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The ancient Wassu Stone Circles,
in Gambia, are located around
Wassu in the Central River Region and are believed to be
burial mounds of Kings and chiefs in ancient times over 1,200 years
old and has been dated to between 750-1000 AD, and because of this
local legend has it that there is a curse on anyone who disturbs those
laid to rest there. This may account as to why they have lasted so
long with little human interference.
The stones sizes and
circular shapes do vary from 10 to 20 stones with sizes from
4 to
6 metres across. Though they were burial sites the stones
themselves are of a younger age than the graves. The average height of
each stone column is 5 feet 9 inches. The 11 large concentration of
circles have puzzled many a traveller over the centuries and have been
the subject of dozens of archaeological excavations since the 1800s.
Excavations were made on them earlier this century but none came
closer to laying bare the whys and wherefores of the site than the one
carried out about over 30 years ago which revealed their age. What has
been found are iron weapons, arrow and spearheads, knives, pottery
vessels and bronze ornaments
The stones were cut out of laterite that occurs in large quarry
outcrops in this region and then shaped with iron tools into
cylindrical or polygonal shapes. A museum situated at the "Stone
Circles" in Wassu Central River Division was opened in 2000. Hundreds
of stone circles can be found in The Gambia and Senegambia region.
They are part of a geographical grouping of over 1,000 monuments in a
wide strip measuring 62 miles wide and along 217 miles of the
Gambia
River.
This sacred site was declared a National Monument in 1995 and on
the 21st July, 2006, 93 monuments in the Senegambia region (Sine Ngayčne, Wanar) were declared by
UNESCO to be a
World
Heritage Site.
Travel Information
This attraction is accessible through localised taxi
transport. Journey time is about 5 hours from
Banjul. You get off at
Janjangbureh and make your way up to the site. Admission
is D50. You can't miss the signpost deployed on the main road at
Georgetown. This is a town that still maintains its colonial bearing
in buildings and other things attributable to that period. Otherwise
known as
Janjangbureh. Small and silent as they are their very nature
continue to puzzle even authorities on the subject of ancient African
history. If you are a fan of Africa, its people and its history
prepare for variety and originality.
Accommodation:
See in
Georgetown & Janjangbureh
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