

Maximum Security Prison is an inactive prison at Robben Island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometers west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. It is prominent because Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of apartheid. After that, three former inmates of this prison Nelson Mandela, Kgalema Motlanthe, and Jacob Zuma have gone on to become President of South Africa.

It is a South African National Heritage Site as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[11]

Address: V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

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Best places to visit in:Cape TownSouth Africa

Gold Reef City, Johannesburg

Amusement park in Johannesburg South, South Africa
wikipedia / Nolween / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: Goudrifstad

Amusement park in Johannesburg South, South Africa. Gold Reef City is an amusement park in Johannesburg, South Africa. Located on an old gold mine which closed in 1971, the park is themed around the gold rush that started in 1886 on the Witwatersrand, the buildings on the park are designed to mimic the same period. There is a museum dedicated to gold mining on the grounds where it is possible to see a gold-containing ore vein and see how gold is poured into barrels. And multiple shops around the park can be located.

There are many attractions at Gold Reef City, including water rides, roller coasters and the famous Gold Reef City Casino. Gold Reef City is located to the south of the Central Business District off of the M1. It is also the site of the Apartheid Museum.[12]

Address: Northern Park Way,Johannesburg, Johannesburg

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Best places to visit in:JohannesburgSouth Africa

Medina of Tunis, Tunis

Medina of Tunis
wikipedia / Citizen59 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: مدينة تونس العتيقة

The Medina of Tunis is the medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from the Almohad and the Hafsid periods.[13]

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Best places to visit in:TunisTunisia

Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

Museum in Cape Town, South Africa
wikipedia / SkyPixels / CC BY-SA 4.0

Displays on local Islamic culture. The Bo-Kaap is an area of Cape Town, South Africa formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It is a former racially segregated area, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre and is a historical centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town. The Nurul Islam Mosque, established in 1844, is located in the area.

Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobble stoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighbourhood, and 56.9% of its population identify as Muslim. According to the South African Heritage Resources Agency, the area contains the largest concentration of pre-1850 architecture in South Africa, and is the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town.[14]

Address: 71 Wale St, Cape Town

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Best places to visit in:Cape TownSouth Africa

UShaka Marine World, Durban

Theme park in Durban, South Africa
wikipedia / Amada44 / CC BY 3.0

Theme park in Durban, South Africa. uShaka Marine World is a 16-hectare theme park that opened on 30 April 2004 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It has a total capacity of 4.6 million gallons containing 10,000 animal species.[15]

Address: 1 King Shaka Ave, 4001 ITheku (Durban City)

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Best places to visit in:DurbanSouth Africa

Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town

Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa
wikipedia / Jim.henderson / CC BY-SA 4.0

Up-close encounters with marine life. The Two Oceans Aquarium is an aquarium located at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The aquarium was opened on the 13 November 1995 and comprises several exhibition galleries with large viewing windows: The aquarium is named for its location, where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet.

  • Skretting Diversity Gallery - This gallery showcases marine life of South Africa's two oceans, and the major Benguela and Agulhas Currents that dominate its shores. Notable species include Knysna seahorses, moray eels, anemonefish, cryptic klipfish, sea stars, compass jellyfish, shysharks and temporary exhibitions of foreign species, such as Japanese spider crabs and Atlantic horseshoe crabs.
  • I&J Children's Play Centre - Various activities to keep the young visitors entertained. Puppet shows, arts and craft.
  • Predator Exhibit - This exhibit holds 2 million litres of seawater. Ragged-tooth sharks as well as various other fishes are found in the exhibit.
  • I&J Ocean Exhibit - This exhibit holds 1.6 million litres of seawater. Various fishes, rays and turtles to be seen in this exhibit.
  • Kelp Forest Exhibit - One of the aquarium's biggest attractions, this underwater forest is home to shoals of coastal fishes, such as white musselcrackers, steenbras and spotted gully sharks, and living specimens of South Africa's kelp species, sea bamboo, split-fan kelp and bladder kelp. The northern rockhopper penguins also use this exhibit for their exercise.
  • Penguin Exhibit - African black-footed penguins, northern rockhopper penguins, African black oystercatcher, mole snake, western leopard toads and African clawed frogs. A river course divided into three sections (upper, middle and lower) with examples of native and invasive freshwater fishes is also present
[16]

