UNESCO to Remove Uganda's Kasubi Tombs From Its List of Endangered Sites
UNESCO to Remove Uganda's Kasubi Tombs From Its List of Endangered Sites
Sputnik Africa
The Kasubi Royal Tombs in the Ugandan capital of Kampala are the burial grounds of four kabakas (kings of Buganda) and other members of the Buganda royal... 29.08.2023, Sputnik Africa
On Monday, the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, recommended that the tombs of royal traditional leaders in Uganda, which were almost completely destroyed by fire over a decade ago, should be removed from its list of endangered cultural heritage sites.Located on a hillside in the Kampala region, the Buganda Kings' Tombs at Kasubi cover an area of nearly 30 hectares. At the center of the site, on a hilltop, is the former palace of the Kabakas of Buganda, which was built in 1882 and converted into a royal burial ground in 1884. It was destroyed by the fire in March 2010.Since the 2010 blaze, the Buganda Kings' Tombs, housed in grass-thatched buildings on the hillside, have been rebuilt with the help of international funding.UNESCO's recommendations to remove the site from the endangered list, following a June mission to the tombs, will be presented to the 21 member states of the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on September 10-25.The tombs at Kasubi are an important example of traditional architecture, a spiritual and historical site for the Ganda people. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2001, when it was described as "one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa." Have a look at Sputnik's gallery of the reconstructed traditional site that reflects the intangible values of faith, spirituality and continuity!
The Kasubi Royal Tombs in the Ugandan capital of Kampala are the burial grounds of four kabakas (kings of Buganda) and other members of the Buganda royal family. Several of the main buildings there were nearly destroyed by fire in March 2010. The site was inscribed on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in July the same year.
On Monday, the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, recommended that the tombs of royal traditional leaders in Uganda, which were almost completely destroyed by fire over a decade ago, should be removed from its list of endangered cultural heritage sites.
Located on a hillside in the Kampala region, the Buganda Kings' Tombs at Kasubi cover an area of nearly 30 hectares. At the center of the site, on a hilltop, is the former palace of the Kabakas of Buganda, which was built in 1882 and converted into a royal burial ground in 1884. It was destroyed by the fire in March 2010.
Since the 2010 blaze, the Buganda Kings' Tombs, housed in grass-thatched buildings on the hillside, have been rebuilt with the help of international funding.
UNESCO's recommendations to remove the site from the endangered list, following a June mission to the tombs, will be presented to the 21 member states of the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on September 10-25.
The tombs at Kasubi are an important example of traditional architecture, a spiritual and historical site for the Ganda people. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2001, when it was described as "one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa."
Have a look at Sputnik's gallery of the reconstructed traditional site that reflects the intangible values of faith, spirituality and continuity!
Traditional artisans fix the circular rings at the ceiling of one of the buildings belonging to the Kasubi Royal Tombs in Kampala, Uganda on June 13, 2023.
A traditional artisan holds local materials used to fix the circular rings at the ceiling of one of the buildings belonging to the Kasubi Royal Tombs in Kampala, Uganda.
