Ambohimanga in Madagascar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ruins of a Merina palace. The Merina kingdom conquered neighboring tribes and unified Madagascar. The Rova, the palace of King Adrianamoinimerina, is a well-fortified example of 18th-century architecture with interesting features such as a large wenge wood pole and large baths. Madagascar is not a popular tourist destination, so Ambohimanga rarely has more than a handful of visitors.
Ambohimanga is a set of ruins on a hill in Madagascar. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been since 2001. Ambohimanga contains a variety of sacred spaces, spanning centuries.
Madagascar was first settled by people who traveled from the Malay archipelago, nearly 2,000 years ago. The new inhabitants of Madagascar split into various tribes and small kingdoms, and for centuries fought wars with each other to expand their kingdoms. One such clan, the Merina, remained relatively isolated on the plateau for much of this period, living as rice farmers and holding their own territory.
From the end of the 18th century, however, the Merina began to spread over the island. The kingdom quickly conquered neighboring kingdoms and unified the tribes. This process began under the incredibly skilled King Andrianamoinimerina and continued under his son, King Radama I. By the 18th, after just over three decades, the Merina held sway over much of Madagascar.
The Merina palace was in Ambohimanga, a sacred hill, and the ruins of the palace still remain. Eventually, the Merina moved the capital to nearby Antananarivo, where it remains to this day. Ambohimanga, however, remained a haven for the ruling family. Royalty continued to use Ambohimanga until the French invasion in the late 19th century, when they were exiled to Algeria and never able to return to their kingdom.
Madagascar isn’t a particularly popular tourist destination in general, so travelers used to flocks of other visitors will be pleasantly surprised here. Even those who do tend to come mostly to see the lemurs and otherwise experience the island’s stunning natural beauty and pristine flora and fauna. All of which means that Ambohimanga, even though it’s just over ten miles (20km) from the capital, rarely has more than a handful of visitors, and it’s not uncommon to be completely alone at the site.
The Rova is the main point of interest in Ambohimanga. It is the palace of King Adrianamoinimerina, and is a well-fortified example of 18th-century architecture. There are a number of interesting features on the Rova, aside from its core architecture. Inside is a huge piece of wenge wood, said to have been cut and brought all the way from the coast by a huge contingent of slaves, of whom more than 18 died. The construction of the palace used a concrete made from egg whites, and it is estimated that more than 100 million eggs were needed simply to build the outer wall.
The large wenge wood pole is one of the main attractions of Ambohimanga, and is carved in the shape of a female breast at the top. Also of interest are the large baths behind the Rova, where the king performed his holy ablutions every year. Once the bath was finished, the water was given to the supplicants, who considered it sacred.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
