Located in the Tandjouaré Prefecture in the Savanes Region of northern

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

, Africa, the caves of Nôk and Mamproug contain shelter and refuge structures built between the 17th and 19th centuries mainly for defensive purposes.Greniers en série des grottes de Nok, Mamproug, Kouba et Bagou - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref>

Site description

In total, the caves contain over 300 structures: roughly 134 structures in Nôk, 113 in Mamproug and 70 in Bopak. The structures, mostly cylindrical and oblong in shape, open upwards and can stand two and a half meters high. Mostly made from local materials such as clay, straw, and stones, the structures allow their builders to protect their precious crop harvest from being plundered. The Konkomba,

Moba Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete against each other on a predefined battlefield. Each player controls a single character with a set of distinctive abilities that i ...

, and Mamprussi are among the peoples are believed to be the builders of the cave structures.

World Heritage status

This site was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

Tentative List on December 12, 2000 in the Cultural category. The UNESCO submission was updated in December 2021 to include the granaries at Kouba and Bagou.

Archaeology

Still intact upon discovery, the caves contained pottery and many specimens of bows, arrows, and quivers.

Notes

References

Greniers en série des grottes de Nok, Mamproug, Kouba et Bagou - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Accessed 2022-10-15. * Coordinates: N 10° 39, 613’; E 0° 8,836’ {{DEFAULTSORT:Nok And Mamproug Cave Dwellings Togolese culture Cave dwellings