ferrous metallurgy sites
states: [burkina faso]
category: cultural
year: 2019
region: Africa
latitude/longitude: 12.5877583333, -3.3289861111
unesco id: 1602
world heritage site: 1602
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The Ferrous Metallurgy Sites, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Burkina Faso, recognized in 2019, are ancient iron production complexes spanning five locations, with the oldest at Douroula dating to the 8th century BCE. Featuring standing natural-draft furnaces, mines, and traces of dwellings, these sites showcase early smelting techniques and their evolution through the second millennium CE at Tiwêga, Yamané, Kindibo, and Békuy. They highlight Burkina Faso’s pioneering role in African metallurgy, preserving a rich technical and cultural legacy still echoed in today’s blacksmith traditions.