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Territory
Wonders of Burkina Faso
  Highlights
This large country is comparatively little known but nevertheless – charming and with numerous interesting mysteries.
The most amazing wonders of Burkina Faso are:
- Archaeological monuments – abandoned towns, fortifications, necropolises and sanctuaries. In earlier times Burkina Faso was important source of gold, ivory and other valuable goods, here evolved smaller kingdoms and trade towns.
- Traditional architecture – Burkinabé (people of Burkina Faso) have their own style of architecture which is very unusual and beautiful. Some of most interesting buildings are found in Tiébélé village, impressive are the mosques in Bani.
Map with the described wonders
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Top 19 wonders of Burkina Faso
Geological wonders
Sindou Peaks
Cascades
Group of spectacular sandstone cliffs that resemble ruins of giant structures.
Fabedougou Domes
Cascades
Amazing limestone formations that in some places look like numerous domes located close together.
Tengrela Falls (Kerfiguela Falls, Banfora Falls)
Cascades
Waterfall with many cascades, total height – some 50 m.
Archaeological wonders
Douna Caves (Turka de Douna)
Cascades
Group of small caves with archaeological importance. Some caves are sacred and uninitiated visitors can not enter them. Caves are differentiated – some were used as dwellings, some – for the rituals of sorcerer.
Markoye rock engravings
Sahel
Group of sites (Sorbaïa, Tondo Banda and Béribéra) with rock engravings that were created in the time period between the 7th and 12th centuries AD.
Pobé Mengao rock engravings
Sahel
Group of archaeological monuments – rock art (before the 12th century AD), group of mounds and other monuments.
Bourzanga necropolis
Centre-Nord
Several groups of burials that include large jars made by Dogons, 109 steles.
Maadaga rock paintings
Est
Two rock shelters with abstract rock paintings.
Obiré sanctuaries
Sud-Ouest
Group of 27 rectangular sanctuaries – burials of Gan kings.
Architecture wonders
Tiébélé
Centre-Sud
Village with typical, highly unusual architecture. Contains Tiébélé Royal Court – an area that is encircled with a wall and contains an altar of ancestors, sacred stones, the cemetery of ancestors, and other important features. The contrasting colors of walls are repainted every year after the harvest – this design was created in the 16th century or earlier.
Kampti shrines
Sud-Ouest
Site with numerous fetish statues, center of local animists. Cult of sacrifice continues up to this day, locals have numerous stories of apparitions and unusual events.
Bobo Dioulasso Grand Mosque
Hauts-Bassins
Large mosque in Sudano-Sahelian style, built in 1882 (1883?).
Old Niansogoni (Niansoroni)
Cascades
An ancient village that developed in the 12th century AD and is abandoned since the 1980s. Under the cliff overhang have been preserved granaries and other structures that are made from clay. Some of these giant ceramic vessels are ornamented.
Manega Museum
Plateau-Central
Museum of African mysteries including artefacts of unknown cultures, tools of sorcerers and similar items.
Lobi soukala
Sud-Ouest
Group of traditional mud buildings in a large, rectangular compound that is reinforced with a high wall. Here live members of one family. Village has even its own shrine with fetish statues.
Loropéni Ruins
Sud-Ouest
Ruins of a fortified settlement. This gold trade town existed since the 11th century or earlier and was abandoned in the early 19th century. Area is enclosed by a stone wall that is up to 6 m tall.
Bobo-Dioulasso train station
Hauts-Bassins
Ornate train station, built in Sudanese style in the 1930s.
Bani Grand Mosque
Boucle du Mouhoun
Large and ornate mosque in Sudano-Sahelian style. There are seven wonderful mosques in Bani.
Sya in Bobo-Dioulasso
Hauts-Bassins
Historical center of Bobo-Dioulasso with many structures built in local style. Includes several interesting features including Dafra – sacred pool, where the offerings are consumed by a giant catfish.
Recommended books
Burkina Faso Art and Culture
Burkina Faso society and culture is an extremely interesting topic of investigation and study. A French-speaking country in West Africa, Burkina Faso has many ethnic groups and tribes that make up the society of the country. Two key elements for the culture of Burkina Faso (a country once known as Upper Volta) are its indigenous masks and dancing.
Burkina Faso (Bradt Travel Guides)
From balafon players in the laidback town of Bobo-Dioulasso to masters of horsemanship further north―plus internationally recognized film, jazz, hip hop, and craft festivals―landlocked Burkina Faso, in the heart of West Africa, has something to offer everyone.
