World Heritage Identification Number: 323
World Heritage since: 1985
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇧🇯 Benin
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
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The Royal Palaces of Abomey: A Reminder of a Powerful West African Kingdom
The Royal Palaces of Abomey, located in the heart of Abomey town, Benin, serve as a testament to the once formidable Kingdom of Dahomey that thrived along the Slave Coast from 1625 to 1900. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, these palaces offer a unique glimpse into the history and culture of this powerful West African kingdom.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
From 1625 to 1900, 12 kings succeeded one another at the head of the powerful Kingdom of Abomey. With the exception of King Akaba, who had his own separate enclosure, they all had their palaces built within the same cob-wall area, in keeping with previous palaces as regards the use of space and materials. The royal palaces of Abomey are a unique reminder of this vanished kingdom.
Encyclopedia Record: Royal Palaces of Abomey
The Royal Palaces of Abomey are 12 palaces spread over an area of 40 hectares at the heart of the Abomey town in Benin, formerly the capital of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey. The Kingdom was founded in 1625 by the Fon people who developed it into a powerful military and commercial empire, which dominated trade with European slave traders on the Slave Coast until the late 19th century, to whom they sold their prisoners of war. At its peak the palaces could accommodate up to 8000 people. The King's palace included a two-story building known as the "cowrie house" or akuehue. Under the twelve kings who succeeded from 1625 to 1900, the kingdom established itself as one of the most powerful of the western coast of Africa.Additional Site Details
Area: 47.6 hectares
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 7.183333333 , 1.983333333
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© Joachim Huber, CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
