In Banjul, a colonial building has witnessed several chapters of Gambian history: in the 1920s, it served as the Bathurst Club for European residents; later, it housed the British Council and, in the 1960s, the Legislative Assembly. From 1970 to 1985, it was used as the Gambia National Library; today, it houses the Gambia National Museum.
Museum and Material Culture
The Gambia National Museum opened in 1985, 15 years after the Friends of the National Museum Association was founded. Its mission includes collecting, preserving and presenting objects relating to Gambia’s material culture. The museum also introduces visitors and residents to the country’s history and culture. In Banjul, the building’s changing uses thus come together with a museum whose themes extend beyond its walls to encompass the country.
Stone Circles Along the Gambia River
The Stone Circles of Senegambia were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2006 under criteria I and iii; the Gambian sites include Wassu and Kerbatch. The four groups—Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch—comprise 93 stone circles as well as numerous tumuli and burial mounds. Finds from some of these burial mounds indicate dates ranging from the 3rd century BC to the 16th century AD. The stone circles, made of laterite pillars, and their associated burial mounds form a sacred landscape created over more than 1,500 years. Together, the four groups form a concentration of more than 1,000 monuments in a strip about 100 km wide, extending along roughly 350 km of the Gambia River. Wassu and Kerbatch are the Gambian components of this larger complex.
River History and Remembrance
At the mouth of the Gambia River, Kunta Kinteh Island and Related Sites recall the important and painful era of the slave trade, its expansion and its end. The river developed into a major trade waterway linking the interior, the coast and more distant regions. The Six-Gun Battery of 1816 and Fort Bullen of 1826 are also part of this history: they stand on opposite sides of the river mouth and were built later than Kunta Kinteh Island to suppress the slave trade. The trade had been made illegal in the British Empire in 1807 by the Abolition Act.
Another cultural story is associated with Katchikally. According to the Bojang family legend, crocodiles were first brought there at the direction of Katchikally, the pool’s protective spirit. Ousman Bojang recalls that his ancestor Ncooping Bojang and his family were among the first settlers in Bakau. The family is associated with looking after Katchikally. This tradition brings together a story about the place and the memory of Bakau’s early settlers.
Birdwatching and Crafts
Birdwatching tours are offered daily in Gambia. The key areas mentioned include Abuko Nature Reserve, Tanji and Kiang West. The total number of bird species found in the country’s protected areas is estimated at 560. As tour offerings and the operation of these areas may change, check current availability before planning.
Craft markets also reveal another side of a trip. Outside the large hotels, items on offer include carved masks, batik products, handwoven fabrics, leather goods and jewelry. Conversations and haggling are part of the market experience described. Cultural heritage, nature watching and crafts thus stand alongside one another as different themes, from which you can choose your own focus for a trip through Gambia.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: North Bank Region, Kanifing Municipal Council, West Coast Region, Banjul, North Bank Division, Lower River, Tuvalu, North Korea.
