World Heritage Identification Number: 1226
World Heritage since: 2006
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: Yes
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: Gambia, Senegal
Continent: NA
UNESCO World Region: Africa
Map
Exploring the Enigmatic Stone Circles of Senegambia: A Journey Through Time and Culture
The Stone Circles of Senegambia, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, offer a unique glimpse into the rich cultural history of West Africa. Stretching across a vast region encompassing parts of modern-day Senegal and The Gambia, these ancient stone structures form an intricate network that spans approximately 350 kilometers along the banks of the River Gambia. This article aims to delve into the mysteries surrounding these enigmatic stone circles, providing insights into their origins, significance, and enduring allure.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The site consists of four large groups of stone circles that represent an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide along some 350 km of the River Gambia. The four groups, Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch, cover 93 stone circles and numerous tumuli, burial mounds, some of which have been excavated to reveal material that suggest dates between 3rd century BC and 16th century AD. Together the stone circles of laterite pillars and their associated burial mounds present a vast sacred landscape created over more than 1,500 years. It reflects a prosperous, highly organized and lasting society.
Encyclopedia Record: Senegambian stone circles
The Senegambian stone circles, or the Wassu stone circles, are groups of megalithic stone circles located in the Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Spread across a region 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi), they are sometimes divided into the Wassu (Gambian) and Sine-Saloum (Senegalese) circles, but this is purely a national division. Containing over 1,000 stone circles and tumuli spread across an area 350 km (220 mi) long and 100 km (62 mi) wide, the Senegambian stone circles are the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world, and they are an extensive sacred landscape that was used for more than 1,500 years. The sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006.Additional Site Details
Area: 9.85 hectares
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
Coordinates: 13.6911111111 , -15.5225
Image
© shaunamullally, CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)