Address: Dock Rd, 8002 Cape Town

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Best places to visit in:Cape TownSouth Africa

Rosebank, Johannesburg

City in South Africa
wikipedia / Ossewa / CC BY-SA 4.0

City in South Africa. Rosebank is a cosmopolitan commercial and residential suburb to the north of central Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region B of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, and is the location of a Gautrain station.

Rosebank has undergone a major face-lift in recent years, with the extensive redevelopment of both the Rosebank Mall and The Zone @Rosebank creating a high-end retail and shopping prescient. Local authorities also identified the node as a priority development area for improved service delivery and infrastructure. As a result, the suburb is estimated to have seen a R7 billion capital injection in recent years.

Rosebank is becoming an increasingly popular destination for corporates. Surging demand for office space has seen rentals in the suburb increase by 9% in the second quarter, the strongest growth recorded in any Johannesburg office node. Rentals in second-placed Fourways rose by only 3.4%, while in Sandton rentals increased by just 2.5% during the same period.

Its several high-end shopping malls make it a popular hangout and shopping destination for young professionals, celebrities, designers, and the gay community. Rosebank has a thriving nightlife with cafes, bars and clubs around the Design District such as Marble Restaurant, Molokai, Capital Cafe, The Bank, and Sumo Nightclub. The African Craft Market, and the popular Rooftop Market ("Rosebank Flea Market") are popular tourist destinations; various high-end hotels are also located in the suburb. The annual Joburg gay pride parade also passes through the streets of Rosebank, then heads to Zoo Lake.

Rosebank is often dubbed the new Sandton, an affluent municipality in the Gauteng Province, South Africa and forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality which is located a mere five km (3.1 mi) from Rosebank.[17]

Address: 31 Tyrwhitt Ave, 2196 Johannesburg

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Best places to visit in:JohannesburgSouth Africa

Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat

Historical landmark in Rabat, Morocco
wikipedia / Steven Lek / CC BY-SA 4.0

Richly ornate Alaouite-style mausoleum. The Mausoleum of Mohammed V is a mausoleum located across from the Hassan Tower in Rabat, Morocco. It contains the tombs of the Moroccan king Mohammed V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.[18]

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Best places to visit in:RabatMorocco

House of Wonders, Stone Town

Museum in Zanzibar, Tanzania
wikipedia / Moongateclimber / CC BY-SA 4.0

Museum in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The House of Wonders or Palace of Wonders is a landmark building in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is the largest and tallest building of Stone Town and occupies a prominent place facing the Forodhani Gardens on the old town's seafront in Mizingani Road. It is located between the Old Fort and the Palace Museum. It is one of six palaces built by Barghash bin Said, second Sultan of Zanzibar, and it is said to be located on the site of the 17th-century palace of Zanzibari queen Fatuma. The House of Wonders housed the Museum of History and Culture of Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast.[19]

Address: Mizingani Road on the seafront, Stone Town

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Best places to visit in:Stone TownTanzania

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
Dreamstime.com / Witr / RF

Also known as: مسجد الحسن الثاني

Ornate mosque with a towering minaret. The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. It is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 7th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's second tallest minaret at 210 metres. Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II and built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom. The minaret is 60 stories high topped by a laser, the light from which is directed towards Mecca. The mosque stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean; worshippers can pray over the sea but there is no glass floor looking into the sea. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside ground.[20]

Address: Boulevard de la Corniche, 20000 Casablanca (منطقة الدار البيضاء)

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Best places to visit in:CasablancaMorocco

Fort Jesus, Mombasa

Fort
wikipedia / Maclemo / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: Ngome ya Yesu

Fort. Fort Jesus is a fort located on Mombasa Island. Designed by Italian Giovanni Battista Cairati, it was built between 1593 and 1596 by order of King Felipe II of Castille, who also reigned as King Filipe I of Portugal and the Algarves, to guard the Old Port of Mombasa. Fort Jesus was the only fort maintained by the Portuguese on the Swahili coast, and is recognised as a testament to the first successful attempt by a Western power to establish influence over the Indian Ocean trade.

