UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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![]() Wassu stone circles | |
Location | The Gambia and Senegal |
Includes |
|
Criteria | Cultural: (i), (iii) |
Reference | 1226 |
Inscription | 2006 (30th Session) |
Area | 9.85 ha (24.3 acres) |
Buffer zone | 110.05 ha (271.9 acres) |
Coordinates | 13°41′28″N 15°31′21″W / 13.69111°N 15.52250°W |
The Senegambian stone circles (French: Cercles mégalithiques de Sénégambie) or the Wassu stone circles[1] are groups of megalithic stone circles that lie in The Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Spread across a region 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi),[2] they are sometimes divided into the Wassu (Gambian) and Sine-Saloum (Senegalese) circles, but this is purely a national division. Containing over 1000 stone circles and tumuli spread across an area 350 km (220 mi) long and 100 km (62 mi) wide, the Senegambian stone circles are the largest concentration of stone circles seen anywhere in the world and an extensive sacred landscape that was used for more than 1500 years.[3][4] As a result, the sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006.[4]