Loropéni
| Loropéni | |
|---|---|
  Loropéni Location within Burkina Faso, French West Africa | |
| Coordinates: 10°18′N 3°32′W / 10.300°N 3.533°W | |
| Country |
 Burkina Faso |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
| Official name | The Ruins of Loropéni |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii |
| Designated | 2009 (33rd session) |
| Reference no. | 1225 |
| State Party |
Burkina Faso |
| Region | Africa |
Loropéni is a market town in southern Burkina Faso, lying west of Gaoua. Nearby are the ancient stone Ruins of Loropéni, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009. These ruins are the country's first World Heritage inscription. The site, which spans 11,130 square metres (119,800 sq ft), includes an array of stone walls that comprised an ancient fortress. The site may date as far back as the 11th century, but reached its height between the 14th and 17th centuries AD.[1] It was likely built by the Lohron or Koulango peoples and flourished as an important settlement during the trans-Saharan gold trade.[1]
Notes
- 1 2 "Ruins of Loropéni". UNESCO World Heritage List. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
Additional Readings
Somé, Magloire, and Lassina Simporé. Lieux de mémoire, patrimoine et histoire en Afrique de l’Ouest: Aux origines des Ruines de Loropéni, Burkina Faso. Archives contemporaines, 2014.
Royer, Bertrand. Le fil d’Ariane du patrimoine. Du musée ethnographique de Gaoua au site UNESCO de Loropéni (Burkina Faso). Géographie et cultures 79 (2011): 109-125.
Royer, Bertrand. "Patrimoine Mondial de l'Unesco et mise en valeur des ruines de Loropéni." Net et terrain: ethnographie de la n@ture en Afrique (2011): 94-122.
Coordinates: 10°18′N 3°32′W / 10.300°N 3.533°W