Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes World Heritage Site

Official name

Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes | UNESCO

Country

Senegal | Map

Continent

Africa

Location

12.5933° Lat, -12.8458° Lon | Map

Code

1407

Time Zone

Africa/Dakar (GMT, +0000)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2012. The site, located in south-east Senegal, includes three geographical areas: the Bassari–Salémata area, the Bedik–Bandafassi area and the Fula–Dindéfello area, each with its specific morphological traits. The Bassari, Fula and Bedik peoples settled from the 11th to the 19th centuries and developed specific cultures and habitats symbiotic with their surrounding natural environment. The Bassari landscape is marked by terraces and rice paddies, interspersed with villages, hamlets and archaeological sites. The Bedik villages are formed by dense groups of huts with steep thatched roofs. Their inhabitants’ cultural expressions are characterized by original traits of agro-pastoral, social, ritual and spiritual practices, which represent an original response to environmental constraints and human pressures. The site is a well-preserved multicultural landscape housing original and still vibrant local cultures.