Cairato, the designer of the fort, was inspired by Italian architect Pietro Cataneo, while the master builder was Gaspar Rodrigues. The fort was Cairato's last overseas work. Although the design of Fort Jesus is an example of Renaissance architecture, the masonry techniques, building materials and labour are believed to have been provided by the local Swahili people. The fort was built in the shape of a man (viewed from the air) and is roughly square, with four bulwarks at its corners. The fort is considered a masterpiece of late Renaissance military fortification.

Fort Jesus was captured and recaptured at least nine times between 1631, when the Portuguese lost it to the Sultan Yusuf ibn al-Hasan of Mombasa, and 1895 when it fell under British rule and was converted into a prison. After the Portuguese recaptured it from the Sultan in 1632, they refurbished it and built more fortifications, subsequently making it harder for the fort to fall. The fort was subject to an epic two-year siege from 1696-98 by the Omani Arabs, led by Saif bin Sultan. The capture of the fort marked the end of Portuguese presence on the coast, although they briefly captured and re-occupied it between 1728 and 1729 with the help of the Swahili city-states. The fort fell under local rule from 1741 to 1837, when it was again captured by the Omanis and used as a barracks, before its occupation by the British in 1895, after the establishment of the East Africa Protectorate (which later became, in 1920, the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya).

Fort Jesus was declared a national park in 1958, and in 2011, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and highlighted as one of the most outstanding and well-preserved examples of 16th-century Portuguese military fortifications. The fort is Mombasa's most visited tourist attraction.[21]

Address: Ndia Kuu, 00200 Mombasa

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Best places to visit in:MombasaKenya

Carlton Centre, Johannesburg

Skyscraper in Johannesburg, South Africa
wikipedia / Adamina / CC BY 2.0

Also known as: Carlton-sentrum

Towering building with observation deck. The Carlton Centre is a 50-storey skyscraper and shopping centre located in central Johannesburg, South Africa. At 223 metres, it is the third tallest building in Africa after The Leonardo, also in Johannesburg, and the Iconic Tower in Egypt. The foundations of the two buildings in the complex are 5 m in diameter and extend 15 m down to the bedrock, 35 m below street level. The building houses both offices and shops, and has over 46 per cent of the floor area below ground level.

The Carlton Centre is linked to the Carlton Hotel by a below-ground shopping centre with over 180 shops.[22]

Address: 150 Commissioner St, 2001 Johannesburg (Johannesburg Inner City)

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Best places to visit in:JohannesburgSouth Africa

Baths of Antoninus, Tunis

Thermal baths in Tunisia
wikipedia / R.maabid / CC BY-SA 4.0

Also known as: حمامات أنطونيوس بقرطاج

Thermal baths in Tunisia. The Baths of Antoninus or Baths of Carthage, located in Carthage, Tunisia, are the largest set of Roman thermae built on the African continent and one of three largest built in the Roman Empire. They are the largest outside mainland Italy. The baths are also the only remaining Thermae of Carthage that dates back to the Roman Empire's era. The baths were built during the reign of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.

The baths are at the South-East of the archaeological site, near the presidential Carthage Palace. The archaeological excavations started during the Second World War and concluded by the creation of an archaeological park for the monument. It is also one of the most important landmarks of Tunisia.

