Royal Palaces of Abomey History, Travel Information, Facts And More
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
NAME
Royal Palaces of Abomey
COUNTRY
Benin
ADDRESS
Abomey, Benin
ROYAL PALACES OF ABOMEY PICTURE
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About Royal Palaces of Abomey
Royal Palaces of Abomey is a group of 12 palaces located in the town of Abomey in Benin. It is spread in an area of 40 hectares. It was the capital of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey which was founded in 1625. It was designated as the World Heritage Site in 1985 and was in the list of endangered sites since then. The palaces were resided by over 8000 people at their peak time. There was also a two-story building in the palaces which was called cowrie house or akuhue.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Royal Palaces of Abomey
- A tornado hit the site in March 1984, which damaged the site including The Assins Room, the King Guezo Portico, Jewel Room, and King's tomb.
- According to the culture, the Kings were entitled to great respect and had great religious significance. The common appliquéd quilt also contains an image of the king. Many ceremonies used to be organized which was included in their culture. Perhaps you will not like the fact but human sacrifices were also made in these ceremonies.
- Many events are mentioned by the Fon people on the bas reliefs of these palaces. Visitors can know about various customs, rituals, and myths of these people through these bas reliefs. Also, they mentioned the power of the king and the military victories which they achieved there. The bas reliefs were made from the ant-hills which were mixed with palm oil and colors were derived from vegetable and mineral pigments.
- There is also a hut named Djexo in each palace. According to the tradition, it houses the spirit of the king. The tomb of the king was called Adoxo and also there are also other sacred places in the Palaces.
- Many of the buildings were destroyed in a bushfire in early 2009. The cause of the fire is still not known and as the buildings were made mostly of earth materials with straw roofs, the fire spread rapidly destroying a large portion of the site. Also, the tomb of Kings Agonglo and Ghezo and their wives were demolished in this fire.
- A museum is created by the French colonial administration in 1943. IIt houses conventional drums, paintings of ceremonies. Until now the museum has 1050 exhibits from where the travelers can know many things about their culture, tradition, wars, and ceremonies.
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