Bassar

Bassar in northwestern Togo sits in one of the main old iron-working centres of Togo: some smelting sites go back to around 400 BC, and the tradition lasted more than two thousand years, into the middle of the twentieth century, leaving furnaces, furnace bases, slag heaps, mines and forges across several villages in the hills. Today Bassar is known as the yam capital of Togo, above all for the Labaco yam preferred for fufu, and the yam festival, D'pontr, marks the start of the new year for the Bassar and Konkomba, alongside the fire dance, T'bol. The town still has a king, with his seat at the royal palace.

Highlights

• The slag heaps - the remains of more than two thousand years of iron smelting.
• The furnace sites - the working places in the hills around the town.
• The yam festival - D'pontr, the harvest feast that opens the new year.
• The Bassar country - the hills the industry was worked across.

When to go

November to March is the dry season. The yam festival, D'pontr, opens the new year.

What to expect

The archaeological sites are unmarked and a guide is needed. Facilities in the town are basic.

Nearby

Sokodé is east, and Kara is northeast.

Key facts