Monument Beach

Monument Beach (Kamiicihama in Dama) is a rocky promontory found on the southeastern coast of the Dama island of Baisu. The cliffs' unique topography are believed to be the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption that occurred sometime after the island's formation. The stretch of coastline was declared a Royal Nature Reserve in 1976 and a World Forum Geographic Treasury Site in 1998. Central to the site are the ruins of an ancient stone fort, believed to have been constructed in ancient times as a watch post against pirates and raiders.

Marine geologist Massimukui Sanninudai claims that the cliffs themselves are the remains of a greater, man-made structure built by an ancient society previously undiscovered by modern archaeology. These claims have been described as, as no official state agency has recognized the features outside the ruins of the fort as being man-made.

Geology
Around 50 million years ago, the island of Baisu was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds to form an extensive volcanic plateau. As the lava cooled, horizontal contraction occurred, causing breaks and fractures to occur in the bed, and cracks propagating down as the mass cooled. The size of these beds was primarily determined by the speed at which the lava cooled. The extensive fracture network produced the distinctive beds seen today.

Pseudoarchaeological claims of artificial structures
In 1997, Massimukui Sanninudai claimed that the site was at least 50,000 years old, surmising that it was made by a premodern advanced society before having fallen into ruin in its current state. In a report given to the 35th Kunichi Science Conference in 2010, he revised his estimate and dated it to 7,000 years ago, claiming that heat and pressure from the structure's sudden demise had skewed his figures. He suggested that after construction, tectonic activity and volcanic eruptions warped the site leading it to appear natural in origin. Sanninudai believes that he can identify monuments, roads, and even a stadium in the formations, further believing that the structures are remnants of a pre-Dama civilization dubbed by him the "Klaaki." Archaeologists and geologists alike both worldwide and in Asidama have refuted these claims, with only a small contingent in the community siding with Sanninudai.

History
The age of the fortress at the center of the cliffs is unknown. Archaeologists who have investigated the site believe that it could go as far back as the 18th century BCE, although most estimates place it closer to the 6th century BCE. It was likely abandoned by the 2nd century BCE, and it is unlikely that it was continously occupied between its building and that time. The Kaŋcimunu of Baisu is recorded to have visited the site as early as 1492, delivering a speech before his acolytes that would become immortalized as the "Litany of the Cliffs," among the most prolific of Dama sacred texts not originating from the big island of Kuguni. The site received international attention when Myrish artist whatshisname made watercolor paintings of it in 1735. The paintings became very popular in Gladomyr and East Alutra as a whole, sparking a period of fascination with Asidama as a little-known land. In 1749, Eduran artist whatshisname made a series of engravings informed by myrguy's work. Both the painting and subsequent engravings became very popular among Dama nobility, serving as proof of foreign fascination and reverence toward Dama culture. Indeed, the plates were featured in a 1768 volume of plates published by the Royal Geographic Society in Yan. In the caption to the plates, Dama geologist xxx suggested, for the first time in print, that the structures were volcanic in origin.

The site became even more popular with tourists in the late 19th century, following the opening of the Kamiicihama Tramway, a narrow-gauge electric railway operating between the cliffs and the nearby settlement of Hsurt. At the time, this tramway was among the longest electric railways in the world. With respect to its key role in development of volcanology as a geoscience discipline in Asidama and globally, the ancient stones of Kamiicihama were declared to be a Royal Nature Reserve by King Udirunuhi II in 1976. Following this declaration, management of the site was taken over by the National Trust, after which many vestiges of commercialism were removed. More than a decade later the World Forum Committee on Geographic Sites declared the area a Geographic Treasury Site in 1998 in its assembly of 100 such locations from around the world. Today, the site is home to a small visitor's center which accepts optional donations for admission.

Notable features
Some of the structures in the area, having been subject to several million years of weathering, resemble objects, such as the Giant's Boot or Smokestack structures. Such formations are especially popular with visitors, and are among the most commonly photographed elements of the site.

Flora and fauna
The area is a haven for seabirds, such as the petrel, cormorant, and razorbill, while the weathered rock formations host numerous plant types, including sea spleenwort, hare's-foot trefoil, vernal squill, sea fescue, and frog orchid. A sizable stromatolite colony has been observed in the waters at the base of the cliffs, which have been extensively studied by Dama marine biologists. Discovered in 2001, the colony and its size was considered to be an unusual find, as stromatolites are more commonly found in warmer and more nutrient-rich waters.