The Stone Circles of Senegambia are a collection of 1053 stone circles with a total of 28,931 monoliths situated in a region about 100 km wide and 350 km long to the north of the Gambia River.
Four representative groups of these circles have been selected for world heritage listing, with two locations in The Gambia (Wassu and Kerbatch) and two in Senegal (Sine Ngayène and Wanar), encompassing 93 stone circles and numerous tumuli and burial mounds.
The age and origins of the circles are shrouded in mystery, but recent excavation work suggests they date from between the 3rd century BC and 16th century AD, predating the arrival of the Manding people who currently inhabit the area.
This is one of only three trans-boundary world heritage properties in Africa. The most impressive feature is that almost all stones forming a circle are the same height and size, although their height varies between 245cm and 60cm, and their diameter is 30cm to 100cm.
The most notable site of the megalithic area is Sine Ngayène (region of Kaolack in Senegal) which includes 52 circles for 1200 megalithic stones and a hundred tumuli.
The age and origins of the circles are shrouded in mystery, but recent excavation work suggests they date from between the 3rd century BC and 16th century AD, predating the arrival of the Manding people who currently inhabit the area.
This is one of only three trans-boundary world heritage properties in Africa. The most impressive feature is that almost all stones forming a circle are the same height and size, although their height varies between 245cm and 60cm, and their diameter is 30cm to 100cm.
The most notable site of the megalithic area is Sine Ngayène (region of Kaolack in Senegal) which includes 52 circles for 1200 megalithic stones and a hundred tumuli.
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