The baths are today part of the Archaeological site of Carthage on the list of World Heritage sites of UNESCO. On 17 February 2012, the Tunisian government proposed the Roman hydraulic complex Zaghouan-Carthage, that the baths are part of, as a future World Heritage site.[23]

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Best places to visit in:TunisTunisia

Hassan Tower, Rabat

Historical landmark in Rabat, Morocco
wikipedia / Jorge Láscar / CC BY 2.0

Also known as: صومعة حسان

Ancient, unfinished tower of a mosque. Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat, Morocco. It was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third Caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, near the end of the 12th century. The tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world, and the mosque, if completed, would have been the largest in the western Muslim world. When al-Mansur died in 1199, construction on the mosque stopped. The minaret was left standing at a height of 44 meters. The rest of the mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and 348 columns being constructed. The tower, along with the remains of the mosque and the modern Mausoleum of Mohammed V, forms an important historical and tourist complex in Rabat.[24]

Address: Boulevard Mohamed Lyazidi, 10030 Rabat

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Best places to visit in:RabatMorocco

Kasbah of the Udayas, Rabat

Historical landmark in Rabat, Morocco
wikipedia / mustapha ennaimi / CC BY 2.0

Also known as: قصبة الوداية

Historical landmark in Rabat, Morocco. The Kasbah of the Udayas, also spelled Kasbah of the Oudaias or of the Oudayas, is a kasbah in Rabat, Morocco. It is located on a hill at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river, opposite Salé, and adjacent to the old medina of Rabat. It is listed, along with other sites in Rabat, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[25]

Address: off Rue des Consuls, 10030 Rabat

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Best places to visit in:RabatMorocco

Kasbah of Moulay Ismail, Meknes

Kasbah of Moulay Ismail
wikipedia / Robert Prazeres / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Kasbah of Moulay Ismail is a vast palace complex and royal kasbah built by the Moroccan sultan Moulay Isma'il ibn Sharif in Meknes, Morocco. It is also known, among other names, as the Imperial City or Palace of Moulay Ismail, or the Kasbah of Meknes. It was built by Moulay Isma'il over the many decades of his reign between 1672 and 1727, when he made Meknes the capital of Morocco, and received occasional additions under later sultans.

In addition to Moulay Isma'il's own importance in the history of Morocco, his imperial palace in Meknes was notable for its vast scale and its complex infrastructure. The area covered by the kasbah was significantly larger than the old city of Meknes itself and operated as its own city with its own fortifications, water supply, food stockpiles, and troops. Historians later nicknamed it the "Moroccan Versailles". Today, many of the buildings from Moulay Isma'il's era have disappeared or fallen into ruin, but some notable monumental structures remain. A part of the area, the Dar al-Makhzen, is still in use as an occasional royal residence of the King of Morocco, while other sections of the complex have been converted to other functions or replaced with general residential neighbourhoods.[26]

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Best places to visit in:MeknesMorocco

Slat Lkahal Synagogue, Essaouira

Slat Lkahal Synagogue
wikipedia / Elfathiamine / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Slat Lkahal Synagogue is a synagogue located in the Mellah of the medina of Essaouira, in Morocco.

The synagogue was built from 1850 with funds raised by members of the community who mingled with the crowds at funeral ceremonies and begged for alms, and was inaugurated in 1859.

"Slat Lkahal" which means "Synagogue of the Community" is also called the synagogue of the poor and has served as a Hebrew learning facility for needy children.[27]

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Best places to visit in:EssaouiraMorocco

Darajani Market, Stone Town

Market in Zanzibar, Tanzania
wikipedia / Yann Macherez / CC BY-SA 4.0

Market in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The Darajani Market is the main bazaar in Stone Town, Zanzibar. It is also known as Estella Market and informally as Marikiti Kuu. The market is located in Darajani Road, in the surroundings of the Anglican Cathedral of Christ.

The main structure of the market was built in 1904 by Bomanjee Maneckjee, for Sultan Ali bin Hamud. It was later extended and restored.

