Wassu stone circles
| Senegambian stone circles (Wassu) | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| Stone circles in Wassu |
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| National territory: |
 Gambia
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (i) (iii) |
| Surface: | 1.63 ha |
| Reference No .: | 1226-002 |
| UNESCO region : | Africa |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2006 (session 30) |
The Wassu stone circles belong to the Senegambian stone circles . These lie in a band 100 kilometers wide and 350 kilometers long. They include more than a thousand monuments along the Gambia River in the West African states of Gambia and Senegal . In 2006 they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site . They are concentrated in four groups: Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerr Batch. Similar stone circles are known in the south as far as Guinea .
description
The Wassu stone circles are located approximately fifteen kilometers northwest of Janjanbureh (formerly Georgetown ) in the small town of Wassu in the Central River Region .
The stones were erected on previous graves by a megalithic culture around the 8th century and form the oldest megalithic constructions in Sub-Saharan Africa and south of the Horn of Africa . The weights of the ten to 25 stones in each circle or double circle are up to ten tons per stone. They vary in size from one to two and a half meters in height and are generally made of laterite . Archaeologists have not yet been able to precisely identify the builders and speculate about the exact function of the stone circles. Based on the weapons and copper bracelets found, it can be assumed that these were rulers' graves.
In Wassu itself there is a small museum ( Wassu Stone Circles Museum ) dedicated to the stone circles. Traditionally, visitors leave small stones on the stone blocks, but the reasons are not known - it is likely to bring good luck.
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Description by M. Camara
- Kerr Batch National Center for Arts & Culture (Engl.)
- http://www.megalithic.co.uk/ Senegambia Circles - Stone Circle in Gambia
Coordinates: 13 ° 41 ′ 29.5 " N , 14 ° 52 ′ 23.2" W.