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List of World Heritage Sites in Burkina Faso

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Location of World Heritage Sites in Burkina Faso

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.[2] Burkina Faso ratified the convention on 2 April 1987.[3]

Burkina Faso has four sites on the list. The first property listed in Burkina Faso was the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, in 1996.[4] Three of the four sites, the Ruins of Loropéni, Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso, and the Royal Court of Tiébélé are of the cultural type. The W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is of the natural type. There are additional four sites on the tentative list. The W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is a transnational site, being shared with Benin and Niger. Burkina Faso has served on the World Heritage Committee once.[3]

World Heritage Sites

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UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.[5]

  * Transnational site
World Heritage Sites
Site Image Location (region) Year listed UNESCO data Description
W-Arly-Pendjari Complex* The Pendjari River during the dry season, surrounded by vegetation Est Region 749; ix, x (natural) 1996 This transnational extension (Benin, Burkina Faso) to the W National Park of Niger, inscribed in 1996 on the World Heritage List, cover a major expanse of intact Sudano-Sahelian savannah, with vegetation types including grasslands, shrub lands, wooded savannah and extensive gallery forests. It includes the largest and most important continuum of terrestrial, semi-aquatic and aquatic ecosystems in the West African savannah belt. The property is a refuge for wildlife species that have disappeared elsewhere in West Africa or are highly threatened. It is home to the largest population of elephants in West Africa and most of the large mammals typical of the region, such as the African Manatee, cheetah, lion and leopard. It also harbours the only viable population of lions in the region.[4]
Ruins of Loropéni Remains of the, partially surrounded by trees Sud-Ouest Region 1225; iii (cultural) 2009 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.[6]
Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso Nord Region, Centre-Nord Region 1602; iii, iv, vi (cultural) 2019 This property is composed of five elements located in different provinces of the country. It includes about fifteen standing, natural-draught furnaces, several other furnace structures, mines and traces of dwellings. Douroula, which dates back to the 8th century BCE, is the oldest evidence of the development of iron production found in Burkina Faso. The other components of the property—Tiwêga, Yamané, Kindibo and Békuy—illustrate the intensification of iron production during the second millennium CE. Even though iron ore reduction—obtaining iron from ore—is no longer practiced today, village blacksmiths still play a major role in supplying tools, while taking part in various rituals.[7]
Royal Court of Tiébélé Centre-Sud Region 1713; iii (cultural) 2024 [8]

Tentative List

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In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.[9] Burkina Faso maintains four properties on its tentative list.[10]

Tentative sites
Site Image Location (region) Year listed UNESCO criteria Description
Bourzanga necropolis Centre-Nord Region iii, iv (cultural) 1996 [11]
Mare aux Hippopotames Biosphere Reserve A pond with trees in the back Hauts-Bassins Region ix, x (natural) 2012 [12]
Rock engravings of the Burkinabè Sahel: Pobé-Mengao, Arbinda and Markoye Sahel Region ii, iii (cultural) 2012 [13]
Sya, Historic Center of Bobo-Dioulasso A mosque with sticks poking out of it Hauts-Bassins Region iii, iv (cultural) 2012 [14]

References

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  1. ^ "The World Heritage Convention". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Burkina Faso". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b "W-Arly-Pendjari Complex". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO) license.
  5. ^ "UNESCO World Heritage Centre – The Criteria for Selection". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Ruins of Loropéni". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO) license.
  7. ^ "Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO) license.
  8. ^ "Royal Court of Tiébélé". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  9. ^ "Tentative Lists". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 24 September 2005. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Burkina Faso". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Bourzanga necropolis". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  12. ^ "Mare aux Hippopotames Biosphere Reserve". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  13. ^ "Rock engravings of the Burkinabè Sahel: Pobé-Mengao, Arbinda and Markoye". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  14. ^ "Sya, Historic Center of Bobo-Dioulasso". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
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