Darajani Bazaar is mainly a food market (seafood, meat, fruits, grains, spices), but there are also shops selling a number of different goods, from consumer electronics to clothing.[28]

Address: Market St, Stone Town

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Best places to visit in:Stone TownTanzania

Pretoria Zoo, Pretoria

Zoo in Pretoria, South Africa
wikipedia / NJR ZA / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: Nasionale Dieretuin van Suid-Afrika

Zoo in Pretoria, South Africa. The National Zoological Garden of South Africa is an 80-hectare zoo located in Pretoria, South Africa. It is the national zoo of South Africa, and was founded by J. W. B. Gunning in 1899. Pretoria Zoo is one of the eight largest zoos in the world and one of the most highly rated.[29]

Address: Pretorius St, 0083 Pretoria

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Borj Nord, Fez

Museum in Fes, Morocco
wikipedia / Jerzystrzelecki / CC BY 3.0

Museum in Fes, Morocco. Borj Nord or Burj al-Shamal, Al-Burj ash-Shamali is a fort in the city of Fez, Morocco. It was first established in 1582 by the Saadi dynasty, modeled after the Portuguese forts in the 16th century. It is among the largest defense structures around the city of Fez and one of the few to incorporate European-style changes in military architecture in the gunpowder age. Today, the fort is open to public as the Museum of Arms.[30]

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Forodhani Gardens, Stone Town

Forodhani Gardens
wikipedia / Author / Public Domain

The Forodhani Gardens is a small park in the historical city of Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The gardens are located along the main seawalk of Stone Town, just in front of the most famous buildings of Stone Town, i.e. the House of Wonders and the Old Fort.

The Gardens are especially busy after sunset, when tourists and local alike gather in a popular food street market in the main square, to have dinner enjoying Swahili and Zanzibari cuisine delicacies such as grilled seafood, samoosas, cassava and sweet potatoes.

On July 31, 2009, a ground-breaking ceremony was held by the Aga Khan to introduce a revitalized park. It was rehabilitated by Aga Khan Trust for Culture at a cost of $3 million from the initial estimates of $2.4 million. The facelift involved the restoration of pedestrian walkways, landscape, infrastructure upgrading, incorporating lighting, sewerage drainage and civic amenities, and the rehabilitation of the seawall fronting the park.[31]

Address: On the Waterfront, Stone Town

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R'cif Mosque, Fez

Mosque in Fes, Morocco
wikipedia / Casual Builder / CC BY-SA 4.0

Mosque in Fes, Morocco. The R'cif Mosque is a Friday mosque in Fes el-Bali, the old city of Fez, Morocco. It has one of the tallest minarets in the city and overlooks Place R'cif in the heart of the medina.[32]

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Durban Botanic Gardens, Durban

Botanical garden in Berea, Durban, South Africa
wikipedia / Wayne77 / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: Durban Botaniese Tuin

Botanical garden in Berea, Durban, South Africa. The Durban Botanic Gardens is situated in the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is Durban's oldest public institution and Africa's oldest surviving botanical gardens. The gardens cover an area of 15 hectares in a subtropical climate.[33]

Address: 70 St Thomas Road, 4000 ITheku (Durban City)

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Fes el Bali, Fez

Fes el Bali
wikipedia / Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: فاس البالي

Fes el Bali is the oldest walled part of Fez, Morocco. Fes el Bali was founded as the capital of the Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808 AD. UNESCO listed Fes el Bali, along with Fes Jdid, as a World Heritage Site in 1981 under the name Medina of Fez. The World Heritage Site includes Fes el Bali's urban fabric and walls as well as a buffer zone outside of the walls that is intended to preserve the visual integrity of the location. Fes el Bali is, along with Fes Jdid and the French-created Ville Nouvelle or “New Town”, one of the three main districts in Fez.[34]

Address: Fès Maroc, Fez

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Chaim Pinto Synagogue, Essaouira

Synagogue in Essaouira, Morocco
wikipedia / Jklamo / CC BY-SA 3.0

Synagogue in Essaouira, Morocco. The Chaim Pinto Synagogue, an historic site in Essaouira, Morocco, formerly known as Mogador, Morocco, was the home and synagogue of Rabbi Chaim Pinto. Although there is no longer a Jewish community in Essaouira, the building is an active synagogue, used when pilgrims or Jewish tour groups visit the city. The synagogue is on the second floor of a three-story, courtyard building inside the walls of the old city that also contained Rabbi Pinto's home and office. The building is of whitewashed plaster over masonry. The synagogue consists of a single large room. There are two women's sections, one across the courtyard and one on the third floor, both with windows looking into the synagogue. The synagogue room underwent a modern renovation, concealing the ceiling and column capitals, and painting the wood of the Torah ark and bimah light blue.[35]

