World Heritage Identification Number: 1407
World Heritage since: 2012
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇸🇳 Senegal
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
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Bassari Country: A Multicultural Landscape of Symbiosis between Humans and Nature
The Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula, and Bedik Cultural Landscapes, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, is a unique testament to the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures and the natural environment in southeastern Senegal. This site encompasses three distinct geographical regions: the Bassari–Salémata area, the Bedik–Bandafassi area, and the Fula–Dindéfello area, each with its distinctive topographical features.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The site, located in south-east Senegal, includes three geographical areas: the Bassari–Salémata area, the Bedik–Bandafassi area and the Fula–Dindéfello area, each with its specific morphological traits. The Bassari, Fula and Bedik peoples settled from the 11th to the 19th centuries and developed specific cultures and habitats symbiotic with their surrounding natural environment. The Bassari landscape is marked by terraces and rice paddies, interspersed with villages, hamlets and archaeological sites. The Bedik villages are formed by dense groups of huts with steep thatched roofs. Their inhabitants’ cultural expressions are characterized by original traits of agro-pastoral, social, ritual and spiritual practices, which represent an original response to environmental constraints and human pressures. The site is a well-preserved multicultural landscape housing original and still vibrant local cultures.
Encyclopedia Record: Bassari Country
The Bassari Country and its Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes, located in the southeast of Senegal, is a well-preserved multicultural landscape which emerged from the interaction of human activities and the natural environment. It aggregates three geographical areas: the Bassari–Salémata area, the Bedik–Bandafassi area and the Fula–Dindéfello area, each one with its specific morphological characteristics.Additional Site Details
Area: 50,309 hectares
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions
Coordinates: 12.5933333333 , -12.8458333333
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© gbaku, CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
