Royal Palaces of Abomey(benin)

Brief Description

From 1625 to 1900, 12 kings succeeded one another at the head of the powerful Kingdom of Abomey. With the exception of King Akaba, who had his own separate enclosure, they all had their palaces built within the same cob-wall area, in keeping with previous palaces as regards the use of space and materials. The royal palaces of Abomey are a unique reminder of this vanished kingdom.

Other Languages:
English French Arabic Chinese Russian Spanish

Royal Palaces of Abomey © Joachim Huber 

Long Description

The Royal Palaces of Abomey bear exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition that has become vulnerable under the impact of time. Still used regularly for traditional rituals and for royal ceremonies, the palace buildings are important not simply because of the past that they represent, but also for the tradition they help to sustain. For a society without written documents, the bas-reliefs (used as decorative features) serve as a unique record of the past, they represent the most significant events in the evolution of the Fon people and their empire, glorifying the military victories and power of each king and documenting the Fon people's myths, customs and rituals.
The West African Kingdom of Abomey (formerly Dahomey), founded in 1625 by the Fon people, developed into a powerful military and commercial empire. Under the twelve kings who succeeded one another from 1695 to 1900, the kingdom became one of the most powerful on the west coast of Africa. Until the late 19th century its primary source of wealth was from selling of prisoners of war as slaves to European slave traders for transport across the Atlantic to the New World.
Each of the twelve kings built a lavish palace on the royal grounds in Abomey, the capital city, all within the same cob-walled area, in keeping with previous palaces as regards the use of space and materials. They are all characterized by a number of structural constants: within the walled enceinte, each palace has its own walls and is also built around three courtyards. The exterior courtyard is the site of ritual ceremonies and military parade, the interior courtyard and the private courtyard afford access to the residence of the king and queens of two distinct zones, that of the palaces and that of the north-northwest, the zone of the Akaba Palace. Over the centuries, the palace complex came to be filled with dwellings, facilities, murals, sculptures, and a series of intricate bas-reliefs. Earthen bas-reliefs were used as an essential decorative feature in the facades of most of the palaces. The walls show that the military might of the Abomey kingdom was based, in part, on companies of female warriors who matched their male counterparts in fierceness and courage. They also portray mythical animals that symbolized the characteristics of the kings and their power as rulers.
In order to defy French occupation in 1892, Abomey King Behanzin ordered that the city (including the palaces) be burned. The Salle des Bijoux (Hall of Jewels), the palace of an earlier ruler, is thought to have been one of the few structures to survive the fire, making its bas-reliefs of particular importance as a historic record of the Fon's rich culture.
source..