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Attraction · Ejisu
Besease Traditional Building
The Besease Traditional Building, or Yaw Tano Shrine, is one of the ten surviving Asante Traditional Buildings within Ghana's 1980 UNESCO World Heritage property.
Photo: Sucram Yef · Source
Explore Ghana
Heritage sites in Ashanti Region
The Ashanti Region holds some of Ghana's most important heritage, and much of it sits within easy reach of Kumasi. Several of the places gathered here belong to the same story: the Besease Traditional Building, also known as the Yaw Tano Shrine, and the Ejisu Besease Shrine are among the ten surviving Asante Traditional Buildings inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1980. Others remember the same era of Asante history in different ways, from the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi to the Yaa Asantewaa Museum in Ejisu and the Yaa Asantewaa Memorial Heritage Trail at her Besease gravesite.
They differ in what they offer. Some are quiet shrine houses and monuments where you look, listen and learn. Others are living craft centres, such as the Bonwire Kente Museum and the Ntonso Adinkra Craft Village, where weaving, dyeing and stamping are still practised. The Kumasi Fort and Military Museum tells the story of the Anglo-Asante wars and the Gold Coast Regiment, while Lake Bosomtwe, Ghana's only true inland natural lake, set in a meteorite crater, adds nature and community tourism to the mix. The Antoa Nyamaa Shrine and Bonwire Palace show how heritage here is still part of everyday life.
Good to know
Before you go
Kumasi is the natural base, with Manhyia Palace Museum and Kumasi Fort and Military Museum in the city, and Bonwire, Ntonso, Ejisu, Besease and Antoa in the surrounding districts. Lake Bosomtwe lies south-east of Kumasi. Roads link these towns, but the last stretch to some sites, such as the farm path to the Antoa Nyamaa shrine, is rough, so allow generous time and consider a local driver who knows the turnings. Shrines and palaces are living cultural places: dress modestly, ask before photographing, and follow guidance on entry. Check opening arrangements and whether a guide is available before you set out, as smaller sites may not keep regular hours.
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Places to explore
Attraction · Bonwire
Bonwire Kente Museum
A museum and craft centre in Bonwire, the historic Kente-weaving town in the Ejisu Municipality of Ghana's Ashanti Region, about 18 km from Kumasi.
Photo: Stephen Acheampong · Source
Attraction · Besease Ejisu
Ejisu Besease Shrine
Traditional Asante shrine house at Ejisu Besease, Ashanti Region, one of the ten UNESCO-listed Asante Traditional Buildings and the listing's main visitor site.
Photo: Sucram Yef · Source
Attraction · Kumasi
Kumasi Fort and Military Museum
A fort and military museum in Kumasi's Uaddara Barracks, tracing the Anglo-Asante wars and the Gold Coast Regiment's evolution into the Ghana Armed Forces.
Photo: Noahalorwu · Source
Attraction · Abono
Lake Bosomtwe
Lake Bosomtwe is Ghana's only true inland natural lake, set in a million-year-old meteorite crater about 30 km south-east of Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.
Photo: Noahalorwu · Source
Attraction · Kumasi
Manhyia Palace Museum
A historical museum in Kumasi's Manhyia Palace complex, housed in the old palace built in 1925 and opened as a museum in 1995.
Photo: Dan Sloan · Source
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Attraction · Ntonso
Ntonso Adinkra Craft Village
Ntonso Adinkra Craft Village in Kwabre East, Ashanti Region, is Ghana's best-known centre for hand-printed adinkra cloth, with guided tours of dyeing, stamping and embroidery.
Photo: ZSM · Source
Attraction · Ejisu
Yaa Asantewaa Museum
A museum in Ejisu, Ashanti Region, honouring Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Ejisu and leader of Ashanti resistance in the 1900–1901 War of the Golden Stool.
Photo: Noahalorwu · Source
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Attraction
Attraction · Antoa
Antoa Nyamaa Shrine
Antoa Nyamaa is a river deity and shrine in Antoa, Kwabre East, Ashanti Region, about seven miles from Kumasi, reached by a farm path to the Asuo Nyamaa stream.
Attraction
Attraction · Bonwire
Bonwire Palace
The traditional palace of the Chief of Bonwire, Nana Bobie Ansah II, in the Ashanti Region's kente-weaving village, used for Akan naming ceremonies and community events.
Attraction
Attraction · Besease Ejisu
Yaa Asantewaa Memorial Heritage Trail
A memorial project at the Besease gravesite of Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Ejisu and leader of the 1900 Asante resistance, in the Ejisu Municipal District.