Introduction:
The July 22nd Arch
is a monument that spans the Independence Drive which is the road
that leads into the Gambia's capital. A good reason to visit the
monument is for the panoramic views you get of the city from the
top floor terrace. Here you get a better idea of the place as
an island city, encircled by the ocean, the River
Gambia and parts of the Tanbi mangroves.
The other obvious features you see is are many corrugated rooftops,
the large King Fahad Mosque, the National
Assembly building and the Supreme Court.
The classical columns
house the lifts and staircases which lead up to the cafe. The
upper level central bridge houses a small ethnographic museum.
Here you will find on display agricultural implements, traditional
textile robes, and weapons such as bamboo bows and arrows as well
as locally made firearms. There is also the handwritten text of
the President's takeover speech and the very stool which he sat
upon to make it.
Soon after the opening of the Arch 22 one lift was abandoned having
been made unusable due to subsidence caused by the soft soil.
Cars were also banned for a time from driving between the columns
and have to take the Marina Parade route instead.
Vicinity:
 In
front of the base of the monument stands a statue of a soldier
holding a baby in the middle of a roundabout. Behind the monument
towards the city are gilded statues of musicians on rounded, white
pedestals. There is also a restaurant set within gardens for refreshments.
Building Details:
The off-white Arch 22, whose height stands at 114 feet high, was
built in the period 1994-1996 at a cost of £720,000 (US$1.15 million)
by the construction company Gamsen
and inaugurated on July 22nd to coincide with the anniversary
it commemorates - the coup of Yahya
Jammeh.
 The
hollow-arched pediment which is held up by 8 huge, fluted, Doric
columns was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby
(Kujabi) and Amadou Samba.
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Contact Address:
Management Board
Tel no: 4222115
Entry Fee:
About D200 per person
Opening Hours:
8 am to 4 pm
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Travel
& Tourism Attractions Banjul 
