Abomey | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 7°11′8″N 1°59′17″E / 7.18556°N 1.98806°E | |
Country | Benin |
Department | Zou Department |
Area | |
• Total | 142 km2 (55 sq mi) |
Elevation | 221 m (725 ft) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 90,195 |
• Density | 640/km2 (1,600/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 ( WAT) |
Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. [1] [2]
Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small traditional houses that were inhabited by the Kings of Dahomey from 1600 to 1900, and which were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. [3]
Abomey was founded in the 17th century as the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600–1904), on the site of the former village of Kana. [3] Traditional legends state that the town was founded by Do-Aklin, a son of the king of Allada who ventured north to found his own kingdom; the name is thought to come from Danhomé, also spelled Danxomé, meaning "belly of Dan", Dan being the original chief of the village. [3]
Dahomey expanded rapidly in the 1700s, absorbing many of the surrounding kingdoms, and growing rich from the slave trade. [3] After several attempts, the French conquered the kingdom on 16 November 1892, prompting King Béhanzin to torch the city and flee northward. [3] [4] Thereafter the town declined in importance, a process hastened when the French built the new administrative centre of Bohicon immediately to the east. [3] Today, the city is of less importance, but is still popular with tourists and as a centre for crafts. Since 1985, Abomey has maintained its complex of royal palaces as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Royal Palaces of Abomey are a group of earthen structures built by the Fon people between the mid-17th and late 19th Centuries. One of the most famous and historically significant traditional sites in West Africa, the palaces form a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [3]
The town was surrounded by a mud wall with a circumference estimated at 10 kilometres (6 mi), pierced by six gates, and protected by a ditch five feet deep, filled with a dense growth of prickly acacia, the usual defence of West African strongholds. Within the walls were villages separated by fields, several royal palaces, a market-place and a large square containing the barracks. Only 10 of the original 12 palace survived the 1892 burning by Béhanzin, Dahomey's last king. [3] The French colonial administration rebuilt the town and connected it with the coast by a railroad.
When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it stated:
From 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè (now termed the " Salle des Bijoux") have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure. The bas-reliefs carry an iconographic program expressing the history and power of the Fon people.
As reported by UNESCO, on 21 January 2009 the Royal Palaces of Abomey suffered from a fire "which destroyed several buildings." [5] The fire was the most recent disaster to have plagued the site, coming after a powerful tornado damaged the site in 1984. [6]
Year | Population [7] |
---|---|
1860s | 24 000 |
1979 | 38 412 |
1992 | 65 725 |
2002 | 77 997 |
2008 (estimate) | 87 344 |
2012 | 90 195 |
Abomey | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 7°11′8″N 1°59′17″E / 7.18556°N 1.98806°E | |
Country | Benin |
Department | Zou Department |
Area | |
• Total | 142 km2 (55 sq mi) |
Elevation | 221 m (725 ft) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 90,195 |
• Density | 640/km2 (1,600/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 ( WAT) |
Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. [1] [2]
Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small traditional houses that were inhabited by the Kings of Dahomey from 1600 to 1900, and which were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. [3]
Abomey was founded in the 17th century as the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600–1904), on the site of the former village of Kana. [3] Traditional legends state that the town was founded by Do-Aklin, a son of the king of Allada who ventured north to found his own kingdom; the name is thought to come from Danhomé, also spelled Danxomé, meaning "belly of Dan", Dan being the original chief of the village. [3]
Dahomey expanded rapidly in the 1700s, absorbing many of the surrounding kingdoms, and growing rich from the slave trade. [3] After several attempts, the French conquered the kingdom on 16 November 1892, prompting King Béhanzin to torch the city and flee northward. [3] [4] Thereafter the town declined in importance, a process hastened when the French built the new administrative centre of Bohicon immediately to the east. [3] Today, the city is of less importance, but is still popular with tourists and as a centre for crafts. Since 1985, Abomey has maintained its complex of royal palaces as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Royal Palaces of Abomey are a group of earthen structures built by the Fon people between the mid-17th and late 19th Centuries. One of the most famous and historically significant traditional sites in West Africa, the palaces form a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [3]
The town was surrounded by a mud wall with a circumference estimated at 10 kilometres (6 mi), pierced by six gates, and protected by a ditch five feet deep, filled with a dense growth of prickly acacia, the usual defence of West African strongholds. Within the walls were villages separated by fields, several royal palaces, a market-place and a large square containing the barracks. Only 10 of the original 12 palace survived the 1892 burning by Béhanzin, Dahomey's last king. [3] The French colonial administration rebuilt the town and connected it with the coast by a railroad.
When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it stated:
From 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè (now termed the " Salle des Bijoux") have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure. The bas-reliefs carry an iconographic program expressing the history and power of the Fon people.
As reported by UNESCO, on 21 January 2009 the Royal Palaces of Abomey suffered from a fire "which destroyed several buildings." [5] The fire was the most recent disaster to have plagued the site, coming after a powerful tornado damaged the site in 1984. [6]
Year | Population [7] |
---|---|
1860s | 24 000 |
1979 | 38 412 |
1992 | 65 725 |
2002 | 77 997 |
2008 (estimate) | 87 344 |
2012 | 90 195 |