Ambohimanga
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How it came to be
Ambohimanga is a hill in the central highlands of Madagascar, in the region of Imerina. According to oral history, a dethroned prince named Andriamborona moved to the empty hilltop with his family around 1700. In the early 18th century King Andriamasinavalona divided Imerina into four parts, gave the north-east to his son, and made Ambohimanga its capital. He also gave the hill its present name.
The division led to 77 years of civil war. It was ended by a king from Ambohimanga, Andrianampoinimerina, who had reunited Imerina by 1793. He moved his court to Antananarivo and made Ambohimanga the kingdom's spiritual capital. According to UNESCO, this dynasty turned Madagascar into a modern state, recognized internationally in 1817.
The royal compound on the summit is ringed by ditches and stone walls and entered through 14 gateways. Royal tombs, sacred springs and a pen for sacrificial zebu remain. In 1897, after French colonization and the exile of the royal family, the sovereigns' remains were removed from the hill. Pilgrims still come from across the country. The site was inscribed in 2001.
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