Historical places in Africa
Not unlike the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania near Tipaza, but this mausoleum is for the lesser known Numidian king Madghis, who probably lived between 300 and 200 BC. The round pyramid-shaped tomb is not in the best state, but there is a good chance that you will have it all to yourself.
Princess Cleopatra Selene II was the only daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. She married a Berber prince, Juba II, from modern-day Algeria, and together they were given Mauretania to rule, which they did quite successfully. She died sometimes around 6 BC, and her husband had then a mausoleum built. When Juba II died in 23 AD, he was buried inside the mausoleum too. The Royal Mausoleum is along with the two archaeological complexes of Roman ruins at Tipaza a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The town of Mbanza Kongo was once the capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, one of the largest states in Southern Africa during the Middle Ages. Later at the end of the 15th century Portuguese missionaries arrived and built the first Catholic church in Central Africa. The church was later extended to a cathedral known as the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour of Congo (in Portuguese Catedral de São Salvador de Congo). The present day ruins are no bigger than a two-story house, but there is also the graveyard of the kings, along with a small, but impressive, museum with artifacts from the old Kingdom. Mbanza Kongo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017.
Location, location, location. The first European settlement in the tropics is set beautifully between the rugged coastline and the mountainous interior at a steep valley cutting inland. This former Portuguese capital of the Cabo Verde islands used to bear the name Ribeira Grande, but today it's just known as Cidade Vehla meaning "Old City". These days life move slowly, and the town is mainly inhabited by local fishermen and farmers who live among the ruins of sixteen and seventeen century Portugal. Most notable the ruined cathedral; the Pelourinho on the praça, where criminals and slaves were shackled and exposed; and Rue Banana, the ironically named first European street in the tropics – now lined with the restored houses from when the island was first colonized. More historical evidence can be found among the palm trees and the farms in the valley. Cidade Vehla is Cabo Verde's only entry on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a German physician, organist, writer, philosopher, and philanthrop who did humanitarian and health work from his hospital in the jungle of Gabon. He was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Today there is a modern hospital on the grounds, while the original buildings have been turned into an interesting museum and a atmospheric hotel. The museum still includes the original operation theaters with all the original surgical instruments (some very macabre). It's only accessible through a guided tour. You can find Albert grave behind the museum.
Like other West African countries, the Gambia wasn't exempt from the centuries of slave trading by Europeans. The country's primary site of memorial is Kunta Kinteh Island (formerly St. James Island) located mid-river at the mouth of the Gambia River. Here, Fort James defended the interests of the British, French, Dutch and Latvian ships participating in the trade of gold, ivory and, of course, slaves. The island is just a small pirogue hop from the north bank of the Gambia River, and it's easy to arrange in the twin village of Albadarr/Jufureh. Here is also a small museum, mapping out the crimes of the slave trade and providing an informative introduction to this dark corner of human history. Fort James got to redeem itself in the 19th century when it became part of the British efforts to quell the slave trade.
It was the Portuguese, who first established a trading post in Cape Coast in the early 17th century. Later both Swedish, Danish and Dutch hold the post, but it was the British in late 17th century, who expanded the post to the fort you see today. It played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade and thousands of slaves have been sold here and shipped off to the Americas. There is a fine little exhibition explaining the history of the fort, slavery, and Ghana culture in general. As you explore the fort, you get amazing views over Cape Coast, particularly the two beaches and the small fishing community below. Here high up you can take in life below, a sight that almost rival the one of the fort itself. Together with the other fortified buildings along the Ghanaian coast, they're enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Most visitors to Ghana visit the Castles in Elmina and Cape Coast. But the Ghanaian coast is dotted with gold and slave trade era forts, which together are enlisted as one joint UNESCO World Heritage site. No less than two-thirds of all Western forts built in West Africa are constructed in what is today Ghana. Built by the British, Dutch, Danes, Swedes and Portuguese, the forts ended up in the hands of the former three after power struggles during the 17th century. Most interesting of the 29 forts that are standing today are Fort Metal Cross (in Dixcove), Fort Leydsaemheyt (Apam), Fort Amsterdam (Abanze), Fort William (Anomabo) and Fort Prinzenstein (Keta). Fort Amsterdam doubles as a basic guesthouse.
Not as big as the neighbouring slave fort in Cape Coast, but with an equal grim history. Already in the late 15th century, the Portuguese set up a trading post here to get their hands on the West African gold production. The post eventually turned into to a full-blown slave fort with cannons and dungeons for slaves waiting to be shipped. The Dutch managed to conquer Elmina fort in the mid 17th century, before they sold it off to the British in late 19th century. It's estimated between 12 and 20 millions slaves were shipped from the Gold Coast in West Africa, a five-week journey under so grim conditions that it wasn't unusual that half of the human cargo have died in passage. Walking around the fort not only gives you idea of the past, but it also offers panoramic views over Elmina town and the sea. Elmina is of course a UNESCO World Heritage site along with Cape Coast slave fort.
Not many travellers make it all the way to Keta, though it's a favoured weekend hideout for locals, who are happy to have the town's resorts all to themselves. Beside the peace and quiet, and the long sandy beach, most foreign visitors come out here to visit Keta Lagoon and Fort Prinzenstein. Prinzenstein is the only Danish fort still standing on the Ghanaian coast – though the sea has tried its best to swallow it. The Danes were the third major player (along with the British and the Dutch) during 400 years of gold and slave trade. Until Christiansborg Castle in Accra opens to the public, Prinzenstein is the only Danish-built fortification it's possible to visit. Around the fort is a small colonial town, and further down the coast is an awkward-looking stilt lighthouse that's climbable.