GHANA ~ Asante Traditional Buildings - UNESCO ~

... First of two lovely new African UNESCO sites... the Asante Traditional Buildings are a collection of traditionally built buildings from the time of the Ashanti Empire in the area near Kumasi, the empire’s former capital... once one of the most powerful states on the African continent, today survives only in the form of a handful of shrine complexes... decorated with richly symbolic bas reliefs, with spiral and arabesque forms and representations of animals, birds and plants... since the dwellings are made of earth, wood and straw, they are vulnerable to the onslaught of time and weather... Thanks Karolyn! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Asante Kingdom had its golden age in the 18th century, fell during the British occupation of the area from 1806 to 1901, and most Asante buildings of the period were destroyed during the area. Among other buildings, the royal mausoleum was destroyed by Baden-Powell in 1895.

The Asante Traditional Buildings were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980.

Stamps:

2X  The 20th Anniversary of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 

(Issued 04-11-1985)