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
Explore Ghana
Museums in Ashanti Region
The Ashanti Region holds some of Ghana's most rewarding museums, and most of them sit within easy reach of Kumasi. What they share is a focus on Asante history, craft and kingship: royal regalia, weaving traditions, shrine architecture and the story of the Anglo-Asante wars. What differs is scale and setting. Some are large, central and easy to combine in a single day; others are small, specific and worth the short trip out of town.
In Kumasi itself you can spend time at the Manhyia Palace Museum, housed in the old palace built in 1925 and opened as a museum in 1995, then walk the Centre for National Culture, established in 1956, where the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum displays royal regalia and Ashanti heritage collections among craft workshops and a gallery. The Kumasi Fort and Military Museum, in Uaddara Barracks, follows the Gold Coast Regiment's evolution into the Ghana Armed Forces.
Beyond the city, the Bonwire Kente Museum in the historic weaving town of Bonwire, about 18 km from Kumasi, celebrates Kente. At Ejisu, the Yaa Asantewaa Museum honours the Queen Mother of Ejisu who led Ashanti resistance in the 1900–1901 War of the Golden Stool, while the Ejisu Besease Shrine, one of the ten UNESCO-listed Asante Traditional Buildings, is the listing's main visitor site.
Good to know
Before you go
Base yourself in Kumasi, where four of these places are found, and treat Bonwire, Ejisu and Besease as short trips out of the city. Allow a full day for the Kumasi museums and a half day each for the weaving town and the Ejisu sites, which pair well together. Roads and opening arrangements can change, so confirm times and any entry requirements directly before you travel, and check whether photography is permitted. Guides at the shrine and palace sites add a great deal, so ask on arrival. Carry cash for small entries and craft purchases, dress respectfully at shrines and palace grounds, and travel between towns in daylight.
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Places to explore
Attraction · Kumasi
Centre for National Culture, Kumasi
A government-supported cultural centre in Kumasi, established in 1956, with Asante craft workshops, a gallery, a crafts shop and the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum.
Photo: Jude Hammond · 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 · 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 · 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 · Kumasi
Prempeh II Jubilee Museum
Museum in central Kumasi, Ashanti Region, displaying royal regalia and Ashanti heritage collections within the Centre for National Culture grounds.