GAMBIA: Wassau Stone Circles
Stone circles are common in Europe, but nowhere counts such a large
concentration as the Upper River Division of Gambia, in West Africa. More
than 1000 monuments dot the landscape between the Saloum and Gambia rivers,
in the region known historically as the Sene-Gambia . That so many are
found, in such a localised area, indicates a dynamic, possibly a royal
culture, once existed here Items discovered by archaeologists indicate that
iron tools were used to quarry the laterite rock and shape it into the
cylindrical pillars which average 1.5 metres in height and weigh around
seven tons apiece. Most circles are located near tumuli one theory being
that the layout - a small one next to a large one and so on - was linked to
family burial practices, but they may have also been associated with pagan
worship. Local people traditionally place small rocks on top of the pillars,
but the origin of this custom is equally lost in the mists of time. One of
the biggest groups of around 52 circles, located near the small village of
Wassau, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2006. Tests carried out
by the University of Dakar date the stones from as early as the 8th century
AD. Janjangbure (Georgetown) is on road and river link to visit Wassau, from
Gambian capital Banjul.