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Best places to visit in:EssaouiraMorocco

Unfinished obelisk, Aswan

Historical landmark in Aswan, Egypt
wikipedia / Immanuel Giel / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: مسلة ناقصة

Massive obelisk in an ancient quarry. The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk and is located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan, Egypt. It was studied in detail by Reginald Engelbach in 1922.[36]

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Red Castle, Tripoli

Red Castle

The Red Castle, in Arabic As-saraya Al-hamra, sometimes also Red Fort or Red Saraya, is a major landmark on the waterfront of Tripoli, bordering Martyrs' Square. It has been the home of the Red Castle Museum since 1919, and of the Libyan Department of Archaeology since 1952.[37]

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Essaouira Citadel, Essaouira

Essaouira Citadel
wikipedia / Arnaud 25 / CC BY-SA 3.0

The port of Essaouira is an important traditional and historical fishing port of the 18th century, in Essaouira, on the Atlantic Ocean, in Morocco. It is one of the 14 main fishing ports in Morocco and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Morocco, with its beaches and the nearby walled Medina of Essaouira on the ocean, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Tripoli Cathedral, Tripoli

Mosque in Libya
wikipedia / Unknown authorUnknown author / Public Domain

Mosque in Libya. Algeria Square Mosque or Jamal Abdul Nasser Mosque, formerly Tripoli Cathedral, is a mosque and former Roman Catholic church located in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. It is situated on the Algeria/Elgazayer Square then Piazza della Cattedrale in the city centre.

It was constructed as a cathedral in the 1920s during the Italian Libya colonial era, and converted into a mosque in 1970, with the St. Francis Pro-Cathedral now serving as temporary cathedral for the Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli.[38]

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La Grande Poste, Algiers

La Grande Poste
wikipedia / Chettouh Nabil / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Algiers Central Post Office, is an office building for postal services located at Alger Centre municipality in Algiers, Algeria. It was designed by architect Jules Voinot and Marius Toudoire. and was constructed in 1910. It is Algeria's largest post office building, In 2015, the state turned it into a museum.[39]

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Notre-Dame de Lourdes Church, Casablanca

Catholic church in Casablanca, Morocco
wikipedia / HombreDHojalata / CC BY-SA 2.0

Catholic church in Casablanca, Morocco. Notre-Dame de Lourdes Church is a modernist Catholic church in Casablanca, Morocco. It was built in 1954 by architect Achille Dangleterre and engineer Gaston Zimmer. The main attraction of Notre-Dame de Lourdes church is the glasswork of world-famous stained glass artist Gabriel Loire. Its also long concrete entrance is also noteworthy.[40]

Address: Rond-Point d'Europe, 20500 Casablanca (منطقة الدار البيضاء)

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Notre Dame d'Afrique, Algiers

Basilica in Algeria
wikipedia / Xiaotong Gao / CC BY-SA 3.0

Also known as: السيدة الإفريقية

Catholic church with dramatic views. Notre Dame d'Afrique is a Catholic basilica in Algiers, Algeria.

Pope Pius IX granted two Pontifical decrees towards the shrine on the same day in 15 April 1876:

  • The first decree invoked to canonically crown the venerated Marian image enshrined within. The rite of coronation was executed by the Archbishop of Carthage Charles Lavigerie on 30 April 1876.
  • The second decree which raised the sanctuary to the status of Basilica based on an “immemorial custom”. (Pope Benedict XV later regulated to limit these privileges in 1918 to Papal edicts unless an ancient custom already refers to a building as a “Basilica”.
[41]

Address: Rue de Zighara, 16070 Algiers (باب الوادى دائرة)

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Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi

