Abomey Royal Palaces, Benin
From series “The Unesco World Heritage Sites in Africa”Year: 17th - 19th Century.
In Abomey, the city of Benin, there is a unique historical complex - beautiful royal palaces, which are a reminder of the reign of the Dahomey kings. The complex consists of 12 palaces, whose architectural history is connected with an interesting cultural tradition. After each change of the ruler, a new palace was built next to the old one. The huge complex was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage in 1985.
At present, this historic monument is in danger of complete disappearance. Because of constant hurricanes some of the buildings had already been destroyed. The first palace of the complex was built in 1695 by King Hugbadja, the founder of the town of Abomey. The construction of the palaces lasted until the end of the 19th century. For nearly 200 years, the city was actively developing, and remained a political center of the Dahomey Kingdom.
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Abomey Royal Palaces - interactive map
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