World Heritage Identification Number: 1225
World Heritage since: 2009
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
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Exploring the Medieval Fortress: A Journey Through the Ruins of Loropéni
The Ruins of Loropéni, nestled in the heart of southern Burkina Faso, offer a captivating glimpse into the rich cultural and historical tapestry of West Africa. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, these ancient ruins represent the first such designation for Burkina Faso and serve as a testament to the enduring legacy of the trans-Saharan gold trade.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The 11,130m2 property, the first to be inscribed in the country, with its imposing stone walls is the best preserved of ten fortresses in the Lobi area and is part of a larger group of 100 stone enclosures that bear testimony to the power of the trans-Saharan gold trade. Situated near the borders of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, the ruins have recently been shown to be at least 1,000 years old. The settlement was occupied by the Lohron or Koulango peoples, who controlled the extraction and transformation of gold in the region when it reached its apogee from the 14th to the 17th century. Much mystery surrounds this site large parts of which have yet to be excavated. The settlement seems to have been abandoned during some periods during its long history. The property which was finally deserted in the early 19th century is expected to yield much more information.
Encyclopedia Record: Ruins of Loropéni
The ruins of Loropéni are a medieval heritage site near the town of Loropéni in southern Burkina Faso. They were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009. These ruins were the country's first World Heritage site. The site, which spans 1.113 hectares, includes an array of stone walls that comprised a medieval fortress, the best preserved of ten in the area. They date back at least a thousand years. The settlement was occupied by the Lohron or Kulango people and prospered from the trans-Saharan gold trade, reaching its height between the 14th and 17th centuries. It was abandoned in the early 19th century.Additional Site Details
Area: 1.113 hectares
Coordinates: 10.25 , -3.5833333333
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© Rik Schuiling / TropCrop-TCS, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