Museum in Nairobi, Kenya
wikipedia / Cweinandt / CC BY 4.0

Also known as: Jumba la makumbusho la Karen Blixen

„Out Of Africa” author Blixen's old home. The Karen Blixen Museum, located 10 km outside of Nairobi, Kenya, "at the foot of the Ngong Hills", is the former African home of Danish author Karen Blixen, famous for her 1937 book Out of Africa which chronicles life at the estate.[42]

Address: Karen Rd, Nairobi

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Citadel of Qaitbay, Alexandria

Fortress in Alexandria, Egypt
wikipedia / CarstenW / CC BY 3.0

Also known as: قلعة قايتباي

15th-century fortress and naval museum. The Citadel of Qaitbay is a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay. The Citadel is situated on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbour.[43]

Address: As Sayalah Sharq, Alexandria

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Karamanli Mosque, Tripoli

Karamanli Mosque
wikipedia / David Stanley / CC BY 2.0

The Karamanli Mosque, also known as the Ahmed Pasha Mosque is an 18th-century mosque in Tripoli, Libya.[44]

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Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria

Monument in Pretoria, South Africa
wikipedia / Anagoria / CC BY 3.0

Also known as: Voortrekkermonument

Monument to Afrikaans settlers. The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa. The granite structure is located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854. It was designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk.

On 8 July 2011, the Voortrekker Monument was declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resource Agency.[45]

Address: Eeufees Road, 0187 Pretoria

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Martyrs' Memorial, Algiers

Statue by Marian Konieczny
wikipedia / Author / Public Domain

Also known as: مقام الشهيد

Iconic monument honoring independence. The Maqam Echahid is a concrete monument commemorating the Algerian War. The monument was opened in 1982, on the 20th anniversary of Algeria's independence. It is fashioned in the shape of three standing palm leaves, which shelter the "Eternal Flame" under it. At the edge of each palm leaf is a statue of a soldier representing a stage of Algeria's struggle for independence.[46]

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Casablanca Cathedral, Casablanca

Principal church in Casablanca, Morocco
wikipedia / mustapha ennaimi / CC BY 2.0

Also known as: كنيسة القلب المقدس

Stately, historical Catholic cathedral. Casablanca Cathedral, or Church of the Sacred Heart, is a former Roman Catholic church located in Casablanca, Morocco.[47]

Address: Angle Rue d'Alger et Blvd Rachdi, 20000 Casablanca (منطقة الدار البيضاء)

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Caves of Hercules, Tangier

Tourist attraction in Tangier, Morocco
wikipedia / Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0

Also known as: مغارة هرقل

Tourist attraction in Tangier, Morocco. The Caves of Hercules is an archaeological cave complex located in Cape Spartel, Morocco. Situated 14 kilometres west of Tangier, the popular tourist attraction is adjacent to the summer palace of the King of Morocco.

The cave has two openings, one to sea and one to land. The sea opening is known as "The Map of Africa". It is believed that the Phoenicians created the sea opening which is in the shape of Africa when looked at from the sea. There are also some markings on the wall in the shape of eyes, that are said to be made by the Phoenicians, which make up a map of the local area.

The cave itself is part natural and part man-made. The man-made part was used by Berber people to cut stone wheels from the walls, to make millstones, thus expanding the cave considerably. There are both free and paid entrances. It costs 5 Moroccan dirhams per person to enter the cave and an optional additional 5 for a guide, but other currencies are also accepted.[48]

Address: Cap Spartel, Tangier

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Nubian Museum, Aswan

Museum in Aswan, Egypt
wikipedia / Néfermaât / CC BY-SA 2.5

Also known as: متحف النوبة

Historical and cultural Egyptian artifacts. The Nubian Museum is an archaeological museum located in Aswan, Upper Egypt. It was built to a design by architect Mahmoud El-Hakim for an estimated construction cost of LE 75 million. Dedicated to Nubian culture and civilization, it was inaugurated on November 23, 1997, and was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001.[49]

Address: El Fanadeq St. Downtown, 81111 Aswan

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