Traditional Ashanti buildings

Traditional Ashanti buildings
UNESCO world heritage
Ashanti architecture based on a drawing by Thomas Edward Bowdich , 1817
National territory:	Ghana
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(v)
Reference No .:	35
UNESCO region :	Africa
History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1980  ( session 4 )

Ten traditional Ashanti buildings still preserved were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980 . The buildings are located in the vicinity of Kumasi , the old capital of the Ashanti Empire , in the following places:

• Abetifi
• Abirim
• Akoboanbong
• Asawase
• Asenemaso
• Bogyease
• Darkwa
• Jachie
• Kentenkrono
• Patakro
• Obomeng

These buildings represent the last significant structural remains of the Ashanti Empire, which was defeated by Great Britain at the end of the 19th century after 250 years of existence and rule over most of today's Ghana . Its capital Kumasi was sacked by the British in 1874 and besieged during the uprising of Yaa Asantewaa in 1900 and badly destroyed on both occasions. The structures are also made of earth, wood and straw and are therefore susceptible to the effects of time and weather. In the same way, the traditional Ashanti buildings have also fallen victim to the boom in the Ashanti region in the 20th century. The new prosperity brought the change from traditional construction to modern materials such as concrete or aluminum , Christian churches and Islamic mosques replaced the traditional fetish houses. While the importance of the European fortresses on the coast of Ghana, some of which were also declared a World Heritage Site, was recognized early on for the history of the country, it was not until the 1960s that efforts were made to preserve the Ashanti buildings.

Literature and web links

• Baumann, Günter: World cultural heritage. 150 places and monuments, 360 p. With 150 illustrations and 41 plans and floor plans ISBN 978-3-15-018727-2
• Traditional Ashanti buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
• Asante Traditional Buildings at www.worldheritagesite.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/35
2. ↑ http://www.goruma.de/Laender/Afrika/Ghana/Sehenswuerdheiten/index.html
3. ↑ conservation practice in Ghana, a case study: the fetish house at Asawasi (Ashanti) (pdf; 1.5 MB)