Sikasso

Sikasso sits in the wettest part of Mali, which makes it the country's fruit and vegetable centre, and it was the capital of the Kénédougou kingdom whose ruler Tieba built the Tata, a rampart several metres thick that held out against Samory Touré's siege in the 1880s before falling to the French in 1898. Sections of the wall survive around the town, and the Mamelon, a low hill at the centre, holds the old royal ground.

History

Sikasso was a small village until Tieba Traoré, whose mother came from here, became ruler of the Kénédougou kingdom and moved his capital to it, setting his palace on the sacred Mamelon hill, now topped by a water tower; the town holds the Triangle du balafon festival every June (Wikipedia, Sikasso).

Highlights

• The Tata remains - sections of the great defensive rampart around the town.
• The Mamelon - the low hill at the centre with the old royal ground.
• The market - the produce trade of the country's wettest region.
• The Kénédougou history - the kingdom the town was capital of.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. The rains from June are heaviest here of anywhere in Mali. March to May is hot.

Good to know

Only fragments of the Tata survive and they are unmarked in places. The town has limited visitor facilities. Interpretation of the historic sites is thin.

Nearby

Missirikoro Grotto is west, and Farako Falls are northeast.

Key facts