Abomey, the original capital of the Dahomey Kingdom, developed around the year 1600 CE when the kingdom became a significant regional power. Built around conquest, slavery and international trade, this ancient civilisation was one of the most important practitioners of the Vodun religion in Africa.

You can visit the original Dahomey palaces and treasures of this ancient civilisation. A World Heritage site since 1985, this sprawling museum is now housed in two palaces. The museum is full of gold, and silver thrones, tapestries of bloody battles, human heads that were once used as musical instruments, and GhĆ©zo’s throne mounted on four real skulls of defeated enemies, all a testament to the immense wealth of this once-great kingdom.

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