Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba

The Batammariba build their homes as small fortresses of earth: the takienta, a multi-storey tower-house whose turrets and rooftop granaries rise from the savannah like miniature castles. In Koutammakou, which spans northeastern Togo and adjacent Benin, these dwellings remain the heart of a living culture whose villages weave together farmland, sacred groves, springs and initiation grounds. UNESCO recognised Koutammakou as a World Heritage cultural landscape in 2004.