Sikasso

Introducing Sikasso

Agreeable, if unexciting, Sikasso stands at the heart of a relatively lush region that is known as the ‘market garden of Mali’. Physical evidence of Sikasso’s fascinating history has eroded over time, although the mud-brick tata (town wall), that fell to French cannons in 1898, is still visible in places. Sikasso was the last Malian town to resist French colonialism, and King Babemba Traore chose to kill himself rather than surrender. The beautiful Palais du Dernier Roi still stands on the western side of town, and in the centre is the Mamelon, a small hill that was sacred to the Kénédougou kings, and on which a French colonial tower now stands.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009